Saluda Home and Garden Tour, June 1

Published 9:02 am Wednesday, May 29, 2013

This house is among the eight homes open for the tour. It was built by O. B. Garren in 1898 and is known as Liberty Box. It has remained in the same family since the family bought it in 1899.  Almost all the furniture in the house was hand built by one of the owners.

This house is among the eight homes open for the tour. It was built by O. B. Garren in 1898 and is known as Liberty Box. It has remained in the same family since the family bought it in 1899. Almost all the furniture in the house was hand built by one of the owners.

The public is invited to join the Saluda Historic Committee for a tour in an historic section of Saluda, along part of Henderson Street which runs parallel to Main Street. Eight homes will be open for touring and four others will feature either gardens, an art studio and in one, a rock and mineral museum. Most of these homes were built in the late 1890s to early 1900s.

In researching the deeds of many of the houses, it was found that at least four of the homes were built by the same man, O. B. Garren who was also a photographer and was one of Saluda’s first mayors. He built in what is now called the “Saluda Vernacular Style” which is defined as everyday architecture influenced by heritage, experience and availability of material

Another treat for this tour, in addition to the eight homes will be a chance to see the Rock and Mineral Museum that used to be along Main Street in Saluda and is now reassembled in “Chrystal Springs”, the home of Martha Ashley. This amazing collection of mostly local specimens is highlighted by a “black light” room, which allows the viewers to see the iridescence in a large number of rocks in the collection.

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