Georgian Gem

DENNIS TWP. - Jane Smith Dixon has welcomed thousands of absolute strangers to her ' home at 36 Main Street. Dennisviile, and last Saturday hundreds more visited what is perhaps the most widely known Colonial period home in all of Cape May-County ThaiYpeeause the Nathaniel Holme;/ (one of the early owners) House is one of the star attractions on the annual Old House Tour, sponsored again last weekend for the 33rd time by the county Art League It's also been a showpftce on other historical tours. In fact, it.isn't unusual for people to come by tHc busload to this truly picturesque village to marvel firsthand at the sight and the feel of this magnificent

Georgian-style home. ONE TRULY STEPS back into history upon crossing the threshold of this 2'i. story architectural and historical gem. Constructed of native cedar on stone and brick foundation, the . seven-room structure, like most homes its age, includes an original, smaller section and a larger addition built later. In this case the original building and addition dates" were 1750 and 1822. While there are several homes dating to the 1700s still standing on the Jersey Cape, probably none has as much of the original materials and hardware still in existence; and as much meticulous historical documentation as this structure. VISITORS TO THE Dixon

home over the years have been able to see and feel the original workmanship that went into fireplace mantels (of which there are three), wide plank floorboards, panelling and hardware. And the collection of antique furnishings, paintings, stoneware and pewter make for an unforgctable ambiance whether the visitor's interest is history or interior decorating, Mrs. Dixon, who has lived in old homes since childhood, sums up the atmosphere of her Dennisville existence by noting that the "home I’m living in now is a homey home — a home you just wouldn’t want to leave —'in a friendly village.” BORN AND RAISED in Cape May, where her home in the gaslight district was Victorian, she married the late Raymond Dixon of Dennisville in I960. Her father, Ernest Sfnith, lives with her now. In his 8<is, the lively . Mr. Smith has.called Philadelphia, Cape May, Wildwood and St. Petersburg, Fla., home over the years, but is happy to be in Dennisville now. ' The day County Magazine visited the Dixon home, Jane's son, John Keller, was helping his mother scrap and paint portions of the exterior, sprucing up the beaded siding in preparation for the weekend's Old'House Tour.

Seeing the natural cedar beneath the white paint provided a glimpse of what the house may have looked like two centuries ago after builder William Armstrong and a bevy of ships chandlers were finished their work. MRS. DIXON KNOWS a great deal about her home, in part because she and her last husband (who purchased it for $10,000 in 1958) shared an interest in history; and in part because her interest is also her work. Jane Smith Dixon is a

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J.C. LANE TRIO Featuring ^ Jim Wood ft Lorlo‘Cotar NOW APPEARING

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For A Tasty Sandwich Or Snack Our Chef Bill LamOn Is A* Your Servicd

Beverage Store Open Daily

RESORTS/ATLANTIC CITY ~ $10 „ Round Trip Transportation + $5 Quarters +$2 Food/tfeverage Ticket WEEKDAYS r: LEAVE THIS ^ ^ Approximately 5'/r Hrs. AREA: 6:30 P.M....» /........ Stay Approximately 5 Hrs. FREE PARKINO: IN WILDWOOD: Jones Boys —Opposite Burger King, Susquehanna & Hand A v eIN WILDWOOD CREST: End of Atlantic Ave. Across From Holiday Inn & Diamond Beach r - PHONE FOR RESERVATIONS 884-5611 •With rMervatlon. you must bo at bus stop 1 / 2 hr. baforo doparturo tlmo. Sooting than opon to non-rosorvatlona. ' / •Sub|oct to chongo or cancellation.

JAM SESSIONS DAILY

YOUNG IDEAS

TUES. thru SAT. nltes SAT. & SUN. afternoons

ANOTHER STAR

MON. thro FRI. afternoons SUN. & MON. nltes

"^^CP^SEAN FLEMINB Wad. thru Sun. nltas

O' 1

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iron »y and sa r "wr to home— 11 vttroMf ■> f avoa in mutindim

SUPER LUNCHES SERVED

DINNERS NIGHTLY 5 pm - 9 pm

THE .*• COALMAN > RESTAURANT

884-8463 Serving Breakfast • Lunch Dinner & Cocktails 8a.m. to9p.m. Overlooking the Beautiful Atlantic Ocean Specializing in Home Cooking and Fresh Seafood * Your Ho*t» Tho Julius Hober Fomily

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884-0220 N

OPEN DAILY FROM 11 A.M. •Luncheon Specialties Served daily til closing •Ice Cold Frosted Mugs

•Outside Patio

Music by FANTASIA

tealurlng SUZANNE CLOUD, tor youi>

^jitffaning and Dancing pleature/ j

71

“The Best on the Beach Front’-f^ TheCpachman s Motor Inn 2(i5I?^ch Dr., Cape May, N.J.

« JULY 15 1981