From December 3-5 the public had the rare opportunity to see the interior of one of Woosters most historic century homes as the Friends and Neighbors of Every Womans House hosted its bi-annual Holiday House in the historic Dix House on Northwestern Avenue in Wooster.
According to a history of the house prepared by Friends and Neighbors of Every Womans House board member Ann Gasbarre the house, which was the home to four generations of the Dix family, has a long and storied history.
The house was purchased by Albert Dix and his son Emmett G. Dix and his wife Edna when Albert and Emmett Dix purchased the Wayne County Republican Newspaper and moved to Wooster from Hamilton, Ohio in 1898.
In Gasbarres history of the home she notes that Edna and Emmett Dixs five sons – Albert, Gordon, Harlan, Raymond and Robert – were all raised in the home. When Emmett Dix passed away in 1953, Raymond Dix, his wife Carol and their three children – Edna, Vic and Ellen – moved into the house.
Following the death of Raymond and Carol Dix, the family sold the home to the YMCA with the intention of it becoming the site of a Montessori school. When those plans fell through, the YMCA sold the home to its current owners, Clemens and Helga Halene.
Throughout the over 100 years the home was in the Dix family, many notable national and international figures have stayed in the home including First Lady Lou Hoover, Ohio Governor Dick Celeste and former League of Nations President C. J. Hambro.
It was stories like these that hostesses stationed in each of the homes 13 rooms shared with Holiday House visitors.
According to Holiday House co-chair Rosalie Green the estimated 1200 guests that made their way through the home during this years Holiday House were treated to over a dozen rooms decked out for the holidays by 19 of the areas leading designers and businesses.
Visitors to Holiday House also had the opportunity to purchase tickets for the raffle of a rare artisan afghan donated by Calla Lily owner Donna Ning.
The proceeds from Holiday House and the afghan raffle will be used to support the work of the Friends and Neighbors of Every Womans House, an organization that provides financial assistance to Every Womans House as they promote the healing of individuals and families who experience domestic violence or sexual assault.
The Friends and Neighbors of Every Womans House has its origins in the first Holiday House.
According to information provided by the Holiday House team, the organization has its origins in the spring of 1988 when twelve members of the community undertook fundraising efforts on behalf of Every Womans House.
The groups first fundraising effort was scheduled to be a holiday tea at Overholt House. When the homes owner invited the group to decorate the entire house rather than just the dining room, area businesses quickly volunteered to become involved in the effort that became known as Holiday House.
When Holiday House grew into a major event beyond the ability of the original group to handle others were invited to join the effort. This larger group is the group we know today as the Friends and Neighbors of Every Womans House.
According to Green, since 1998 the group has raised nearly $500,000 to support Every Womans House through such fundraising efforts as Holiday House, an annual golf outing and a bi-annual Garden Tour, which is scheduled for the summer of 2011.
For more information on the work of the Friends and Neighbors of Every Womans House visit the organizations web site at www.friendsandneighborsewh.webs.com.
