Downtown Milton Home, Business Tour Set for Dec. 11

[Main Street Milton]

Media Release
Main Street Milton, Inc.
P.O. Box 821, Milton, FL 32572
(850) 626-6246; www.MainStreetMilton.org
Media Contact:
Josh Wilks, program manager, (850) 626-6246;
man...@MainStreetMilton.org
For Immediate
Release
November 22, 2010

Downtown Milton Home, Business Tour Set for Dec. 11

MILTON – Spend the afternoon touring historic homes and browsing local
businesses during Main Street Milton’s first annual Downtown Milton
Home and Business Tour from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11,
in historic downtown Milton.

The tour will highlight the history and architecture of historic
homes, churches and local businesses in the downtown Milton historic
district. The self-guided tour will feature tour guides at each venue
to escort guests through houses and businesses. A walking tour map
will be provided with the purchase of a ticket.

“Our goal with this tour is to promote downtown Milton as a place full
of rich history, economic opportunity, culture, and entertainment,”
said Josh Wilks, Main Street Milton program manager. “It will also
provide opportunities for visitors to shop local for holiday gifts at
our downtown businesses.”

Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the Santa Rosa County Chamber
of Commerce and other businesses throughout the downtown. Tickets
will also be sold the day of the event at Southern Ladies at Camelot
Junction located at 5243Willing St. in downtown Milton. Holiday
discounts to local restaurants will be available for tour
participants.

For more information or to reserve tickets, call (850) 626-6246 or
email man...@MainStreetMilton.org.

Tour highlights -- A Sneak Peek -- include the following:

First Presbyterian Church of Milton—
First Presbyterian Church of Milton is the oldest known church
building in Santa Rosa County. Built just after the Civil War, this
historic church was “modernized” in the 1920s with removal of its
steeple, the addition of Sunday School rooms, and the addition of an
exterior brick veneer over the original wooden frame. The church’s
interior is ornamented mostly with curly virgin pine, a top quality
building material in the late 19th Century.

Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church—
Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church was organized in 1865 at the end of the
Civil War when African-Americans were establishing independent
communities and places of worship. Designed nearly a century ago by
an architect appointed by Booker T. Washington to the architecture
department at Tuskegee Institute, the historic church was built by
church members. The church’s unique architectural features and
stained glass windows are unique to the local area. Still recovering
from damage resulting from Hurricane Ivan, the church will welcome
visitors during the tour.

Jones-Gentry House—
Owned by the same family for nearly a century, the historic Jones-
Gentry House was home to a prominent Civil War veteran’s family who
would develop many of the houses now encompassed within the historic
district. Sensitively restored, this early 20th Century southern
bungalow is a great example of careful renovation methods
incorporating modern amenities.

** A complete venue list will be available the week of the tour.**

About Main Street Milton: Serving as the official revitalization
organization for downtown Milton, Fla., Main Street Milton is a non-
profit organization funded through public and private funds. Main
Street Milton has been awarded on a state level for various successes.
The Main Street “four point approach” is a comprehensive strategy
tailored to meet local needs and opportunities in four areas combined
to address all of the commercial district’s needs. Those areas include
Design, Economic Restructuring, Promotion, and Organization. The
“Main Street Approach” is a proven revitalization technique, which has
fostered the revitalization of hundreds of downtowns of all sizes.
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