Elgin Witness

Elgin's Historic Peace Church Tour

This past weekend, while neighbors were selling lemonade and hawking various and sundry other refreshments, volunteers from the Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren were distributing free Brethren Water to the thousands of passer-bys. And while the Church of the Brethren was making that witness, the Brethren Volunteer (BVS) House witnessed the Church’s peace position with a display modeled on that displayed by the Skyridge COB.

The now nationally famous Gifford Park Association Annual House Tour is a tour of the historically and/or architecturally significant homes in Elgin, Illinois and is typically held on the first or second weekend of September. Each year about 9-10 homes are selected and shown on the tour. A different section of Elgin is featured each year. This year's House Tour was held September 11 and 12. The House Tour was centered around the neighborhood of the Church of the Brethren, located at the intersection of Highland Avenue and McClure St. in the near west side area of Elgin, where the houses range from cottages to grand mansions.

Attendees viewed the interior and exterior of the homes at their own pace and in whatever order they chose. For the interior, docents guided the guests through the house, pointing out features of architectural and historical significance, and answering what questions they could.

Spearheaded by the Gifford Park Association, formed in 1978, the annual Historic Elgin House Tour in early September attracts over 2,000 people.