Please join the Rice County Historical Society for a Christmas Open House at the former home of Alexander and Mary Elizabeth Faribault, located at its original location in Faribault.  The historic home will be open to the public on Friday, December 1, 4-7 pm and Saturday December 2, 10 am-3 pm.

Admission is free and open to the public!

The house will be decorated with the French-Canadian holiday traditions of the Faribault family.  The family celebrated the holidays in this home in the early 1850s. A traditional and unusual apple wreath will be displayed on the front porch.  In the festively decorated parlor on the square Steinway piano, there will be a small decorated tree embellished with red ribbons and candles. A French Crèche, or nativity, will be displayed under the tree and include everyday people such as a baker, and a woodsman.

The dining room table will display a hand crocheted table cloth set for Christmas dinner with a candied apple centerpiece made with apples donated by Trumps Orchard.  Docents will give tours and answer questions about the home, as well as the life and times of the Faribault family.

We also invite you to visit the upstairs portion of the house, to see Mary Elizabeth’s sewing room and the bedrooms.  In the west end of the second floor is a museum with Faribault family artifacts as well as the Faribault Business exhibit. Many local businesses are featured in this exhibit including Nutting Truck and Castor, Brand Peony Farm, The Olympia, and Ochs.

Live music is scheduled for Friday and Saturday.