Crestwood Civic Club Holiday Home Tour
Annual
tour features
two historic homes, one residence
'The
Beeches' home
highlights the list of tour stops
By
Helen E. McKinney
Contributing Writer
CRESTWOOD, Ky. (November 2010) – The Beeches
home has a long history of providing the setting for many parties, dinners
and weddings in Pewee Valley. Its beautiful location and architectural
style make it a perfect choice for inclusion in this years’ Crestwood
Civic Club’s Annual Holiday Home Tour and Luncheon.
Each year the Crestwood Civic Club chooses three distinctive houses
to showcase during the holidays. The Beeches is a “great house
to be on the tour,” said local interior designer Claudia Stoess.
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Photo
provided Author
Annie Fellows Johnston |
Stoess will be furnishing the circa 1902 house with merchandise
from Stoess Manor. The Beeches is owned by Stephanie Applegate and is
currently for sale. When decorating, Stoess will “certainly keep
the flavor of the older period.”
Using a few antiques, the Christmas décor will be of natural
materials. “This is a great opportunity to do something for the
community,” said Stoess.
A variety of dried and artificial décor will be used to “give
longevity to the decorations, so the house can be shown throughout the
holidays,” she said.
Over the years, the owners have been able to maintain the interior and
keep an atmosphere of what life must have been like to live in this
quaint, historic home, Stoess said. The tour provides “a wonderful
chance to experience the history of the area.”
The Beeches was built by Mamie Craig Lawton as a memorial to her late
husband, Maj. Gen. Henry Lawton. Construction was funded by donations
from people all over the United States to commemorate her husband’s
heroic death in the Spanish-American War.
The Crestwood Civic Club’s annual Holiday Home Tour and Luncheon
will be held from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 19. Lunch will be available
at two seating times, 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., at the Club House located
on Kavanaugh Road.
“The proceeds help with the college scholarship we give each year
and also our giving to the indigent fund of four schools in Crestwood,”
said Crestwood Civic Club member Carla Jones. “We also have several
other programs in Oldham County that we support heavily.”
The second house on the tour belongs to Suzy and Fred Dolt. The couple
purchased Cedar Crest Farm three years ago. It is the former home of
Oldham County Judge-Executive Duane Murner and his wife, Anne.
The traditional farm house was built around 1805 and added on to several
times over the years. William Wesley Duncan, the grandfather of Alexander
Duncan who built Duncan Memorial Chapel in Floydsburg, bought the property
in the 1850s, doubling its size for his family of 11 children.
The Crestwood property is now comprised of 35 acres that extend to Floyd’s
Fork, said Suzy Dolt. The main residence consists of 5,500 square feet
and has been kept up very well by the Murners, she said. A 1,050-square-foot
guest cottage also sits on the property.
“It’s a beautiful old historic house,” said Dolt. “And
it’s a very comfortable house.”
When the Dolts purchased the home, they were looking for a getaway property.
“It’s close to the city, yet when we’re here, we feel
like we’re in the middle of the country,” she said.
Dolt said she will be decorating the entire home in a very traditional
style, using a lot of greenery, magnolia leaves, pomegranates, and dried
fruits. When it comes to holiday décor, “I like the natural
look.”
The third home on the tour belongs to Euline and Jim Texas, who bought
their two-story Crestwood condo in 2008. “I get a lot of compliments
on my house,” said Euline Texas. She said the most impressive space
is the large sunroom.
But her favorite spot is the formal living room, which will contain
a large onyx nativity scene. She decorates every inch of her home, including
the stair rails, which will be covered in “greenery, poinsettias
and a lot of hanging ornaments,” Texas said.
Her decorating style is “a mix of different things,” she said.
Many of her decorations are old and were used when her four children
were young.
“I make it like I want it,” she said. “I want it to be
just right.”
Raised in Oldham County on Ashbourne Farms, Texas has almost 30 years
experience in the floral industry. She began her career at Heritage
Florist in Ballardsville, and helped prepare the Kentucky Derby Rose
Blanket in 1980. This experience only adds to the exquisite holiday
décor of her home.
• To make reservations for the Crestwood Civic Club Annual Holiday Home Tour, contact Anne Murner at (502) 292-2701. Tickets for the tour and luncheon are $17. Tickets for the tour only are $12.