Four G-A homes are on annual tour

Four homes plus a stop with light refreshments at Otterbein United Brethren in Christ Church will be featured on the Heritage Christmas Home Tour from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 on the day of the tour. Tickets are available at the Greencastle-Antrim Chamber of Commerce, www.greencastlepachamber.org, 217 E. Baltimore St., 717-597-4610; the shop, 144 E. Baltimore St.,717-593-9990; and Carl’s Drug Store, 145 N. Antrim Way, 717-597-2426

1045 Shannon Drive South

The Kennedy Home

Our home was the model house, and as soon as we walked in we knew this house was for us. The first thing we noticed was the open floor plan and all the windows. We also loved the walkout basement and lower patio. We loved that the house is very light and inviting. We want our home to have that “warm cozy” feeling.

We love having people over for special occasions or to just hang out. With the openness upstairs and the basement with the wet bar, our house is the perfect entertaining house. We enjoy relaxing on the deck or lower patio. The views are amazing—whether it is watching the golfers tee off at hole #14 behind our house, seeing the ski slopes light up at Whitetail in the winter, or admiring the beautiful sunsets.

Christmas is our favorite time of year. We love celebrating the true meaning of Christmas, but we also enjoy decorating. We have seven tall trees and several little ones throughout the house. We coordinate each tree with the room decorations. Our tree in the basement by the wet bar has a wine theme. Each year we try to find more unique wine ornaments. The tree in the great room is personalized with ornaments that have special meanings for us.

We are thrilled to open our home to share this magical time with you. We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

— The Kennedys

Greg, Beth and Wilma

129 South Washington Street

The Everetts Home

Welcome to the home of Doug, Chrissy and Taylor Everetts, former home of Tom and Elizabeth Fox, grandparents’ of Doug and great-grandparents of Taylor.

Our home was built in the early 1900’s. As you enter our home, you’ll see original hardwood floors in the hallway and upstairs. The office was the original kitchen and the family room was the backyard later converted into “Yarn ‘n Things,” a yarn shop for Mary Elizabeth.

The laundry room and downstairs bathroom were added in approximately 1983. As you’ll notice, we have a unique, double-living room with the original fireplace. Added to the back of the house is a beautiful screened-in-porch which has provided us with many hours of enjoyment.

Christmas time is one of our family’s favorite times of the year, and it shows with our many decorations, both inside and outside our home. Thank you for visiting our home! We hope you enjoyed it, and we wish you and yours the merriest Christmas and the happiest New Year!

680 Osborne Avenue, Greencastle

The John Henson Home

Walking through the front door is like going back into history. This log home which was built in the 1750s was originally located on Long Lane in Greencastle. In 1983, John and his father systematically disassembled the home, numbered each piece and reassembled it on the present lot. Interestingly, as guests enter the home from the brick walkway, they are entering the back of the house as the front does not face the street.

This home has five original fireplaces, and all in working condition. On the main level when entering the room on the right, take notice of the original woodwork above the mantel. Indeed, much of the hardware in this home is original—including all the hardware on the doors. The kitchen cabinets are not from the original home, but pieces of the hardware are, and the character of the home is preserved throughout.

Thanks for visiting this unique home, and have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

12633 Molly Pitcher Highway

The Allison Ebbert House

The original house is made of stone with 3-foot walls and was built in 1750 by William Allison, the father of John Allison, founder of Greencastle. Col. John Allison served with distinction in the Revolutionary War and at its close returned to Antrim Township and laid out the town of Greencastle in 1782.

This was the first house in the area to have ‘fire’ or double walls. Additions were made by the Ebberts in the 1800s and the combined space includes four spacious rooms on the first floor including a sitting room and kitchen in the original building and more formal living and dining rooms in the Ebbert addition. The entrance hall is at least 15 feet wide, with lofty double parlors opening out on it. The rooms upstairs and down are spacious with carved wooden mantels, cupboards and chairboards.

The last owners of the home were Alfred Bonnell and his wife, who made extensive renovations to the entire home. It was Mr. Bonnell’s wish that the grounds, the structures, archaeological artifacts and the history be preserved. The property has been dubbed a ‘supersite’ by the State Archaeological Society with artifacts dating to prehistoric times.

In August of 2017, a 99-year lease was signed between the Archaeological Conservancy and the Allison-Antrim Museum to preserve and protect this site. This home is now part of the Ebbert Springs Heritage Park & Archaeological Preserve.

146 Leitersburg Street, Greencastle

Greencastle Otterbein United Brethren Church in Christ

In 1797, Christian Newcomer, an associate of William Otterbein, began preaching in the Greencastle area. For 20 years, services were held in the homes of the people who followed the United Brethren teaching. In 1816 services were being held in Peter Hawbaker’s home; however, with increasing numbers, the group began meeting in the borough schoolhouse. In 1829 a small frame church was built on North Washington Street, on the site of the present United Methodist Church. Sixty years later, in 1889 a major split occurred and the part of the congregation that is now the United Brethren was forbidden (by court injunction) to use the building.

The ousted group of about 40 members purchased a lot on the comer of Franklin and South Washington Streets and erected a new building in which to start over. The new church was incorporated under “Radical United Brethren.” The building was remodeled in 1940 but was later outgrown and in 1963 a four-acre lot was purchased at the comer of Leitersburg and South Allison streets.

The cornerstone of the current building was laid in November 1971, the new building was completed and the congregation moved in. An office addition was added in 1987 and a multipurpose building and remodeling project were completed in 1998.

The Church of the United Brethren in Christ is a Protestant denomination of episcopal structure, Arminian theology, with roots in the Mennonite and German Reformed communities of 18th century Pennsylvania, as well as close ties to Methodism. The members of Greencastle Otterbein meet to worship, learn, share, and serve each other. Their mission of helping people live a strong and victorious life is evidenced in their many community programs which include Guiding Hands Preschool, Trail Life and American Heritage Girls, just to name a few.