Visitors to the Glenn House on Saturday got to see more than the holiday decorations. They got to see the the improvements that have been made with $31,000 from the city of Cape Girardeau.

Bill Port, who oversaw the work at 325 S. Spanish St., said the biggest project was the front porch. Rotting wood has been replaced, and railings have been refinished.

A retaining wall on either side of the center walkway up to the house has been tuckpointed and painted. Topping the wall, a wrought iron fence has received a fresh coat of paint; behind the retaining wall, clay drain tiles andthe pipe that directs water away from the wall were replaced. Chimneys were tuckpointed and chimney caps were added. Balconies on either side of the house received roofing improvements and railings.

Inside the Glenn House, seven Christmas trees are decorated with ornaments that keep with traditions of a century ago. Details on the trees adhere to the use of found objects from nature and handmade decorations, true to the time period. Greenery inside the house is artificial but placed as it would have been back then -- on bedposts, mirror frames, and so on.

The five decorating committee members, led by Carolyn Webb, relied on information from journals that documented how the Glenn House was decorated for the holidays, with attention to the already existing room themes.

Bonnie Chaudoir, a rookie to the decorating committee, said that organization, planning and the great response from businesses and florists who contributed displays and supplies made the work rewarding and fun. Chaudoir conducts tours for the Convention and Visitors Bureau and usually turns visitors over the docents at the Glenn House. She wanted to make the visitors' experiences at the Glenn House as wonderful as her first Christmas visit back in 1972, when she first moved here from New Orleans.

"Once you've lived here for a while, you take what this town has to offer for granted," Chaudoir said. "We want to encourage visitors to the Glenn House and promote membership."

The committee's aim was to spark visitors' interest enough that they'll return next year to see what shape the decorations take.

Plans for Christmas tours next year may include candlelight tours.

The Glenn House is open for Christmas tours Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 from 1 to 4 p.m. It is also open on weekends from May to October. Call 335-8533 for special tours.

cpagano@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 133