Historical Tour of Homes

The week of November 29th we’re conducting an experiment.  If you find yourself here, at this page – you are involved in that experiment!  You have either purchased a ticket for only $10 and ended up here — or you are considering purchasing a ticket for $10.  Below is a listing of the locations on the tour.  If you have or are going to order your ticket online, your ticket will be at the Leahy Grove location.  Please join us there at 1 p.m. There is also the option of stopping at Center One before Saturday and picking up your ticket.

December 4 from 1 to 5 p.m. join us on a Historical Tour Homes in Hampton Iowa. ABCM is providing a bus for those who do not want to drive. For only $15 you’ll get to visit six historical locations. The bus will leave from Leahy Grove around 1:30 p.m.

Harriman Nielsen Historic Farm House – 26^th 10^th St. NW, Hampton, Iowa. Be greeted in Danish by Dorothy Hansen. Dorothy is making pebbernoder (Piff-ah-near) for your enjoyment. Have a cup of coffee and a piece of pebbernoder while you browse the collection of original pieces in the House. If you bring your own small jar (18 ounces) you can get it filled with pebbernoder for only $5! We’ve found an empty small peanut butter jar works great.

G.A.R. Memorial Hall – 3 Federal Street N, Hampton, Iowa. The Franklin County G. A. R. Soldiers’ Memorial Hall, also known as J.W. McKenzie Post No. 81, Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), is an historic building located at 3 Federal Street, North, in Hampton, Iowa, in the United States. The octagonal-style Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall was designed and built in 1890 by Edward Carl Keifer and was the meeting place of the J.W. McKenzie Post No. 81, which was one of 519 GAR posts in Iowa. On December 13, 1991, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. (thanks Wikipedia for that description)

Mary & Ray Jorgensen home–   602 Central Avenue E, Hampton, Iowa. The Jorgensen home was built in 1895 By E.P. Andrews, a predominate lawyer in Hampton at the time.  It originally was located where the PDQ/McDonald’s parking lot is now located and moved to its current location.

Fortunately, most of the original flavor of this house was never lost.  The original woodwork, floors, round windows facing the street both up and down and brass plated fireplace still exist.  Improvements have included a new foundation/basement, insulation, hot water underfloor heat in the downstairs with a forced air heat exchanger upstairs, whole house air conditioning and complete rewire. The Jorgensen’s will have it spruced up for the Christmas season and they love showing our home to others that appreciate the beauty and craftsmanship of century old homes.

Beeds Lake Lodge – 1422 165^th St., Hampton, Iowa. When was the last time you saw the lodge all dressed up for Christmas? Visit Beeds Lake in the winter and enjoy the ambience of what the CCC started. The stone and timber beach building built by the Civilian Conservation Corps has been converted to a rental lodge. The lodge is complete with dining areas, a kitchen and rest rooms.

The apartment above Movies America – 119 1^st St. NW, Hampton, Iowa. Is your curiosity killing you? No longer! Come see what Russ and Andrea Gibson have done to the second floor. We now have a state of the art apartment in a building over 100 years old. Urban living in downtown Hampton – history moves forward.

Leahy Grove Independent and Assisted Living – 800 2^nd St. SE, Hampton, Iowa. is not what the old nursing homes used to look like! Come see the condo like living arrangements and enjoy a moment in front of the fireplace. ABCM is our proud transportation sponsor. Learn the history of Hampton’s Admiral Leahy and the trick he played on the German’s during the Second World War

The Historic Tour of Homes is part of the Holly Dazzle Celebration in Franklin County. www.franklincountytourism.com for more information about Holly Dazzle. Tickets can be purchased from Center One at 5 1^st St SW in Hampton, or call 641-456-5668 and order them over the phone. You may also purchase tickets from Keri Holmes, Deb Brown, Joe Pitsor, Darwin Meyer, Deb and Greg Keller or Jeff Burkley.