Our History

The History of Victorian Christmas

It started in early September 1999 with a ¼ page story on page seven of the Lifestyle section in the Williamsport Sun Gazette. Prior to that article, Gloria Miele, owner of the Peter Herdic House restaurant, along with Ted Lyon, owner of the Historic District Properties, and Nan Young, chair of Public Affairs of the Junior League Committee, were already working to draw public attention to the architectural gems crafted by the region’s forefathers.  Their goal was educational: to celebrate and preserve these historic homes. “It was suggested that we plan a public tour of homes at Christmas in what is now the "historic district,’" which includes the homes on West Fourth Street in the city. The word needed to be spread, so the Sun Gazette published the announcement and we hoped that someone would attend this festive event and that it would be the beginning of an annual celebration.”

Over the next decade, the tour saw significant growth. In 2005, five of Williamsport’s Victorian homes gained national attention when they were featured in Victorian Homes magazine, all of which were part of that year’s tour. That year also marked the first time the tour expanded beyond the Historic District.

In 2008, a Scottish Christmas celebrated a decade of tours in the city. The 11th Annual tour, titled From Aprons to Ascots, highlighted the two sides of life in Victorian times; it began with a candlelit tour and culminated in a Victorian Ball setting the tone for the 2009 tour.

The 2013 Buon Natale tour explored our area’s Italian heritage with the help of local restaurants. The Sons of Italy hosted a kickoff dinner, and 33 East (a local restaurant at the time) held a Finale Feast featuring a guest chef from Abruzzo, Italy. The following year, the La Ville it la Champagne tour, celebrating our French heritage, was memorable for the icy drizzle that fell in the early afternoon, but neither snow nor ice could stop Victorian Christmas. Tickets were sold out that year, reaching a sum 1,400 attendees.

In 2017, an educational component was added to the tour, offering visitors a deeper understanding and appreciation of Williamsport’s history. The first of these educational opportunities focused on the city’s role in the Underground Railroad, including a talk at the Taber Museum titled “Williamsport in the Underground Railroad” and recognition of the Freedom Road Cemetery.

As with the rest of the world, 2020 saw Victorian Christmas postponed until 2021.

Over the past 25 years, we have had the privilege of showcasing amazing homes owned by generous people who opened their doors to our community. We have partnered with downtown restaurants through the Food Around Town initiative, offering visitors and residents alike delicious meals during the tour. We also found a permanent home for our talented artisans at the historic YWCA.

We are deeply grateful to our community, for your continued support of Victorian Christmas and our sponsors, who have been so generous over these past 25 years.