For the last half a century, historic homes from around the Salisbury area have been on display for one weekend only, alongside refreshments and a trolley ride. The 50th OctoberTour commences on Oct. 11, with 12 historic houses in the West Square area open to the public. This year’s houses and festivities draw on the roots of the OctoberTour — from the Bell Tower to familiar houses from 50 years ago.
A Celebration of 50 Years
To celebrate the semi-centennial, the Historic Salisbury Foundation (HSF) moved the annual festival to Bell Tower Green instead of its usual location on Bank Street in front of the Hall House. This shift harkens back to the roots of the festival, which centered around the restoration of the Bell Tower.
In 1971, the former church attached to the Bell Tower was razed, leaving only the tower behind. Around 1972, the city condemned the structure and planned to demolish it if it was not renovated. The newly formed HSF saw the need and began working to save the Bell Tower. It started a petition with signatures from community members and ultimately worked with the bank leasing the property to preserve and renovate the tower.
“It was this whole big project that the whole community was rallying around. So when we were looking at this year’s OctoberTour, it felt like it was really important for us to also again rally around the Bell Tower,” said Rachel Fink, the Revolving Fund project and office manager.
Origins of OctoberTour
Following the success of the Bell Tower renovation and other projects with the Hall House and McKenzie-Grimes House, HSF wanted to start a Revolving Fund to continue work on other houses. OctoberTour was created in 1975 as a way to showcase the foundation’s progress and raise funds for this new initiative. The original tour featured 10 houses in the West Square neighborhood.
Since then, OctoberTour has become HSF’s biggest fundraising event of the year and a crucial part of its operations in Salisbury. As the largest event in HSF’s programming, it is also a major logistical challenge. With 12 houses on tour this year, there are over 300 volunteers scheduled for the weekend — roughly 30 assigned to each site.
“The bottom line is it always goes back to supporting our full mission. That’s what this is all about. Yes, it’s a very fun weekend for the community, and it’s a tradition that everybody looks forward to now. But it’s all about supporting our mission to save more old buildings,” said Kimberly Stieg, executive director of HSF.
Honoring the Original Tour
Beyond the Bell Tower, this year’s house selections were meant to honor the 50th anniversary. The goal was to include as many of the original 1975 homes as possible. Ultimately, four of those houses are part of this year’s route: the Murphy-Murdoch House, Dr. Josephus W. Hall House, Charles Torrence House, and Henderson Law Office.
“We’ve taken some time to commemorate the 50 years. The houses this year are specifically houses that needed to be recognized. Most of the houses this year haven’t been on tour in a while,” Fink said.
Record-Breaking Year
Ticket sales for this year are well ahead of last year, and Fink estimates the foundation has already raised over $110,000 from sponsors — making this the largest OctoberTour in its history.
Festivities and Schedule
The festivities begin Friday night at 6:30 p.m. with the Patron’s Party hosted at the Walter-McCanless House. This celebration honors the dozens of sponsors supporting this year’s OctoberTour and pays homage to the Italian Renaissance Revival architectural style of the Walter-McCanless House.
Before the tours officially start, the OctoberTour Store returns for its second year. It is open at the HSF office (215 Depot St.) from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday, Oct. 6, through Thursday, Oct. 9. The store will also be open at Bell Tower Green during tour hours.
OctoberTour officially kicks off on Saturday, Oct. 11, running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (with the last tour starting at 4:30 p.m.) and continues Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
