Natchez houses open doors for library

By Katie Stallcup (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Wednesday, November 28, 2007

NATCHEZ — It’s that time of year when wreaths are hung and garland is strung. And this weekend, residents can help the library while seeing how others have decked their halls.

The Friends of the Armstrong Library Christmas Tour of Homes offers a peek each year at four residences not usually open to the public.

“They’re all unique architectural styles or there’s something unique about their history,” Friends of the Library Secretary Maria Bowser said.

This year, the William Stietenroth House, Choctaw, The Gardens and the Canal Street train station, now condominiums, will welcome the tour.

“In the case of these particular locations, they all have unique features and unique history,” Bowser said. “For example, The Gardens was home to the first Spanish governor, and it goes back to the 1700s. The station represents when Natchez had passenger and freight service. They’re all examples of places that have been preserved and saved as part of Natchez’s history.”

Friends of the Library began giving the tour in the late 1990s. The annual fundraiser helps the library supplement its funding.

This year, that funding helped the library provide summer programs, children’s programs and a new security system.

Tickets — $15 each or $25 for two — may be picked up at the library in advance or at any of the houses Sunday.

The tour is a holiday activity that can do some good, Bowser said.

“People love to look at other people’s houses and how they’ve decorated them,” she said. “It’s a fun thing to do, but it’s a great fundraiser as well.”