On Saturday, December 7, the 2019 Harbour House Tour will be held from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in Urbanna. There are six houses and four historic sites on the tour. Tickets are available at Cyndy’s Bynn, Lowe Tide, Fin and Pearl, Bristow’s Store, If It’s Wood and More, ReSail Boutique, and Simply YaYa’s. Town businesses will be open extended hours for shopping that evening.
Tickets are also on sale at Papeterie and Burke’s Fine Jewelers in Kilmarnock.
The tour is sponsored by Urbanna Beautification Inc. and the Town of Urbanna. Visit www.urbanna.com or call 804-758-4477 or 804-815-1060 for more information.
Tour parking is available only at Urbanna United Methodist Church (UUMC), 221 Marston Ave. Parking will not be available at the house tour sites. Transportation to all houses and downtown Urbanna will be provided from the UUMC parking lot.
Registration is required at the church to obtain an entry bracelet. Access to private homes will not be allowed without an event bracelet.
This year’s tour houses include New Burton House, Foley House, Riverside Retreat, Wyatt Condo, Agnor Condo, and Little Dipper.
Following is a short description of the four historic buildings on the tour:
Urbanna Baptist Church: The church was built in 1895 by Charles Henry Palmer Sr. A civil war veteran, Palmer left his hometown of Urbanna in 1865 and went to New York state where he took up carpentry. He came home seven years later and designed and built the church.
Urbanna Mission House: The house was built at the turn of the 20th century by Aubrey and Ada Burton. Aubrey was the steamboat wharf agent at Burton’s Steamboat Wharf located at the foot of Watling Street. A house on the corner of Watling and Cross streets enabled Aubrey to walk to work each day. The last steamboat out of Baltimore came and went in 1937 ending a colorful steamboat era in Urbanna. The house is owned today by Urbanna Baptist Church and is used as the mission house.
Middlesex Woman’s Club: The historic Middlesex County Courthouse was built in 1748 and is one of only 11 colonial courthouse buildings surviving in Virginia. After the county seat was moved to Saluda in 1852, Captain John Bailey of Rosegill purchased the building and converted it into a non-denominational church building to be used by any and all denominations in need of a place to worship. Today, the Middlesex Woman’s Club owns and maintains the historic building. Enjoy their wonderful display of vintage children’s toys. Enjoy their wonderful display of iconic tablescapes. They will be showcasing their beautiful 12-foot Christmas tree.
“The Middlesex County Woman’s Club will be open for visitors during the annual Christmas House Tour of Urbanna. We will again be displaying our iconic tablescapes which have been created by members,” said club member Jean Kotesky. “Our 1748 colonial courthouse building will be decorated with fresh Christmas greens and our 12-foot Christmas tree will be on full display. Hot cider and cookies will be served. All are invited.”
Urbanna Museum and Visitor Center: The museum building at 130 Virginia Street was built in the mid-1760s and is a rare example of a surviving colonial Scottish Factor Store in America. The building has been authentically restored and houses the historic 1755 “Map of the British and French Dominion” drawn by Dr. John Mitchell, who was Urbanna’s town physician from 1734 to 1745. The Mitchell Map was used as the cartographic document consulted by Great Britain and United States officials at Paris in 1783 when negotiating the treaty that terminated the Revolutionary War and recognized the independence of the United States. A docent will be on hand to answer questions.
