Come Enjoy The 39th
Rugby Village Pilgrimage
At Historic Rugby On The Cumberland Plateau
Saturday, September 1, 2007

A Once Every Two Years Chance to Visit Historic Rugby's Private Homes

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              Historic Rugby homeowners, museum staff and volunteers are throwing open the doors to 25 or more antique-filled buildings at Historic Rugby’s 39th Village Pilgrimage on Saturday, September 1, 2007.   Hours are 10:00 am to 6:00 pm EDT
  
           The Rugby Pilgrimage is the largest such tour in Tennessee and will include private historic homes, new historically designed homes, historic lodging facilities, five museum buildings, and the new Rugby Visitor Centre & Johnson Theatre.
  
               Executive director Barbara Stagg, author of the just published Arcadia image book, Historic Rugby, will sign the book at the Commissary Museum Store throughout the day.
  
  Parking is free, and a shuttle van will be available for those who need to limit their walking in the small village.
  
         Private historic homes open noon until 6:00 pm Eastern Time include:
• Wren’s Nest, which started life as a “hennery;” 
• The Lindens, named for the two giant trees planted there in 1882;
• Oak Lodge which once housed guests who could not find room at the Tabard Inn;
• Roslyn, the undisputed leader of ghostly happenings through the decades. 
• Ruralia,  just restored by its owner.
• Virgo House, newly restored by Historic Rugby.

Owners of new historically compatible homes in the historic Beacon Hill development will also welcome visitors noon until 6:00.  The Rugby tradition of house naming continues with Lizzie’s Place, Calla Lilly Cottage, Hawthorn House, Pippa's Song, Hester Knolle, Cumberland Cottage, Kongsvinger, Truro Cottage, and Treehaven open.   Information on several new Rugby lots for sale will be available.        
    
Open museum buildings from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm include the Schoolhouse with exhibits, Visitor Centre & Johnson Theatre showing the award-winning film, The Power Of A Dream; 1882 Thomas Hughes Library with its 7,000-volume collection of Victorian books and periodicals; 1884 Kingstone Lisle, the Gothic cottage built for Rugby’s founder; and the Rugby Printing Works with 19th century printing demonstrations.  The congregation of 1887 Christ Church Episcopal will also welcome Pilgrimage visitors to the historic chapel.   Pilgrimage goers may want to visit Laurel Dale Cemetery, where many of Rugby’s colonists are buried.                                                                

To ease summer warmth, cooling Summer Minted Lemonade will be available at several tour buildings and bottled water will also be available.  Musicians Tom Morgan and Lynn Haas will entertain with British and Appalachian ballads on the porch of the Visitor Centre.  
         
Historic Rugby’s unique lodging facilities will also open to visitors, including 1880 Newbury House B & B, replete with Victorian antiques.

Visitors can shop at the Commissary Museum Store for traditional crafts from over a hundred area artisans, British Isles food products and gifts, old-time Watkins products, a wide selection of books, prints and games, British teapots and much more. .   Several artisans will demonstrate traditional crafts at the Commissary, and Big South Fork National Park interpreter Sue Duncan and her bunnies will give spinning demonstrations.    The Spirit of Red Hill Art Shop will also be open in the historically reconstructed Board of Aid To Land Ownership.

The Harrow Road Cafe will be serving lunch & dinner specials, sandwiches, homemade desserts and drinks plus food and drink will be available on the grounds.

Admission for all open buildings and activities is $10.00 for adults, $4.00 K-12 students.   Groups of 12 or more are $8.00 when reserved in advance.   Members of Historic Rugby receive half-price admission.

Rugby was founded in 1880 by British author and social reformer Thomas Hughes.   Once the largest town in the region, its distinctive Victorian architecture and beautiful setting have been intriguing visitors for more than a century.  The first Historic Rugby Pilgrimage was held in 1965 to draw attention to the need to save and restore the Utopian community.   All Pilgrimage proceeds support continued restoration and preservation.

Historic Rugby is 70 miles northwest of Knoxville and 50 miles northeast of Cookeville on State Scenic Highway 52.  Lodging and camping facilities are available in the area.  Call toll-free 1-888-214-3400  for more information or to arrange group discount tickets;  email rugbylegacy@highland.net; website www.historicrugby.org.