PAST kicks off holiday season with home tour
The PAST organization of Union County plans to host its annual Holiday Tour of Homes this weekend.
The tour is planned from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19.
The tour will feature Jason Short's Keyhole House, Michael and Jane Pingle-Painter's country estate, Laura McMahon's Shannon Lake Estates home, Camp Ground Church and the PAST Place House.
Admission is $5 per home or $15 for all five locations, homes, displays and refreshments.
PAST Place House
PAST Place House, located at 313 South St. next to the First Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Anna, will be open.
PAST Place House is the current headquarters of the PAST organization. PAST is an abbreviation for Promoting Appreciation of Structural Treasures of Union County.
The house is owned by the First Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Anna. The church uses the house for class meetings.
An arrangement has been made for PAST to use space at the house for its meetings and archives.
An exhibit titled "A Scene from the Past: The Winstead Davie Family," will be presented in a PAST Place House "museum" room.
The exhibit will include Winstead Davie's bedstead, a coverlet made by his mother and a chair caned by his descendant, Geneva Davie Wiggs.
Also in the display are items from the estate of the late Mary Ann Willis and quilts which have been gifted to PAST by Ella Mae Bernhard Haas.
The "museum" room will be filled with "pieces of the past" to tell stories of earlier times in Union County.
Dr. Susan Whitemountain will host an exhibit made up of a collection of Union County photographs. Visitors will be invited to help identify photographs and contribute information for family genealogy research.
The house also will feature Thanksgiving decorations by Linda Sadler. Marilyn Keller from the Main Street Market in Anna will offer tastings.
Homes on Holiday Tour
Jason Short’s historic Keyhole House at 506 S. Main St. in Anna was a feature on the 2010 tour as “a work in process."
The stately Victorian “structural treasure” is to be shown this year as a completed work of art.
Friend of Past Teresa Goddard and her committee will host the Christmas- themed event.
Michael and Jane Pingle-Painter will share their passion for natural beauty as they open their new home nestled in Union County’s rustic countryside at 59 Weidlocher Ln.
Laura Neal McMahon said she has found a perfect spot to retire at 275 Shannon Lake Ln. in Shannon Lake Estates east of Anna.
Laura’s deputy hostess is her sister-in-law Judy Neal, who will help organize this “holiday” visit. The home, built in 2007, takes advantage of waterfront and sunrise views.
Camp Ground Church
Camp Ground Cumberland Presbyterian Church and cemetery is located near Shannon Lake Estates and will be open to visitors.
The church is located on the site of early pioneer “brush arbor” meetings, as well as a well-known site on the 1836 Trail of Tears route.
The church will welcome visitors and host a pictorial history exhibit with stories and maps telling about the Trail of Tears experience of displaced native Americans. Admission to the church will be free.
King Neptune Monument
Tour participants will be encouraged to see the burial site and monument of King Neptune on Highway 146 east of Shannon Lake.
King Neptune was a pig who helped to raise millions of dollars in patriotic war bonds in the 1940s.
The monument is an area “structural treasure” that tells the story of a successful united community effort of yesteryear.
The Union County Museum in downtown Cobden will welcome guests to its Christmas shop opening on Nov. 19. Those taking part in the tour are invited to visit in Cobden as a part of this area tour.
Local wineries, including Blue Sky near Makanda, Lincoln Heritage near Anna, StarView near Cobden and Rustle Hill near Cobden, have extended invitations to tour participants who purchase the $15 ticket to free wine tastings and a discount at Von Jakob near Alto Pass and Alto Vineyards in Alto Pass.
Other underwriters for the tour of homes are Pepsi Mid America and Zeta Psi chapter of Beta Sigma Phi.
Proceeds from the home tour go to PAST historical and preservation efforts. For more information, visit the PAST website at <a href="http://www.pastonline.org">www.pastonline.org</a> or call 833-8745.