The owners of two historic homes and a downtown business will open their doors Sunday as part of the Vicksburg Foundation for Historic Preservation’s 25th Annual Fall Tour of Homes.

The tour is a way for the community to view older spaces that have been renovated, said foundation director Nancy Bell.

The family home Minor Ferris has lived in, off and on since 1953, is one he says conjures curiosity. The Ferris Home, called Buena Vista, is the home his grandparents, Dr. George and Lois Street, built on Fort Hill Drive in 1940. After the death of his grandmother, Ferris’ parents, Dr. Lucian and Lois Ferris, moved their family to the Neoclassical home that sits on the cusp of the Vicksburg National Military Park and overlooks the Mississippi River and Yazoo Diversion Canal.

The brick, columned home is also where Minor Ferris, 5 at the time, greeted his brother, Mac Ferris, when he was brought home as a newborn in a basket, he remembers. The home hasn’t changed much since Minor, Mac and sister, Kim Ferris, swung from the branches of the magnolia tree that has fronted the property since the house was built.

“It’s the same as it’s always been,” Minor Ferris said. “The furniture has been here since we were children.”

Wooden beams on the ceilings and colored bathroom tile show how intact the four-bedroom home is. A room that sports only a chair and a phone — referred to as the telephone booth — and a master bedroom with two twin size beds — where Ferris’ grandparents and, then, parents slept — is a sign of the times.

The house, designed by architect Raymond Birchett, sits atop a hill that seems to welcome visitors to the national park, though the land is private. Its location is part of the reason Ferris was interested in having the home on the one-day tour.

“People see the house when they’re on tour seeing the park, and they are just curious about it,” he said.

Bell said the home hasn’t been on the tour in about 20 years, but it continues to be one in which the public has interest.

“There’s been a lot of interest, because it looks like it’s sitting in the park,” she said. “It looks antebellum, but it’s not — it’s just classical. A lot of it is workmanship. It’s a good design. And, it’s held up through time.”

The second home on the tour is one that continues to surprise owners Donna and Steve Saunders, who purchased the 104-year-old Cherry Street landmark a couple of years ago.

“We just learned that the architect was Theodore Link, who was the architect of the state capital and designed (Louisiana State University) and the dining hall at (Mississippi State University),” Donna Saunders said. “Because he’s well-known, there are papers (about his work) in libraries.”

The Saunders plan to make a trip to St. Louis before Christmas to view some of those papers.

“We feel it’s really so well-designed, we’d like to see other houses (he built),” she said.

When the couple moved into the Neoclassical-Revival home, it had been completely renovated by Mayor Laurence Leyens, who bought the property from the Levy family. Before then, the home had been in the Levy family since it was constructed in 1903 by Sol Blum, who was building it for his wife, Theresa Levy Blum. But he died before its completion. The house, then, passed through the Levy family.

While the home had never been on tour before the Saunders purchased it, the couple loves sharing its history. In addition to having an open house last spring as part of a benefit for the Baddour Center, they opened the house again in March to surviving members of the Levy family. The family gathered in the home while the owners were away during spring break, Donna Saunders said.

“None of the family lives in Vicksburg, but they wanted to get together,” she said. “A 60-year-old grandson slid down the (three-level staircase bannister). He came all the way down — just like he did when he was a kid.”

Bell said the home has peaked a lot of interest around town over its 100-plus-year history.

“It is a wonderful, wonderful house,” she said.

With a growing number of grandchildren, the Saunders have plenty of child-friendly space on the second and third floors. In addition to themed bedrooms for each grandchild, the house has rooms that serve as ideal spaces for tea parties, TV-watching and even a take-off in the room that is designed like a spaceship.

The first level of the home has intricate design elements, such as fleur de lis and stained-glass windows, which are original to the house. The original electrical box and lighting fixtures are displayed in the home, as well as an elevator, some furniture that is original to the home and interior columns that mirror the larger columns that front the house. Saunders hopes a peek at their place will encourage others to live in older homes.

“I think it was interesting to us when we were looking for an old home to look at other old homes,” she said. “There are so many beautiful homes here. We hope we could inspire someone to get an old house and fix it up. Laurence did the restoration, and he did a remarkable job.”

Inspiring others to live in older homes has been the mission of the annual foundation-sponsored event, Bell said.

“It’s been a tremendous success. Every year we try to have different homes. We try to show people, with an old home, you’re getting a quality you can’t get in a new home and a history you can’t get in a new home,” Bell said. “We’ve had people say, ‘Maybe I can live in an old home.'”

Historic properties around Vicksburg are not always buildings people call home.

The Ware House, four historic downtown buildings at 1412 Washington St., will be on tour to showcase what can be done with older commercial buildings, Bell said.

“We’re very excited about the progress (owner) Robert Ware has had taking that many buildings (and renovating them),” she said. “We hope it will be a draw for Vicksburg.”

Participants will be able to view rooms that are part of the property’s luxury hotel, as well as the upscale lounge. The block of buildings date to the late 1800s and have served as various retail stores.

If you go

The Vicksburg Foundation for Historic Preservation’s Annual Fall Tour of Homes will be from 1:30 until 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Buildings on the tour are 1420 Cherry St., the home of Donna and Steve Saunders; The Ferris Home at 851 Fort Hill Drive; and The Ware House and Lobby at 1412 Washington St. Tickets are $15 and may be purchased at 1420 Cherry St. and 851 Fort Hill Drive. For information, call 601-636-5010.