The Perry County Historical and Preservation Society is preparing for its annual Christmas Tour of Homes, scheduled for Saturday, December 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This year’s tour will feature eight historic sites in Marion, giving visitors the chance to explore the rich history and architecture of Perry County, all dressed in festive holiday décor.
The tour begins at the Marion Female Seminary at 204 Monroe Street, where guests will check in and receive their registration materials. The Seminary will serve as tour headquarters, offering not only registration but also local vendors selling handmade crafts, holiday ornaments, books, cards, and food from southern cuisine trucks. Tickets for the tour are $20 for Historical Society members and $25 for non-members and can be purchased through Eventbrite or at the door.
The event is more than a holiday celebration—it’s a vital effort to preserve Perry County’s unique history. Attendees will visit a range of historic sites, including homes, churches, and schools, each with its own story.
One highlight is the Lockett-Martin-Nyman Home. Completed by 1840, this Greek Revival structure was home to Napoleon and Mary Lockett, who moved from Virginia to raise their 12 children here. It was Mary Lockett who contacted local artist, Nicola Marshall, asking him in 1861 to design a national flag for the new southern nation. In the parlor of this house, local women sewed the flag design and submitted it to Montgomery. Their flag was chosen to represent the new nation, and it became known as the Stars and Bars. Today, the house has been thoughtfully restored to showcase its original heart pine floors, Egyptian style woodwork, unusual two staircase design, and three unique plaster ceiling medallions. On display are interesting items connected to some of the people who have lived here.
The tour will also include the Elam-Foster Home.Though this property had been bought and sold several times since 1820, the first record of building there was in 1930, when the Elams purchased the land to build a one story frame house. From 1855 to 1881, Bluff Spring Academy was located somewhere on the extensive acreage. The last resident to live in this home was Sara Holifield. The house sat empty for about twenty years, when the current owners with deep local roots purchased the property with its house, fishing pond, and 210 foot long chicken barn. Now tastefully renovated and furnished in authentic 1930s style, it provides a peaceful setting with a shady yard and idyllic front porch— and is fittingly named Halcyon, or “place of rest”.
For tickets or additional information, visit the Perry County Historical and Preservation Society’s Eventbrite page.
