West Falmouth Library Hosts 32nd Annual House Tour and Boutique

The West Falmouth Library will host its 32nd Annual Holiday House Tour & Boutique on Sunday, December 14, from 12 to 4 PM. Festivities include holiday decorations, crafts, music, history, and food.

This year’s tour offers an opportunity to view architecture, decorating, and private collections of West Falmouth homes and businesses. Tickets are $25 each and may be purchased prior to the day of the tour at the Booksmith in Falmouth Plaza, Eight Cousins Bookstore and Inkwell Bookstore both on Main Street in Falmouth, Uncle Bill's Country Store in North Falmouth, the Market Street Bookshop in Mashpee Commons, the West Falmouth Market, Paper Tyger in West Falmouth, and at the West Falmouth Library. On the day of the tour tickets will only be available at the West Falmouth Library.

The tickets for the self-guided Holiday House Tour include a map and brief description of each of the homes. Attendees are encouraged to visit the homes in random order, thereby lessening traffic at any one location.
 
There will be a Holiday Boutique in the community room at the West Falmouth Library on the day of the tour, from 12 to 4 PM. The Boutique offers handmade items for gift-giving, the opportunity to enter the holiday raffle, and complimentary beverages and light refreshments. Items for sale include everlasting tabletop shell trees and arrangements, as well as live arrangements for the mantle, tabletop, door and front steps. Ornaments, ornamental bows, baskets and other items will also be available, as will cookies, tea  breads, and other baked goods.

There is great variety in the properties that will be open to view on this year's tour. They represent buildings constructed throughout the history of the town of Falmouth, and there will be commercial as well as residential properties, all creatively decorated for the holidays.

Properties on the tour include the following:

Bowerman Homestead. The Bowerman Homestead, accessed from Homestead Lane in West Falmouth, was built by Thomas Bowerman, a Quaker, in 1678. He had come to what is now West Falmouth from Barnstable the year before to escape religious intolerance. The house is the oldest “Cape” style house surviving on Cape Cod. An unusual feature of the house is its roof, which is bowed out like a ship's bottom. The original house was extended to the west in the 18th century and an ell was added to the north in the 19th century, Also in the 19th century the main entrance was moved to the east façade. While modest modernizations have occurred over the centuries, the home retains most of its original elements and character. The home remained in the Bowerman/Gifford family until 1994 when it was acquired by the Hughes family, its present owners. The Falmouth Historical Society will provide costumed guides who will recreate some of the home's long history.

C.H. Newton Builders. This property at 549 West Falmouth Highway has been operated as a business since the late 18th century. A blacksmith shop was started here in 1778. The current structure at the rear of the property was built in the late 1700s of local pink granite blocks and continued as a blacksmith shop into the early 20th century, at which time a building was added in the front to accommodate automotive services. Today the two buildings are the recently renovated offices of C.H. Newton Builders. The offices will be decorated for the holidays with some unique touches and a musical group will sing seasonal favorites.

The Beach Rose Inn. The home that is now the Beach Rose Inn, at 17 Chase Road in West Falmouth, was built in 1863, only one room deep. Over the years the home has been substantially enlarged. Early in the 20th century the home began use as a guest house; it became known as the Beach Rose Inn in 2001. The present owners, Sheryll and Douglas Reichwein, acquired the inn in 2006. They moved the entrance from the front sun porch to the west side of the property where new landscaping and outdoor seating areas have created a new front yard. There is a six-foot high mahogany contemporary sculpture by David Reichwein in the new front yard. During recent renovations, a child's shoe dating from the 19th century was found embedded in a wall. This is known as a "concealment shoe," purposely put in the wall to protect the home. The Falmouth Historical Society will provide costumed guides to interpret the history of the home. Both common rooms and guest rooms will be decorated for the holidays.

Victorian Dollhouse at Sotheby's International Realty-West Falmouth Office. At the Sotheby offices at 550 West Falmouth Highway, there will be a Victorian-style dollhouse. The dollhouse was made in 1981 by a grateful real estate client and given to Beverly Wall-Cedrone, who furnished the house for the enjoyment of her grandchildren and is now offering this dollhouse as a raffle prize during the house tour. Among the furnishings of the dollhouse are lace curtains, pots and pans in the kitchen, a hand-made piano, and rugs. It is decorated with lights and a Christmas tree for the holidays. The dollhouse will go to one lucky winner for new children to enjoy and the proceeds will benefit the library. Light refreshments and rest rooms will be available at this location as well as at the Library.

The Elaine Hickey home at 371 West Falmouth Highway was designed by the homeowners and completed in 2001.

The Elaine Hickey Home. This house at 371 West Falmouth Highway was designed by the homeowners and completed in 2001. A cottage on the site was retained and renovated as a guest house. The owner's quilts and fiber art are displayed throughout house. For the tour, the owner's studio will be used to exhibit additional quilts and fiber art by the Sea Mist Fiber Artists of Cape Cod.

The Nehro Home. Phil and Jill Nehro own the home at 84 Blacksmith Shop Road in West Falmouth. Custom built for the homeowners in 2006, this Colonial-style home has many special features including mantle pieces, moldings, kitchen cabinetry, and other details. These features are complemented by a collection of fine art and family antiques and traditional holiday decorations for the season.

The Millisore Home. This large shingle-style home owned by Robert and Amy Millisore at 70 Blacksmith Shop Road was completed this year. In order to take better advantage of dramatic views of West Falmouth Harbor and Buzzards Bay, the principal rooms are on the second floor. Decorative painting on the stairs and walls of the entrance hall create a summertime welcome year-round. The holiday decoration will reflect the style and colors of the newly furnished rooms throughout the house.

The Holiday House Tour & Boutique is the West Falmouth Library’s largest annual fundraiser. "What a wonderful example of community support," said Reta S. King, president of the West Falmouth Library. "Our gracious and generous property owners, volunteers, and numerous local business sponsors help to make the Holiday House Tour & Boutique, in its 32nd year, the success it is, and they all deserve our sincere thanks!"

For more information, call 508-548-4709, e-mail WestFalLib@comcast.net, or visit the library's web site at www.WestFalmouthLibrary.org. The West Falmouth Library, at 575 West Falmouth Highway, is a private, not-for-profit organization supported by donors, grants, bequests and town funding.