The Southern Oregon Miniaturists join Historic Jacksonville, Inc. on Saturday, May 21, 2016, to kick off the 2016 season of events at the 1873 Cornelius C. Beekman House located at 470 E. California Street in Jacksonville. From 12 noon to 4 p.m. Victorian costumed docents will offer house tours every 15 minutes, sharing information on the Victorian architecture and styles that prevailed in Jacksonville in the late 1800s. The Miniaturists will complement the tours with lawn displays of Victorian rooms and scenes.
“The Victorian Era saw numerous advances in home design and furnishings,” says Carolyn Kingsnorth, president of Historic Jacksonville. “Evolving architectural styles incorporated new concepts of public and private space and Industrial Age advances such as ‘electrification.’ Cornelius Beekman was one of Southern Oregon’s wealthiest and most prominent pioneers. He kept abreast of these trends, and many of them come together in the Beekman House.”
Tour docents will discuss these changes and point out how they were incorporated into the Beekman’s Carpenter Gothic style home which remains completely furnished with family artifacts. A lawn exhibit will feature additional information on the evolution of Victorian architectural styles along with images of historic and contemporary versions of Victorian architecture found in Jacksonville.
Beekman House Victorian Architecture tour admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and students (6-12). The lawn displays are free.
Victorian Architecture & Style is the first in a series of Beekman House Victorian theme tours that will be offered on the third Saturday of each month from May through October, 2016. Future tours and related activities will explore Victorian Hobbies & Crafts, Travel in the Victorian Age, Victorian Etiquette, Victorian Fashion, and Victorian Mourning Customs.
Historic Jacksonville, Inc., a non-profit organization, works in conjunction with the City of Jacksonville, the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, and other local organizations to bring historic Jacksonville buildings to life through programs, activities, and events. Proceeds benefit Jacksonville historic preservation.
For additional information about Beekman House tours and other Historic Jacksonville, Inc. activities, contact 541-245-3650, info@historicjacksonville.org, or visit HJI’s website at www.historicjacksonville.org.