A Victorian Christmas

Throughout December, the Jackson Heritage Association will host tours weekly at the Oliver House, which is decked out in classic Victorian Christmas-themed decorations for the season.

"Every year we have the house decorated for Christmas," said Kyle Mabuce, Jackson Heritage Association member and Jackson High School history teacher. "We have a wonderful team of decorators and they have decorated the house in the Victorian style, which fits the inside of the home."

Starting today, the museum will be open from 1 to 4 p.m. every Sunday leading up to Christmas, and Santa Claus will make an appearance from 5 to 7 p.m. tonight.

"He is very much the real Santa," Mabuce said.

This year, a candlelight tour was held on Thursday to provide a view of the house with more subdued lighting, giving visitors a varied perspective on the house.

Kyle Mabuce talks about the Eastlake mirror in the parlor of the Oliver House Museum in Jackson on Thursday.Laura Simon

"We just think it's just a different take on the house," Mabuce said. "We have the [Christmas] lights on in the house and that's about it. It's just a walk through the house, kind of a little bit darker look at everything than what people normally see."

Although the tour guides weren't allowed to have lit candles during the candlelight tour, there were battery-operated candles and low-light lamps, and the Christmas tree lights in each room were turned on.

"It would give you more of an approximation of the late 1800s, they may not have gas-powered lights -- which the Olivers certainly would have -- but it would still give you an idea of this is what people saw regularly. You know, it's not the bright lights that we associate with being at home in the evenings," Mabuce said.

The home, which was most notably owned by Missouri senator Robert Burrett Oliver and his wife Marie Watkins Oliver, is more than 150 years old and contains a number of furniture pieces relevant to the time at which the Olivers inhabited the house with their six children.

This aspect makes the Oliver House unique, according to Mabuce, because many historic sites are either empty due to an inability to locate furniture from the time period, or they may have furniture, but the pieces may not be authentic to the time the home was built or representative of its past residents.

"We actually have a lot of Oliver pieces here. I think we're kind of on the more special end of things," he said. "Not only are we a historic site that's fully furnished, but we're, partially at least, furnished with Oliver pieces that go with the house."

Mabuce, who has been involved with the Jackson Heritage Association for about 20 years, said the most exciting aspect of volunteering to lead tours and facilitate visitors at the Oliver House is interacting with the home's variety of guests. Varying from school classes, Girl and Boy Scouts to curious locals or travelers, one commonality typically shines through -- a love and interest in history.

"I enjoy talking to people. I'm a teacher, so I'm a people person; I like to talk. I'm a historian; I like to talk history," Mabuce said. "To find people that come to a historical site, they probably have a little interest in history already and we find the commonalities and we talk. ... There are just so many different ways you can talk to people and find common interest that makes it worthwhile to me."

And while Mabuce helps give tours of the Oliver House throughout the year, he said seeing the house decorated for Christmas helps him get more into the spirit of the holidays.

"I'm not real overt a lot of times about celebrating holidays. I love the Fourth of July and I love Christmas, though, those are my two favorites," he said. "It certainly helps me start thinking about Christmas and what it really should mean."

The house, said to have been built around the middle of the 19th century, was remodeled in 1976 and was first opened for public tours in 1980. Since then, heritage association volunteers have helped remodel the home and keep it in tip-top shape for guests.

"It takes a lot of us to keep this house going, and it's a lot of different people with a lot of different backgrounds that all work toward the goal of keeping the house open and available to the public," Mabuce said.

He said the house provides a glimpse into the culture and history of the Jackson and Cape Girardeau areas, something he feels all locals should understand and appreciate.

"The Oliver House gives you a chance to understand a little bit about the local flavor of Jackson in particular, and I think it just really, to me, it connects something that I think a lot of people miss," he said. "And whether they know it or not, I think understanding a little bit about where you come from helps you understand about where you want to go in the future."

Other events throughout the year at the Oliver House include the Halloween Spooktacular, Valentine's Day dinner, a Little Princess Party in the spring and tours the first Sunday of the month all year round. Sunday tours throughout December are free and open to the public.

lyoung@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3632