The Tour of Homes will be held Saturday, March 23, 2024 from 10 am – 5 pm and will feature seven homes, two churches and other historic sites in Oak Hill and Camden!
The homes featured in Oak Hill this year include the Fox-Jones-Mitchell home, c. 1845, Twelve Oaks – the Kennedy-Griffin home, c. 1920, the Dale-Kennedy-Neumann home, c. 1847, and the Jones-McWilliams home, c. late 1840s.
Churches and other buildings on tour in the Oak Hill area include the Bethel Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, c. 1895, Bear Creek Baptist Church, c. 1880, the Dale Brothers Store – Brittany House Antiques, c. 1870, as well as the Oak Hill School, c. 1926. Featured at the school will be a quilt display from local resident Betty Gaines Kennedy.
The homes featured in Camden this year include RiverBend – the Bell-Moore-Jones home, c. 1840 (pictured above), the Bagby-Liddell-Burford home, c. 1847 and the Jones-McIntosh-Hicks home, c. 1860.
Registration Friday night, March 22 will be RiverBend, 279 Bridgeport Road in Camden. Please note – due to threat of rain registration for Friday night is NOT at the Wilcox Female Institute. Saturday morning registration will be held at The Brittany House Antiques in Oak Hill, 5931 AL Highway 21, where all tickets holders will be provided a complimentary breakfast beginning at 8:30.
More general tour information can be found below – updated March 21, 2024.
For our VIP Guests, the weekend starts with a Welcome Reception Friday Night, March 22, 2024, at 6:30 pm, on the grounds of Historic RiverBend Plantation in Camden. This special event will feature our Keynote Speakers, musical guest the Tommy Ward Band, wine and hor d’oeuvres. Explore the idyllic beauty of RiverBend during the Cocktail Hour before our Guest Speakers presentation. Tickets are limited. Dress – Cocktail Attire
Our 2024 Keynote Speakers will be Laine and Kevin Berry of Our Restoration Nation. Laine and Kevin Berry, actively immersed in hands-on restoration, preservation, and rehabilitation for 22 years, have revitalized numerous homes across the Southeast in Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Their transformative endeavor in 2020, rescuing a home deemed a “teardown,” thrust them from the quiet restoration shadows into the social media limelight, amassing over half a million followers across multiple platforms. In their digital presence, they educate the public on rehabilitation principles and impart a hands-on approach to preservation, as well as the cultural and environmental importance of our built environment.
Kevin, a Harding University graduate in Advertising and Marketing, owned AdWorks Concepts and Designs for 30 years, managing global clientele. Meanwhile, Laine, who studied at the University of Central Arkansas and Boston Architecture College, spent the first 15 years of her professional career as Vice President of Mortgage lending for a national bank. In 2008 she made a career pivot, spending the next 13 years as the lead couture gown designer for Mon Cheri Bridals and later founded her own label, Laine Berry Couture. She also served as a national spokesperson and lobbyist for the American Heart Association.
Internationally recognized, the Berry’s preservation work has been featured in The Epoch Times, The Verge, American Essence, Love Property UK, Home Hacks, and Newsweek. Their contributions earned acknowledgment from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and the Historic Natchez Foundation, and they hold positions on the US Government’s Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.
MUSIC FOR FRIDAY’S WELCOME RECEPTION
We are very excited to welcome back music from Tommy Ward at the Welcome Reception on Friday night. Tommy Ward is a critically-acclaimed singer and entertainer from Las Vegas, NV with a deep love and appreciation for legendary musicians and classic crooners.
His videos on social media have racked up millions of views and recently released EP’s “Forget Me Not” and “Merry Christmas” hit Top 10 on iTunes jazz the first day of release. “From This Moment On” (LeCoq Records) was celebrated by Jazz Weekly highlighting Tommy’s “impressive vocal skills” and captivating arrangements.
Ward is a fourth generation Italian-American, whose family moved to Las Vegas from Erie, PA somewhere around the mid-1970s.
