The Martinez Historical House tour is taking place on Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tour, which will raise money for the renovation of the old train station on Ferry Street, will feature a variety of historic homes in old Martinez neighborhoods. This year, there will be three local bands to provide entertainment, and shuttles for those who don’t want to walk the entire tour.
“It is always amazing to hear participants from out of town say ‘I had no idea Martinez was like this, that they had these kinds of homes,’” said Carolyn Boone Duncan, who is in charge of the tour this year. “They thought we were basically a blue-collar, refinery kind of place. They are surprised by the way the homes are decorated, the renovations that you don’t see from the outside; they walk away impressed.”
This is the fifth year of the home tour. Each year the Historical Society selects new homes to show off. This year the homes being featured are on the northwest side of town, which features
a rich Italian history.
“We will be sharing stories about fishing nets in the attic during the winter, stills with copper pipes running through the houses, and a home built as a wedding gift by prominent Martinez families,” Duncan said. “This year we have three homes built in the 1880s, two in the 1900s, and two in the 1930s, along with the Shell Clubhouse, Shell Museum, the Martinez Museum, John Muir House and John Muir Adobe.”
Duncan said that people can begin the tour at the Shell Clubhouse on Pacheco Boulevard and either drive or take a shuttle to the tour area, where they can walk the tour or take the shuttle to various points along the tour.
As for a few rules: No cameras, no kids under 12 that aren't strapped to an adults's body, and because these are old homes and almost all of them have stairs, this event is NOT ADA compatible.
This year you can buy tickets online at www.martinezhometour.eventbrite.com, or on the day of the event. Tickets are $20 if purchased prior to the tour, $25 on tour day, and $18 for groups of ten or more.
