PRINCESS ANNE — The Somerset County Historical Society will celebrate the Christmas season this Saturday, Dec. 7, with the annual Holiday Historic House Tour of historic homes, churches and public buildings.

The Holiday Historic House Tour will be held from 2 to 6 p.m., featuring seven private homes, four churches and four public buildings, including Teackle Mansion, all festively decorated for the holidays.

New on the tour this year, the Littleton Long House, circa 1830, a Federal-style home erected with a mortise-and-tenon frame sheathed with beaded weatherboards. The three-bay facade features a round window with radiating muntins and a traditional transverse hall.

Littleton Long and his wife Sarah owned the home for 47 years until 1876, when it was sold for $2,500. Gina Gerhard, who has owned the home for seven years, is already busy decorating. The transverse hall, which spans the length of the home’s facade, is decorated with inspiration from the resplendent peacock. Blue lights, sequined birds, and feathers adorn a tree, antique table, and exquisite tiger maple staircase. Each room has a distinctly unique aesthetic, all lovely in their own way.

In addition to the Littleton Long House, more than a dozen other historic properties, including the Washington Hotel and the Town Election House, one of the oldest in the state that is still in use, may be visited by ticket holders.

The Colonel George Handy House features 14 Christmas trees, each with a different theme. The Laura House has over 100 nutcrackers on display. The Glebe House south of town, once known as the Chase House, will also be on the 2024 tour.
Tour tickets are $25 each and are available for purchase online at somersetcountyhistoricalsociety.org or in person at Somerset Choice Station Antiques, located in downtown Princess Anne at 11731 Somerset Avenue.