Christmastime is here

Cherished antiques, family lore and American history permeate like the scent of pine through the eight dwellings featured on the 2009 Holiday Tour of Homes put on by the Museum of Culpeper History.

Saturday’s tour features a salute to the post-World War II building boom — three are from the 1950s and ’60s. Participants can also see inside a post-Civil War Victorian and a home built before World War I.

The 18th century Burgandine House will be open, as will the museum next door on South Main Street. Down the road, the B. Martin Germanna Visitor Center off Route 3 in Locust Grove will also welcome visitors Saturday. In downtown Culpeper, visit homes on West Street, Blue Ridge Avenue, Park Avenue and Oaklawn Drive. Here are the participating properties:

* Burgandine House, 803 S. Main St., is believed to be the oldest home in Culpeper, built 1749 as a log cabin. According to local lore, it was used as a tavern during the Revolution.

* The Chavez/Price House, 809 S. West St., was built 1910 in the late Victorian style. James Polk Hill, a Confederate cavalryman who rode with JEB Stuart, purchased it in 1912. Acquired by its current owners five years ago, the house has been lovingly restored.

* The DeSimone House, 1218 S. Blue Ridge Ave., is a Cape Cod built by the Clore family in 1950 and was the childhood home of Dick Clore. The DeSimones have lived here for nearly two decades and have made many modern changes, including the addition of a deck that runs the length of the house for better enjoyment of mountain views.

* The Scott House, 1219 S. Blue Ridge Ave., was custom designed and built in 1952 by George Robson and is still occupied by the original owner. Antiques abound here; be sure to ask about the portrait of Mrs. Scott’s great aunt hanging over the mantle.

* The Canavan House, 1084 Oaklawn Drive, was built 1962 by the Sedwicks of Orange. The Canavans are its second owners; in 1981, they added a “garden room.” Check out Sally Canavan’s needlework on the tour and holiday treasures from through the years.

* The Swan/Huggard House, 501 S. Blue Ridge Ave., was built 1906 in the Colonial Revival style for J. William Swan, the town’s first fire chief. Swan is said to have purchased the entire block for $600; his was the first home built. The house retains its pine floors and its current owners, the Huggards, recently added a sun porch.

* The Mitchell House, 201 W. Park Ave., was sold 1920 as a kit by Aladdin Readi-Cut Homes, costing $1,989. Its focal point is the large wraparound porch surely enjoyed by Floyd White, a president at Second National Bank, who lived here for many years. Current resident Ruth Mitchell will be decorating the home in accents of red, green and gold.

* The Brawdus Martin Germanna Visitor Center, 2062 Germanna Hwy., Locust Grove, hosts an open house Saturday. German-themed refreshments served all day on the site of land settled by German colonists as early as 1714.

Want to go?

The Holiday Tour of Homes is Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with trolleys providing rides between the Depot, tour homes and Museum of Culpeper History. Proceeds benefit the museum, and the event takes place rain or shine. Advance tickets are $15, $7.50 for students ages 6 and up; children 5 and younger tour free. Tickets the day of are $20 or $10 for students. For more, check out culpepermuseum.com