Landmark Tour to take step back in history

Daily Sun staff

Take a step back into history and get an inside look at historic downtown Beatrice on Sunday with the annual Landmark Tour.

Gage County Heritage Preservation and Main Street Beatrice is sponsoring the Mother’s Day Lunch and Landmark Tour on Sunday as part of National Historic Preservation Month.

The tour, led by Laureen Riedesel, a local historian and Beatrice Public Library director, will begin at Fifth and Court streets outside Clabaugh Pharmacy at 1 p.m. For those who aren’t able to make it at 1 p.m., the tour will pass that location several times and people can join the tour anytime between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

The tour will give people an inside look at several buildings, including ones built in the 1880s and early 20th century, and will provide information about the buildings’ history and renovations, Riedesel said.

The tour will look at several different renovations, some completed in the 1930s, 1960s and early 21st century, at several buildings.

People embarking on the tour should find some great surprises, she said. She indicated many of the buildings reveal examples of great and interesting craftsmanship many of early builders possessed.

For example, one building, built 100 years ago and remodeled in the 1960s, has some interesting woodwork and demonstrates how early architects used natural light.

The tour will also spot pictures of downtown historic buildings drawn by Beatrice school and preschool age children.

The historic tour began about eight years ago, Riedesel said. The original tour began as a way to highlight the many historic churches in the downtown area.

“It started out being a church tour,” she said. “Then it expanded into other historic buildings.”

The tour is a part of the National Preservation Month. The month is dedicated to helping celebrate the role of history in communities, as well as emphasizing historic preservation and maintaining a sense of pride and character in neighborhood revitalization.

The tour is open to anyone.