Williamsport’s annual Victorian Christmas Festival started because summers were too hot.
Starting in the summer of 1986, people dressed in Victorian attire for an event known as The Promenade. They walked through the city’s historic district, but struggled with wearing heavy costumes in the heat, festival co-founder Gloria Miele said.
“We wanted to pick it up again but we were going to do it in the winter or in the fall because it wouldn't be so hot,” she said.
In 1999, organizers revived the tradition, but moved it to winter.
The 25th festival – they missed 2020 – kicks off Friday, once again taking festival-goers back to the more genteel and formal Victorian era. Named after England’s Queen Victoria, the era spans her life, roughly the last 60 years of the 19th century. Victorian-style houses feature a gothic aesthetic with steep tiled roofs, towers, decorative brickwork and sweeping staircases.
“Williamsport is known for its little league all over the world, and yet now Victorian Christmas has grown that people are very aware of Williamsport because of that because we have people coming in and staying at the hotels and booking rooms for the weekends,” said Margaret “Nan” Young, another festival co-founder. “People who came here to see Williamsport during Victorian Christmas then bought a home here. It's a wonderful way to build our city.”
The festival runs through Sunday, and Young is still its matriarch. At age 86, she still runs it.
“It started because of Ted Lyon,” Young said, referring to the festival’s other co-founder. “He had many rental properties in the historic district. Gloria owned a few properties and I was on a committee from the Junior League that needed a (project) about historic preservation.”
Lyon, a descendent of Victorian lumber baron, politician and philanthropist Peter Herdic, once led Preservation Williamsport, the city’s historic preservation society. He died at age 58 in 2018.
“Ted was just full of life. It was such a shame when he died,” Miele said.
Victorian Christmas is a part of Preservation Williamsport, founded in 1989 to save the city's architecture by investing in the historic district’s former mansions, according to the group’s online history. It grew out of The Promenade.
Lyon, Young and Miele met at the Peter Herdic Restaurant and Inn, which Miele co-owns. They wanted to show off the city’s Victorian homes.
“At that time, the historic district had several of the houses in deplorable shape because they were rental properties with absentee landlords. They just needed to be restored,” Young said.
The idea of a candlelight walking tour struck them. It started small with about 100 people the first year, Young said.
“The community supported us wholeheartedly when we decided to have this little tour,” Young said. “We didn't have tickets printed or anything, we just sort of sold tickets for $5 each and sold out.”
The tour has grown large enough to require trolley buses.
The festival added florists and musicians in its second year, Young said. Each year, organizers added more events such as fashion shows and themed tours.
“What started out as almost 100 people is now almost 2,000 people (visiting),” Young said. “It's just gratifying to us that it's been such a success.”
A 20-person committee of all-women volunteers oversee the festival. Smaller committees focus on different topics - education, homes, church affiliation, music and others, church committee member Bethann Campbell said.
“There's all these committees and you decide what committee you want to work on. We meet once a month, each committee gives a report and then there's a lot of input from all the members as to what's going to happen with the committee,” she said.
Her committee focuses on the historical churches.
“We're so fortunate that we have such beautiful churches with such history and also houses that people are willing to share because that's not an easy thing to have a lot of people going through your house. But so many people have embraced it, so I'm just looking forward to a really good year,” she said.
A fashion show, “From Petticoats to Pillboxes,” will kickstart the festival Friday between 7 and 8:30 p.m. at the Community Theatre League, 100 W. Third St. The show, hosted by the education committee, will include different eras of Williamsport history, starting before the American Revolution. It concludes with 1960s Jackie Kennedy fashion and her pillbox style. Music of each era will accompany the show.
“We wanted to make it really special. The education part of it, just having the fashion show is going to be really fun,” Campbell said.
The trolley tour, which is only Saturday, includes eight stops. People can purchase tickets and stroll through the historic district. Adult tickets are $25, students, $10 and children five and under are free. Trolleys will run between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The tour stops will be:
- YWCA, 815 W. Fourth St. People can peruse an artisan market where about 35 vendors will sell pottery, jewelry, oils, socks, sweaters and much more.
The market will be open Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
People can visit Backhouse Cafe & Tea, 901 W. Fourth St., for refreshments and the Taber Museum and Park Place, 858 and 800 W. Fourth St., for the Will Huffman Toy Train Expo, featuring different sized model train displays. The train expo will run Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“It's really a wonderful display of miniature trains and things that you don't get to see anywhere else,” Young said.
