The fourth annual Riley Creek Christmas tour is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1, according to Tom McCullough of Pandora.
It includes five stops along the Riley Creek near Pandora. All the buildings on the tour have historical significance and will be decorated for the holidays.
• The first stop is the Bridenbaugh one-room schoolhouse, located at 14022 Road 6 (corner of Road 6 and Road M6). The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and will be decorated for a 19th century Christmas. There will be refreshments and Dale Bridenbaugh will tell how the building recovered from the 2012 wind storm and a fire in 2013.
• New on the tour is the Bridenbaugh homestead located at the corner of Road 6 and 5N. The brick structure was built in 1887 and the wooden addition in 1902. Bridenbaugh will tell how a remodel added 6 inches of insulation to the outer walls. Heat is from an outdoor wood fired water boiler with plastic tubing under the floors.
• The next stop is the McCullough log cabin at 14503 Road 6, Pandora. It is owned by Tom and Jane McCullough. This 2 ½ story log home was originally built in 1860 and stood near Reading, Pa. It is furnished primarily with 19th century furniture from Putnam County. It has four bedrooms, two baths, and full basement. McCullough's blacksmith/gun shop and recently reconstructed single pen log barn will also be open.
• Red Fox cabin is a 1 ½ story log cabin built in 1853 by German immigrants and moved from West Virginia in 1995. Visitors will sit by a cozy fire and enjoy other refreshments. The cabin will be decorated for Christmas with natural materials from The Quarry Farm Nature Preserve & Conservation Farm on which the cabin located just one-eighth mile north of 14321 Road 7L.
• Since 1850 when it was built by pioneers, Riley Creek United Methodist Church has provided a place for worship. Visitors will soak in the Christmas spirit in this historic place of worship and meet the local circuit riding pastor and some of its members. The church is located northwest of Pandora at the intersection of Roads M and 7L, 7102 road M, Ottawa, across from the stone quarry.
There is no charge for this tour.
