Seasonal festivities were in full swing at the Eudora Welty House and Garden Friday, December 4, from 4:30 until 8:30 p.m., as one the sites on the Mississippi Department of Archives and History’s Old Jackson Christmas by Candlelight Tours.

The first floor of the historic Welty House was open for tours with displays of holiday decorations, family photographs, and Christmas cards sent to Miss Welty from her fellow Southern Writers. Cards from Katherine Anne Porter, Reynolds Price, Elizabeth Spencer, Fannie Flagg, and others were featured.

Treats of hot apple cider, fruit cake cookies, and mini-onion tarts were served at the Welty Education and Visitors Center. The tarts were made from Katherine Anne Porter’s recipe for onion pie (click for recipe!), and Eudora loved to serve them during the holidays. Barry Leach provided musical entertainment.

The Mississippi Governor’s Mansion, Old Capitol Museum, Manship House Museum, and the William F. Winter Archives and History Building also hosted visitors. Free transportation was available to take guests from site to site, with parking available at the Old Capitol and the Mississippi Fairgrounds at the Jefferson Street entrance.

This post is from the News archive.