Kiwanis Benefit at the Bartlett-Yancey House
Christmas 2004

YANCEYVILLE, N.C. - The Bartlett Yancey House exuded elegance mixed with small-town congeniality as Mike and Lucindy Willis hosted their first Victorian Christmas gala Friday, a benefit for the Kiwanis Club of Caswell County.

“It’s lovely,” Cathy Long said. “It’s a throwback to times past with the house and the music and the decoration.”

The Oakwood Waits, a Raleigh choral group decked out in Victorian garb, performed a cappella carols while 120 guests feasted on prime rib, shrimp, oyster rolls, cheese and fancy desserts and sipped wine and champagne.

“I can’t believe it!” Rebecca Dellinger said. “When I walked in here, I got drawn to each room. I feel like I’m in a storybook.”

Funds raised by ticket sales for the Victorian Christmas will go into the Kiwanis Club’s general fund to support endeavors such as Headstart, Migrant Headstart and Caswell Friends of Gunn Memorial Library, Mike Willis said.

Willis showed off the beautifully restored home, which was built by Bartlett Yancey in the Federal style between 1807 and 1815. Yancey’s daughter added a two-story Greek Revival front to the house in 1855, he said, and Victorian porches were added to the front at the turn of the 19th century.

Eight fireplaces grace the house, the walls of which are painted soft hues of purple and yellow. The exterior is Knoxville gray. An ornate stairway in the entrance hall was built by Thomas Day, Willis said.

Old friends, dressed to the nines, greeted one another with unpretentious affection as they mingled throughout the various rooms.

“I’m tickled pink that we had such a good turnout,” said Ashley Burr, the Willis’ daughter. “I think we need something like this in the county every year - to dress up and party without leaving the county.”

Kiwanis vice president Cindi Millay agreed. “This is home. These are our hometown people,” she said as she pointed around a candlelit room. “We have had more support for this than we have had for any other event this year."

Bartlett Yancey High School students parked cars, greeted guests, checked coats and replenished hors d’oeuvres as a community service project.

Bartlett Yancey High School students parked cars, greeted guests, checked coats and replenished hors d’oeuvres as a community service project.

“Very impressive,” said Jeff Earp of the event. “It’s nice to see this place brought back to its glory days.”

This is the first event Mike & Lucindy Willis have had at the Bartlett Yancey House, which he plans to open as a restaurant by November 2005. They hope to break ground on a retirement home development on the surrounding property in Summer 2006.

By LAUREN CHESNUT
Register & Bee staff writer
Saturday, December 18, 2004