This is the sixth in a series featuring Vicksburg’s Holiday Tour of historic homes. The history of the homes is provided by executive director of the Vicksburg Foundation for Historic Preservation Nancy Bell.

Twelve homes will be on display for the public during O’ Christmas Tree, an inaugural event, sponsored by Vicksburg Main Street and the Vicksburg Heritage Guild, as a fundraiser for the Vicksburg Main Street Façade Program. Homes will be open from 1 to 3 p.m. Dec. 2, 3, 9 and 10. Tickets are $20 or $25 with a Vicksburg Trolley pass and are available at the Vicksburg Main Street office, Walnut Hills Restaurant, 1214 Adams St., or online at tickettailor.com/events/ochristmastree.

2308 Drummond St. (Sunday, Dec. 10)

This beautiful home is a Free Classic Queen Anne residence, built in 1901 by Mary Searles on land she purchased for $2,250. The house’s Victorian ornamentation includes tall hip roofs with cross gables, towers and turrets. Its more classical details include a Palladian window in the gable. Mrs. Searles sold the house in 1910 to Robert and Mattie Dent, who had moved to the city from Gulfport. In 1938, the home was sold to Bertha Rotstein.

2506 Cherry St. (Sunday, Dec. 10)

This house was built c.1886, most likely by Horace and Elizabeth Marshall, in the Queen Anne style.  Marshall was a civil engineer who was at one time in charge of the Yazoo Diversion Canal project.  He was also a mayor of Speed’s Addition.  He sold the house to H. F. and Elizabeth Garbish in December 1904.  Garbish was a levee contractor, a brick manufacturer, and he moved a lot of dirt and built roads and retaining walls.  Sometime between 1908 and 1913 the porch was changed to a wrap-around porch and then sometime between 1914 and 1925, the Neoclassical porch was added.  The Garbish family lived in the house until Horace died in 1933 and then Marshall and Emma Bush lived in the house.  Bush was a draftsman with the Mississippi River Commission and Emma was a secretary at All Saints School. In the 1950s and1960s is was the home of Thomas Forrest and then Felice Dye called the house, home.