The Historical Foundation announces this year’s Christmas decorations
Posted at 15:27, Monday, November 28, 2022
- This year’s Christmas decorations from the Washington Historical Foundation highlight three houses on Water Street that were built in the late 18th century. (Holly Morgan/WDN)
Each year, the Washington Historical Foundation (WAHF) preserves a piece of Washington’s history by creating Christmas decorations that reflect the city’s historic construction. While some of the historic buildings still stand, others exist only in memory and in books.
This year’s ornament highlights three houses on Water Street built in the 18th century – Marsh, Myers and Hyatt. This historic trio faces the estuary.
Marsh Home was built sometime between 1784 and 1795. It is named after one of the possible early owners, Daniel Gould Marsh. He founded several businesses in Washington related to shipping. He was the brother of Jonathan Marsh who lived at Palmer Marsh House in Bath.
Myers’ home remains a mystery because there is little documentation about it. The house has been on the property since 1826, according to an early surviving deed that references the house. The property is named after Polly Blount Myers. The immediate past owner, T. H. Blount, conveyed the property to her. It may have been a wedding present when Polly married into the Myers family, who ran the John Myers & Co. department store.
The Hyatt House was built around 1785 and named after a beloved member of the Washington community, Lockwood Hyatt, who owned the house from 1870 to 1893. Since its construction, it has experienced a total of 15 owners. Over the past 100 years, all the owners have been women. It is under restoration and will be put up for sale in the near future.
WAHF began designing jewelry in 1996 with the late Hazel Lassiter. Past ornaments have featured houses, churches, schools, banks and other historic buildings. One of the first decorations depicted a horse floating down the Pamlica River. In 2020, there was no ornament due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The decorations help generate interest in preserving our historic buildings, both residential and downtown businesses,” said WAHF’s Dee Congleton.
The ornaments are $25 and can be purchased at the Estuary, Little Shoppes and Harbor Market. Proceeds from the sale of the decorations go toward funding community projects such as the landscaping of Harding Square Garden, and proceeds offset the cost of historical plaques placed on appropriate homes and buildings.
Congleton said the foundation plans to change the order of the decorations from last year. This spring, they will reverse the order of Ada Mae, the Jumper, the Turnage Theater and the Bug House.
