Dayton Historic Home Tours
by Ken Graham

Dayton's 2008 Historic Home Tozurs will be held again this year, on Sunday, October 12, during the Dayton on Tour weekend. The tours are an annual fund raiser sponsored by the Dayton Historical Depot Society. This year's tour diverges from its usual program – showing houses that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places – to present four houses that illustrate several phases of historic status and the progression toward it.

The first home is the Boldman House, a Queen Anne Victorian currently listed on Local, State, and National Registers. It is now completely restored and will have the second floor open for viewing. The Boldman House garden has also been completely renovated and replanted with many heirloom plant species. The Boldman House Museum beautifully replicates a 1910-1920 era American home and garden.
The second house is now eligible for historic status, just turning 51 years of age. This architecturally designed single-owner home is filled with many family and community treasures and historical memorabilia. It is a classic example of an architectural style from the more "recent" past.

The third house is a perfect example of adaptive reuse – it started out as a modest farm house but today is a stylishly decorated family home. Through the years the owners have added on to the structure in a way that keeps the integrity and character of the original house, both inside and out, to the point where it is hard to tell where the old ends and the new begins.

The fourth house on the Tour was built in 2006, by a member of a local pioneer family. It is a post and beam house beautifully hand-crafted and decorated. This home is unique as it is specially built for graceful aging. The lower level has been finished as a "caregiver's" residence, leaving the main floor as a graceful home with easy access and mobility. This home will be eligible for historic status in another 49 years.

Tickets for the Historic Home Tours can be purchased in advance at the Dayton Historic Depot, at 222 East Commercial Street, or by calling the Depot at 509-382-2026. The cost is $10 per person and may be paid for by cash or credit card. All proceeds will benefit the Dayton Historical Depot Society.

The tours start at the Dayton Historic Depot, where you may purchase tickets, or pick up your pre-paid tickets, plus receive a copy of the tour guidebook and locator map. From there participants set their own direction and pace as docents and homeowners welcome them at each house. The homes on tour will be open from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Also, during tour hours, the historic Dayton Memorial Library will be having an Open House, with complimentary refreshments served. And be sure to also visit the Depot Museum Gift Shop. It has a sparkling "new" look with more train-related books, toys and gift items.

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