By age 17, Tommy and his band, “Tommy Ward and Swayed,” made history. They became one of the youngest opening acts in Las Vegas history, delivering 90 riveting performances for Frankie Moreno, the Billboard #1 artist and Las Vegas headliner of the year. That magic continued with a successful stint opening for the comedic legend, Louie Anderson, during his tenure at the Plaza Hotel.
Fast forward to today and Tommy’s videos on social media continue to rack up millions of views.
On the road and performing live, Tommy has been widely recognized as one of the best-in-class providers of live jazz music in the United States.
LUNCH OPTIONS FOR TOUR DAY, SATURDAY
Several options for lunch will be available in Camden on Saturday – GainesRidge (reservations only), Jackson’s Station, the Pecan Downtown and BBQ from the Masons at Dale Lodge as well as other local restaurants.
LODGING SUGGESTIONS – We strongly suggest you make reservations EARLY as lodging options are limited.
GREENVILLE, ALABAMA – 30 minutes from Oak Hill
1. Hampton Inn, Greenville, AL
219 Interstate Dr, Greenville, AL 36037
334-382-9631
2. Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Greenville, AL
100 Paul Stabler Dr, Greenville, AL 36037
334-382-2444
3. Comfort Inn, Greenville, AL (recently renovated)
1029 Fort Dale Rd, Greenville, AL 36037
334-383-9595
CAMDEN, ALABAMA
1. Liberty Hall Bed & Breakfast – SOLD OUT
2. Capell House Bed & Breakfast – SOLD OUT
3. Pleasant Ridge Bed & Breakfast – SOLD OUT
4. Roland Cooper State Park – Roland Cooper State Park in Camden offers mini cabins that have been popular with Tour of Homes guests for several years. **As of March 15, only 1 tiny cabin is available. They have 2 primitive cabins and plenty of campsites.
Reservations can be made online or by calling the office at 334-682-4838.
5. Lakeside Cabins – Lakeside RV & Cabin Rentals is located on the Camden Bypass in Camden.
For reservations or information call 334-740-2005.
GENERAL TOUR INFORMATION – UPDATED MARCH 21, 2024
TOUR GENERAL INFORMATION
The Tour of Homes includes seven private homes, two churches, and several other historic sites.
VIP TICKET – WELCOME RECEPTION – Friday Night, March 22nd – 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm
REGISTRATION FRIDAY WILL BE AT RIVERBEND, NOT THE FEMALE INSTITUTE. Bring your ticket or Eventbrite printout to RiverBend Plantation, 279 Bridgeport Road, Camden, AL 36726. Please do not go to the Female Institute as it states on the ticket. We made the change due to the threat of rain on Friday Night. The Welcome Reception is being held on the grounds of
RiverBend under tents. However, with the rain we have had and the threat of
rain Friday Night, the ground will be soft. Please wear appropriate shoes
for the wet weather. We strongly suggest you bring umbrellas for your
walk to and from the tent as well.
We are thrilled to have Laine and Kevin Berry of Our Restoration Nation as our Guest Speakers this year! We are so excited to hear about their adventures in preservation and their latest project, Hope Farm in Natchez. In addition, our musical guest for the third year in a row will be the fantastic Tommy Ward Band. Wine and other beverages will be served as well as heavy hor d’oeuvres.
Dress – Cocktail attire is expected. RiverBend will be open throughout the cocktail hour for our guests. Take a moment to enjoy this magnificent home.
Due to the rainy weather, we ask that you take off your shoes or use the shoe covers provided when touring inside the home. The grounds will open at 6:15 pm for VIP Ticket Holders. The Berrys will begin their presentation at 7:30 pm.
PARKING AT RIVERBEND –We will be parking on the grounds of RiverBend. Please follow
the directions of the parking attendants who will be directing you where to
park. There will be an area to drop off your guests close to the tents for
those riding with you.
