The annual Historic Four Corners Lantern Tour will be held Friday, Dec. 4 at 6 and 8 p.m. with reservations now available for the space limited event.
The annual event features tours of the four buildings that make the corners of Broad Street and Sycamore Avenue significant in history, and designated as a National and State Historic District.
Tour guides, dressed in colonial garb, will tell stories of historic Shrewsbury and the importance of the Four Corners in the growth of Monmouth County.
The tours include volunteer guides from each of the historic sites, including the Monmouth County Historical Association which will open the Allen House, a mid-18th century tavern built in 1710; Christ Church, built around 1769, the Presbyterian Church on Shrewsbury Avenue adjacent to Christ Church and built around 1735; and the Shrewsbury Friends Meeting House, built around 1816.
Tours will begin at Christ Church at 6 and 8 p.m. by reservation only. Reservations, either paid in advance or the night of the event, must be picked up at the Christ Church Parish House on Sycamore Avenue. Tours will begin at different locations to avoid overcrowding at any one building.
Each of the historic groups will present programs at their respective historic sites. At Christ Church, in addition to the tour, guests are invited to reserve for a Moravian Potpie Chicken dinner either before or after the lantern light tour for an additional $10 per person.
During the tour, a tavern keeper and his family from the mid-18th century, will greet visitors and tell stories about tavern life in the area at the Allen House. Built in the late 1600s, the Allen House served as a tavern, the Blue Bell, from 1754 through 1814, and was acquired by the Monmouth County Historical Association in 1968. In the past it has also served as a pharmacy, teahouse, antique store, medical facility and dry goods establishment. Live instrumental music and singing, cookies and cider served by volunteers in historic garb, will be included in the evening’s entertainment.
At the Meeting House, guides will take visitors through the historic building and speak about the Friends’ activities from the 1660s, through construction of the first building in 1672, and the current meetinghouse, the second on the site.
Christ Church, once a symbol of the British Crown, also served as a barracks for patriot militia during the Revolutionary War. Its library includes a Bible that dates to 1717. The bell tower, called Eli, was added in the mid- 18th century and still chimes every hour. Visitors on the tour will also have the opportunity to purchase items at the Christ Church Tour gift shop and several gift baskets will also be awarded.
The Presbyterian Church, located east of the Four Corners and adjacent to the Parish House of Christ Church, dates its history to 1685 when Scottish Presbyterians, who settled the area, worshipped in area homes. The church played an active role in the War for Independence.
Reservations for the lantern tours and the Moravian dinner are available by calling Elaine Feyereisen at 732-742-1227. Tickets are $20 per adult, and $8 for children 12 years of age and under.