Trinity Episcopal Church, 844 W. Fourth St., and Covenant Central Presbyterian Church, 807 W. Fourth St., will host tours between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday
- James V. Brown Library, 19 E. Fourth St.; Woodrich Showroom, 200 Church St.; and jewelry store Avu Goldsmiths, 246 East Church St., Christ Episcopal Church, 426 Mulberry St. They will host tours between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
- Lycoming County Visitors Center, 102 W. Fourth St., and The Otto Bookstore, 107 W. Fourth St.
- Peter Herdic Restaurant and Inn, 407 & 411 W. 4th St., owned and managed by Miele, Jim Wood, Bob Elion and Leslie Ferrier. Singers will perform at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. there, Young said.
At the newly restored Hartshorn House, 419 W. Fourth St., Ferrier will host a mock Victorian-style wedding. Frederick Hartshorn, one of the lumber barons, built the home in 1873 for $14,000.
Miele purchased the building and Ferrier, the inn’s manager, had the idea for the wedding.
“There really wasn't too much of a plan for it beyond bringing it back to life. We talked about it and she (Miele) said she was really interested in possibly making it into a wedding venue,” Ferrier said. “Then it was the Victorian Christmas' 25th anniversary, so we absolutely had to have the Inn on the tour. I kept pushing to have next door say that if we were really going to make it a wedding venue or an intimate party venue, that we had an opportunity to have so many people go through.”
Docents, or volunteer guides, will work between the Peter Herdic Inn and the Hartshorn House.
“They will be dressed up in full Victorian regalia for the day and we'll walk people through the inn and next door and let them know what it's all about,” Ferrier said. It's pretty exciting and a lot of work.”
The stop includes The DuBois House, 525 W. 4th St., and highlights Victorian apartment life.
“We thought that was a fun example to show an apartment living in the historic district and to the owner. Most interesting features are these tall, wonderful floor to ceiling windows where you can see over the city,” Young said.
- 634 W. 4th St., a former church rectory and later a law office, owned by Glenn and Myra Shaffer.
“It's decorated in the Christmas theme and features beautiful moldings and wallpapers and medallions and chandeliers,” she said.
People can also stop by the Rowley House Museum, 707 W. 4th St., and ride one of two horse-drawn carriages from State College. Rides are available between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and are $10 (cash only) per person.
- 1120 Woodmont Ave., owned by Vincent and Selina Pulizzi.
“This was a house built in 1920 that was empty for a while and had weeds growing all around it, and they have almost completely renovated the house,” Young said. “Even though it's not Victorian, it's a perfect example of what one can do to use a house built in 1920 and make it very livable for a family again.”
At the same stop, people can visit 1205 Vallamont Drive, owned by Sarah and Dr. Steven Pinckney, who will have a bake sale. It is the oldest house in the Vallamont neighborhood, Young said.
“It was a four-bedroom, maybe, one and a half bath home. It is now a six bedroom, three and a half baths, and the third floor was just renovated by Dan Ford (Ford Custom Renovation),” she said.
- 1217 Vallamont Drive, owned by Katie and Dr. Zachary Ritter.
“It's 1920s architecturally designed and Zach describes it as an elegant and beautiful house, but the architect was so clever and made the spaces feel like a comfortable family home,” Young said.
- 818 Rural Ave., owned by Kristen and Dr. Brian Kaderli.
“This has this beautiful Queen Anne style wrap-around porch on the exterior, which they like best of all, because they have meals on the front porch and the back porch that’s been modernized,” Young said.
The festival concludes with an hour-long performance by the Williamsport Civic Chorus, performing works by Conrad Susa and Gola Gjeilo. Concert tickets are $10 for senior citizens, $12 for adults. Children under 12 are free. Robert M. Sides, the music store, and The Otto Bookstore offer discounted tickets. They are also available online.
“It's just a wonderful way to end and sit down when you're exhausted and then hear this wonderful Christmas music,” Young said.
Young’s passion for preserving Williamsport has kept her going after 25 years.
“You have to love what you're doing to do it year after year, and it is one of the passions in my life. I'll do it as long as I can physically,” she said.
Trolley tour tickets are available on www.eventbrite.com or can be purchased at local businesses, including Backhouse Cafe & Tea; the YWCA; Lycoming County Visitors Center; The Otto Bookstore; and the Historic Genetti Hotel & Suites.
Proceeds go towards next year’s festival and maintaining the historic district.
