MIDDLETOWN — You know the holiday season is in full swing when residents of Middletown's South Main Historic District put their massive, beautiful old homes on display.

        The district's Candlelight Tour of Homes will be Sunday from 3-8 p.m. The tour has been held every other year for the past two decades.

CUTLINE OF PHOTO GOES RIGHT HERE, U/L CASE (Dick Swaim photo) | ZOOM |

        This year's event features nine homes, two churches and the Pickwick Building, one of the oldest commercial buildings in the city, said Sue Gawron, tour chairwoman.

        The buildings will be decked out for the holidays, and free carriage rides, wassail and cookies will be available.

        Among homes showcased this year are the Romanesque Carrie Jacoby House at 314 S. Main St., built in 1887; the Italianate house at 107 S. Main St., built by Caspar Fenzel in 1880; and the Queen Anne-style house at 121 S. Main built by Simon Goldman in 1891.

        “This is Middletown's history,” Mrs. Gawron said. “This is where the founding fathers of Middletown lived. They had homes on this street. There are people who have lived in Middletown all their lives and have never been on this tour.”

IF YOU GO

The Candlelight Tour of Homes will be Sunday from 3-8 p.m. in Middletown's South Main Historic District.     • Pre-tour tickets: Available for $10 at the Whistle Stop, Country Neighbors on Dixie Highway, the Heritage Collection and the Middletown Antique Mall.     • Tour-day tickets: Available for $12 at 501 S. Main St. or at St. Paul's Church, 114 S. Broad St.

        Former homeowners include the Sorgs of papermaking fame and the Veritys of Armco, now AK Steel. Early Armco engineers lived in the historic district, as did the city's jew eler and dry goods merchant.

        Today's owners work to preserve the homes as pieces of the past.

        “You'll really see a lot of pride in ownership,” Mrs. Gawron said. “We all love to talk about them.”

        There are more than 90 houses, churches and commercial buildings in the area, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, said Joanne Mejias, a senior planner for Middletown.

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