Dear Honan House
Host or Hostess:
Thank you so much for volunteering to serve as a Host or
Hostess in the Petry-Honan house during this
year’s annual pilgrimage. I am sending you this welcome
letter to introduce myself as the Chairperson of the
Petry-Honan home for the upcoming Pilgrimage and to give
you some very important information.
Attached you will find a copy of the Pilgrimage Host and
Hostess Guidelines. This guideline, as well as a wealth of
other information, may be found at the Honans’ pilgrimage
web site at http://Pilgrimage.Honan.us. If you have any
questions about your participation in the Pilgrimage,
please do not hesitate to contact me.
We
are having an important orientation meeting for all Hosts
and Hostesses who have not worked in the Honan home before
on Sunday, March 2, 2008, at 2:00 PM and again at 3:00 PM
at the Honan house. Please mark your calendar now
and let me know which time you will be attending!
The Petry-Honan house is very unique for many reasons. Some
of its outstanding features are as follows:
• Built
circa 1868, it has been occupied by the family since 1876.
This is far longer than any other home on the Eufaula
Pilgrimage Tour of Homes. Having the same family in the
home for over 130 years has resulted in a treasure trove of
antique furnishings, clothing and documents being preserved
in the home, and put on display during the Pilgrimage.
• It is the only home in Eufaula that still has its
original detached kitchen intact.
• With its one of a kind “tank room” under the eaves, it
was one of the first, if not the first, home in Eufaula to
have running water.
• The Petry-Honan home has a tradition of all of its Hosts
and Hostesses wearing period attire. This is the only home
on the tour that does this. It creates a special atmosphere
that the Pilgrims really enjoy.
• No other private home on the tour has the extensive
collection of Barbour County and Eufaula family history
that you find in the Petry-Honan home. Terry’s family
settled in Barbour County in 1818, the year before Alabama
became a state, and in Irwinton (now known as Eufaula) in
1840.
It is a tradition for all of the Hosts and Hostesses at the
Petry-Honan house to wear period attire. Don’t worry! This
doesn’t mean that you have to go out and make a major
investment in period clothing. With a minimum of effort,
you can easily assemble an outfit from a combination of
items you have at home. See the attached information about
men’s and women’s pilgrimage attire. You can also access
this information online at the Honan website listed above.
In addition, Anmarie and Terry Honan have been assembling a
collection of ladies and mens clothes and accessories for
their Hosts and Hostesses to wear during their shifts. You
may call Anmarie, 687-2615, to arrange a time to look at
these items. They are reserved on a “first come-first
serve” basis, so call her now!
We are making a concerted effort to recruit more men to be
Hosts this year. There are currently twenty men working as
Hosts and we are looking for more. Please contact me if you
know of anyone that can work as a Host or Hostess.
As a special bonus, beginning at 5:01 PM immediately after
the pilgrimage ends, the Honans are having a “Thank
Goodness the Pilgrimage is Over!” wine and cheese party at
their home for all the Hosts and Hostesses and their spouse
or guest. This is a wonderful time to meet all the other
volunteers who have come together to make this Pilgrimage
the best one yet, and a way for the Honans to thank you for
all your hard work and dedication. Please contact me or the
Honans and let us know if you will be attending so that we
have a head count as to how many will be there.
Our goal is to make this an enjoyable experience for
everyone involved! Thanks again for volunteering to help.
Sincerely,
Connie Taylor
House Chairperson
DTaylor@eufaula.rr.com
334-616-7946