REGISTRATION SATURDAY – Tour of Homes Ticket Holders –
Saturday, March 23rdThe Brittany House Antiques will be where everyone registers Saturday Morning – 5931 AL Hwy 21, Oak Hill, Alabama 36766. For driving directions google The Brittany House Antiques in Oak Hill. All ticket holders receive a complimentary breakfast at The Brittany House. You can get your arm bands, map, Tour Brochure, and eat Saturday Morning starting at 8:30 am. Please bring your ticket or Eventbrite printout with you when you come.
The Brittany House Registration will be open from 8:30 am – noon.
ORDER OF SITES The sites are numbered 1 – 16. However, we encourage you to start at either end of the tour or in the middle! If everyone starts at #1 and moves sequentially, it will be a very crowded day.
VISITING THE SITES Due to the threat of rain Friday and Saturday morning we will require everyone to either take off their shoes when they enter each site or use the shoe covers provided. We must be respectful of the wonderful homeowners who have so graciously opened their homes.
DRIVING
Oak Hill and Camden are approximately 15 minutes apart via AL Highway 21. This is a 2-lane highway that often has log truck traffic. Please be aware and be patient when driving from site to site. There will be more people in Oak Hill this weekend than the last ten years combined 😊.PARKING ON SATURDAY
Please be considerate of where you park. Our homeowners have
spent countless hours preparing to welcome over 750 guests in a single day. We
want their yards to look as good at the end of the day as they do at the
beginning. You will have to park on the road at most of the homes and walk to
the front door.
BREAKFAST
LUNCH SATURDAY – 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
All the restaurants in Camden will be open and ready to serve
you. In addition, the Masons will be serving barbeque at the historic Dale
Masonic Lodge as well (Stop #14).
Here are some suggestions:
Gaines Ridge Restaurant – Reservation Only – 334-682-9707
The Pecan Downtown Jackson’s Station
Dale Masonic Lodge (#14)
RESTROOM FACILITIES We will have very nice restroom trailers at both RiverBend (#11
on the map) on Friday/Saturday and at The Brittany House Antiques Saturday (#1
on the map) for your use. We want to thank Royal Restrooms for providing the
trailers and for being a Silver Sponsor of this year’s event.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!
Platinum Sponsors – Brittany House of Antiques at Oak Hill and Town and Country United Bank, Laura and Schley Rutherford and Laine and Kevin Berry of Our Restoration Nation.
Gold Sponsors – Garland Cook Smith, Eve Engle Kneeland and Nikki McGillvray.
Silver Sponsors – Coast to Coast Hardware and Royal Restrooms
Bronze Sponsors – Community Neighbor Bank, Black Belt Treasures Cultural Art Center in Camden, Albritton’s Florist and Gifts and Camden Jewelry and Gifts
Tour Sponsors – Holman Insurance Agency and The Pecan Downtown
SPONSOR OPPORTUNITIES
PLATINUM SPONSOR – $5000
• Name placed prominently in the Tour of Homes Brochure
• Recognition of your support at the Welcome Reception
• 4 VIP Tickets to the Tour of Homes
• Complimentary 1 year membership in the Wilcox Historical Society
• Name included in all print Tour Advertising
GOLD SPONSOR – $2500
• Name included in the Tour of Homes Brochure
• Recognition of your support at the Welcome Reception
• 2 VIP Tickets to the Tour of Homes
• Complimentary 1 year membership in the Wilcox Historical Society
SILVER SPONSOR – $1000
• Name included in the Tour of Homes Brochure
• 4 Tour of Homes Tickets
BRONZE SPONSOR – $500
• Name included in the Tour of Homes Brochure
• 2 Tour of Homes Tickets
TOUR SPONSOR – $250
• Name included in the Tour of Homes Brochure
• 1 Tour of Homes Ticket
Checks should be made payable to the
Wilcox Historical Society
PO Box 464 Camden, Alabama 36726
Your potential tax deduction is based on the stated value for goods or services provided.
If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the 2024 WHS Tour of Homes in Oak Hill and Camden please contact us at wilcoxhistoricalsociety@gmail.com.
Wilcox Historical Society 