Milford Home Tour

Not everyone would be thrilled to have hundreds of people walking through their home, but an owner of a historic home with unique architecture who is willing to show it off could be in Milford’s next Home Tour!

Every third weekend in September, this wonderful event hosts five historic homes in the downtown area to be toured. A black oval plaque on a home in downtown Milford indicates that it is a historical home. This also means that house is eligible to be in the home tour.

Much work goes on to create and plan an event like this throughout the spring because it’s the, “largest event of the year” for the Milford Historical Society, according to president John Robinson.

In addition to viewing five beautiful homes, participants can take a walk to a real log cabin located next to the Milford Fire Station where Tammy Averil, director of the museum, has made beef stew on the fire and taught how people could live in self-built homes.

The following day, the 35th annual vintage tractor and car show occurs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Main Street. It’s free for all spectators to catch a glimpse of some of the finest classic motorized vehicles in Milford and vote on their favorite.

Selecting a home for the home tour can be “complicated and timely,” says Rena Valentine, former president. There are certain qualifications to follow, such as the home being 1950’s era or older and owned while not on the market. Exceptions can be made if there are historical artifacts that are in a home newer than 1950. They also look for recent renovations to see how one can modify an old house to fit it into today’s standards of living while also preserving its original look.

For previous applicants, being on the home tour has given them the chance to peek into the history of their home. Renovating older houses may reveal things hidden in the walls such as letters, pictures, books, and even legal documents. Joyce Clark and Linda Dagenhart do the research on the homes, then a script is made that will be read to every person walking through.

Tickets sell for $20 per adult and $15 for seniors and are sold at the Milford Historical Museum, Main Street Art, Your Nesting Place,  Acorn Farm, the township offices and at each house on the tour. The money goes toward the Milford Historical Museum, the Mary Jackson house, which is a historic home donated to Milford Historical Society by Mary Jackson, who was an actress on The Waltons, and the other events the Milford Historical Society puts on. One event that always sells out fast is the tea party that is organized at the Mary Jackson house twice a year, one in the spring and one in the fall. Young men and women model dresses and classic military uniforms. Another would be the “granny’s attic sale” in July.

The museum offers countless opportunities for young adults and experiences for elders. Starting when you’re a freshman in high school, you can volunteer to be a student docent at the museum; giving tours and helping throughout the spring to the fall. Once you acquire 100 hours at the end of your senior year, you get a $1000 scholarship check. Through all of their special events, the Milford Historical Society helps hold the community a little closer together.