By Nicole Davis
Have you ever passed by an interesting looking home and wondered about its history or what it looks like inside? Restore Old Town Greenwood (ROTG) is offering the chance to take a peek inside some of the city’s historic and intriguing homes on Saturday, Sept. 23 during its Second Historic Home Tour.
The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and include access to 11 properties, including homes, business and The Madison, a new apartment building currently under construction. Tours include Greenwood Presbyterian Church, built in 1893; Bayberry Spa, a former hotel built in 1891; and homes such as 601 Valley Lane Court, built in 1969 and purchased by an interior designer who kept much of its original features including a sunken living room. Attendees should check in outside of Cornerstone Autism, 2 N. Madison Ave., Greenwood. Tickets can be purchased now or on the day of the event.
In addition to the home tours, the Greater Greenwood Community Band will have small groups of musicians spread around the area performing live music. There will be vintage cars placed where people can take pictures with them. It’s a walkable tour, but shuttles from Access Johnson County will be available to transport from the southernmost to the northernmost point of the tour.
“If you are interested in interior design, you want to get some inspiration for your house or you like historic homes, it’ll be a fun day out,” said Jennifer Hollingshead, founder of ROTG. “We have quite a few older homes that are in the residential historic district. It will be a fun thing to do in Old Town Greenwood, explore the walkable areas, have some lunch and do some shopping.”
ROTG hosted a home tour in 2019. Hollingshead said they’ve received some great feedback already with people who attended the last one and who are excited to attend this year. She anticipates ROTG will plan to host the Home Tour every other year.
This year’s event is part of a series of events ROTG is hosting in honor of the city of Greenwood’s Bicentennial. Greenwood’s first European-descent settlers arrived in the area on Sept. 30, 1823. The organization will also lead a historic walking tour on Friday, Sept. 29 from 6 – 7 p.m. For more information about upcoming events or tickets, visit restoreoldtowngreenwood.org or facebook.com/RestoreGreenwood.
