Home of Roger A. and Cherity Freeze. Junior high principal Roger and banker Cherity picked the Lake Taylorville shoreline for their newly built retreat because it’s midway between his roots in Peoria and their Aviston home base, just 90 minutes south of Taylorville.
Innovative stone in-lays, a turret, a balcony and terraces adorn the brick exterior of the home, a project of Mark Siegrist.
Double front doors open to Brazilian walnut floors in the two-story foyer. Four bedrooms, custom-tile master bath, open kitchen/dining/living, crow’s nest loft/office and lower level Cardinal baseball theme family room create a second home described by guests as elegant but child friendly.
A pair of lighthouses topped by rotating beacons will herald the event, courtesy of Marty and Donna Davis, developers of surrounding Davis Lake Shore Estates.
Home of Denny and Sharron Taft. For the first seven years of their marriage,
American Airlines pilot Denny and Master Gardener Sharron lived in a little vintage farmhouse. Wanting to create a new place together, they moved the farmhouse down the hard road and pooled ideas. Denny is a former commander of the Illinois Air National Guard in Springfield.
Built in 2002 just steps from the original, the result is a brick farmhouse to remember. Angling rooflines, multiple bays and a two-story gallery of arched windows rise on the prairie like a mirage. Inside, colors pop, Viking sizzles in the kitchen, rooms flow and ceilings take flight.
Surprises abound from fluffy clouds and blue skies painted on trey ceilings by Sharron to a three-tier waterfall and sparkling pond in the entertainment center roamed by a turtle.
Home of Billy and Pamela Williams. Back in the Roaring Twenties, a prosperous young couple built their dream house on a three-acre site for the then princely sum of $7,000. A quartet of stately columns defined the façade and crystal chandeliers illuminated the elegantly formal interior.
The cost was seven times the $1,000 value of an average home. At the time, typical young couples paid $25 a month rent and did without a “radio set,” which graced the new home, according to 1930 U.S. Census records.
Just 29 years old when their home was built in 1927, LeVoy and Floy Richmond spent the rest of their lives as lord and lady of the manor, raising two daughters, co-founding the local country club and racing horses. LeVoy enjoyed success as a Nash auto and farm implement dealer. Floy outlived her beloved by 44 years, living until age 106.
Last year, another young couple, Billy and Pamela Williams, just 33 and 32 respectively, realized an impossible dream by acquiring the landmark. Upon moving in, Billy embarked on a mission: to restore the grand home as authentically as possible, from returning an iron balcony to its original location on the façade to mastering the intricacies of chandeliers and old brass.
Christian County Assessor Ron Finley lists the property on his unofficial roster of the top 10 homes of distinction in the county.
Home of Harold and Linda Baldock. Looking to down size a decade ago, the empty nesters did just the opposite, tucking a 4,400 square foot, five bedroom, two-level house into a slope on a five-acre haven they christened “Blackberry Hill.”
Their home has evolved into a magical kingdom for celebrating Christmas 365 days a year. Decorations and collectibles never come down as Santas, angels, a Dickens village, Norman Rockwell plates and more convey glad tidings throughout the open floor plan.
Visitors will be invited to guess the number of “12 Days of Christmas” items on display. The winner will take home steaks from Fisher’s Packing Plant and products from The Glen Earl Wine Cellars. Not to be missed in these thrifty times are the 11-inch thick concrete and styrofoam exterior walls, which curb utility bills.
Log home of David and Norma Oldham. Lush with prairie plants, this 32-acre estate surrounds a three-level, four bedroom modern log home.
Brought from Idaho on two semi-trucks, the home was assembled log by log by Bryan Patton of Mount Auburn in 2006-07.
Load-bearing cedar logs and a massive fireplace climb two stories in the great room. Pine ceilings peak overhead. Split logs form stair treads. Expansive windows, a deck and screened porch overlook the scenic back yard, pond and woodland.
In the spirit of the season, numerous residents of Taylorville Estates retirement center will share holiday memories and treasures by opening their apartments from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 3.
Pioneer log house, Christian County Historical Museum. Visitors will learn that old and new log homes share DNA: log walls, fireplaces, lofts. Built between 1830-40, the museum’s log house was found buried behind kitchen walls in a home being razed near Assumption. A roaring fire and prairie-style trimmings will welcome tour-goers.
Another attraction will be a homemade Cookie Walk from 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 3 at First Baptist Church lower level, 303 E. Market St. Sponsor is the Baptist Women’s Fellowship.
Tour hub will be the Manners Park dining room, transformed into a winter wonderland for the “Bountiful Cookie Buffet” and an “Old-fashioned Holiday Bazaar” featuring vendors selling rare finds and unique gifts. In view0 will be the park’s historic Chautauqua Building, crowned by a new metal roof and illuminated like celestial necklaces.