McPherson Town will open a series of historic homes Nov. 28 & 29  

McPherson Town will open a series of historic homes to the public as part of its Holiday Home Tour, a two-day event highlighting one of Dayton’s oldest neighborhoods. Tours are scheduled for Friday, Nov. 28, and Saturday, Nov. 29, with guided groups departing at regular intervals throughout each afternoon and evening. 

The tour features seven homes, each selected to represent the architectural character of the neighborhood. McPherson Town, founded in 1845, includes a mix of Victorian, Queen Anne and early 20th-century houses. Organizers say the annual tour is intended to give visitors a closer look at the area’s historic streetscape and ongoing preservation efforts. 

Attendees begin on West Riverview Avenue before joining a guide for a walking tour through the neighborhood. Tours include about 20 people and leave every 12 minutes.  

One stop on the route includes a “dessert house,” offering drinks and snacks to participants. While the tour is primarily accessible, organizers note that several homes include interior staircases. 

The Holiday Home Tour is one of several events that mark the start of Dayton’s holiday season. For McPherson Town, it also serves as an opportunity to highlight decades of rehabilitation work. McPherson Town has undergone a revival of sorts since the 1970s, when urban renewal plans threatened much of the neighborhood’s historic housing. Local residents organized to restore many of the 19th-century homes, leading to the area’s designation as a historic district in 1977. Today, more than 90 percent of McPherson Town’s 95 structures have been rehabilitated.  

For more information, visit the neighborhood’s website.