Christmas Home Tour 2025
- historicmelroseflinc
- Dec 30, 2025
- 2 min read
A Beautiful Day in Melrose:
The 11th Triennial Christmas Home Tour
On Sunday, December 14, 2025, Mossy Old Melrose enjoyed the most beautiful day. The weather was perfect and the company was marvelous.
The 11th Triennial Christmas Home Tour, presented by Historic Melrose, Inc., was a beautiful reminder of why this little town means so much to so many. From longtime residents to first-time visitors, guests spent the afternoon stepping inside homes and buildings that help tell the story of Melrose’s past and its people.
This year’s tour featured a thoughtful mix of old favorites and spaces that had never been open on the tour before. Stops ranged from the Remmel House (1895) with three stories to explore and the nineteen room Lee House (1879), to more intimate spaces like Denise’s Barbershop, where generations of Melrosians still receive haircuts in the front room. Visitors explored the Willetts House (c. 1886) that once sat on piers over the water, the Rhoads House (1898), the Isaac Mizell House (1897), and the “youngest” home on the tour, the Crapps-Daurer mid-century lake house (1946) complete with a lakeside cottage making its tour debut.
The Baldwin Store (1899) welcomed guests for check-in with music by the Under the Porch Singers and the Vogelbach Drugstore/Homemakers Club (c. 1886) offered refreshments with a display of model boats that once graced Lake Santa Fe, created by artisan Donald Love. The former Tolles Packing House (1905), now the Daurer History Center, showcased some of the photographs and memories so carefully curated by Joe and Rosemary Daurer.
Music and fellowship filled the day. In addition to our opening act at the Baldwin Store, guests were treated to performances by On the Edge Quartet (Denise’s Barber Shop), and the UF Swazz Band complete with tap dancer, the Dulcimer Divas, and Karan Newman & Friends playing acoustic bluegrass all at the Lee House. Trinity Episcopal Church (1886) offered the soothing sounds of the church organ, and guests were invited to explore the Melrose United Methodist Church (1878) as well as the Melrose Woman’s Club (1893). It brought us all so much joy to explore, sit, listen, chat, laugh, and wonder.
What stood out most, though, was the overwhelming sense of gratitude. We are deeply thankful for the homeowners who opened their doors, the volunteers who guided visitors, the musicians who shared their talents, the artisans who contributed their work, and the community members who showed up with curiosity and appreciation. As one attendee shared, it was clear that history, community, and creativity is alive and well in Melrose, just as it has been since the late 1800s.
The Christmas Home Tour only comes around every three years, and each time reminds us of the importance of connection, preservation, and pride for where you’re from OR where you choose to be now.
Thank you for making December 14 such a meaningful day in Melrose. We’re already looking forward to December 10, 2028.
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