This annual, self-guided tour of some of Prince Edward County’s most historic properties will take place on Sunday, December 8th from 11AM- 5PM.
The popular event always sells out. But it originated from tragic circumstances. On a Sunday morning in the late summer of 2010, a demolition crew began tearing down an iconic heritage property on Picton’s Main Street – a former Methodist Church built in 1875. Within a couple of days, this great building was reduced to rubble. Today, the site remains an empty lot on the town’s Main Street – a loss rated as one of the top ten heritage losses in the country in 2010 by the National Heritage Trust of Canada.
In time the municipality created the Picton Heritage Conservation District enacting some regulatory policy to prevent more losses. But a very immediate response was the creation of the Christmas In The County House Tour to promote the importance of preserving heritage while raising funds to support local heritage projects. Money from ticket revenues is contributed into a Built Heritage Fund managed by our Community Foundation and re-invested each year in local heritage projects.
COVID shut down the tour for a couple of years. But in 2023, the tour was revived by a small group of volunteers. As always, it sold out! In 2024, the tour will showcase nine historic County properties decorated for the holiday season. It’s yet another example of how history can be packaged into a popular product that consumers will gladly purchase – all part of the “Heritage Economy” we are developing in Prince Edward County.
We need to make local history and heritage matter. And it will matter most if it makes money – as it does in many communities around the world.
Tour tickets are $40/person. To order tickets online, contact: CountyHouseTour.eventbrite.ca
