Dr. E.J. Arnold built his house in 1845, and it has moved twice since then. The Simonton family, his descendants, kept it until 1976 and then donated it to the Montgomery Historical Society. The next year it was moved to a lot on Rankin Street, where it briefly served as Montgomery City Hall. It was moved again to Fernland Historical Park, where it now operates as a museum. On Saturday, December 12, the Arnold-Simonton House will be open along with every other home at Fernland, as part of the 49th Annual Candlelight Home Tour.
That house sums up Montgomery's holiday season. A good part of the historic downtown you walk through in December was brought here, restored and kept up by volunteers. The best-known events of the season raise money to keep it going. Here is the calendar for this year, and the story behind the buildings at the center of it.
The buildings came to Montgomery
The City of Montgomery describes Fernland Historical Park as one of its four city parks, set aside for early Texas frontier architecture. Carroll Tharp, a trained preservation architect, and his wife Mae found, restored and relocated several of the buildings that stand there now. They brought them in from all over East Texas:
- Crane Cabin. Nickolas Crane built it in Angelina County in 1867. The Tharps moved it to Montgomery County and restored it in 1974.
- Jardine cabin. James Jardine, an Irish immigrant who came to Texas in 1826, built this cabin. It was moved from Walker County to Montgomery County in 1976.
- Hulon House. A Greek Revival frame plantation house from the Civil War era, first built in Danville.
- Arnold-Simonton House. Built in 1845. It was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1964 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 11, 1979.
The grounds also hold a Metalsmith's Shop, the Magnolia Room and a bell tower with the original China Chapel bell. The Tharps donated buildings to Sam Houston State University in 1991. The park itself was set up in 2010 through a partnership of Fernland, Inc., the City and SHSU. The City took over management in 2013. Fernland, Inc., a volunteer nonprofit park board, still helps with preservation alongside the university.
So when the luminarias go up in December, many of the buildings along the route are restored pioneer structures that a group of preservationists decided were worth saving, and Montgomery took them in.
The season builds toward one Saturday
Nearly every date on the City's fall and winter calendar leads up to December 12. Trick-or-treat is Saturday, October 31, and from then on there is something downtown almost every few weeks:
| Date | Event | Time | Presented by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Trick or Treat, Downtown Business District | 2–6 p.m. | City of Montgomery |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Lone Star 1st Saturday Market | 9 a.m.–3 p.m. | Slice of Amish |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Lone Star Street Dance | 6:30–10 p.m. | City of Montgomery |
| Thu., Nov. 19 | Sip N Stroll | 4–7 p.m. | Rustic Cashmere |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Lone Star 1st Saturday Market | 9 a.m.–3 p.m. | Slice of Amish |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Light Up The Park | 6–8 p.m. | City of Montgomery |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Lone Star Christmas Parade, Historic Downtown Montgomery | 10 a.m.–noon | City of Montgomery |
| Thu., Dec. 17 | Sip N Stroll | 4–7 p.m. | Rustic Cashmere |
The City's calendar lists most of these only as Montgomery, TX 77316, with no street address. Check each event page for venue updates as the date gets closer. Rustic Cashmere's two Sip N Stroll evenings are a natural way into the old buildings. In 2024, Montgomery County News reported that the shop was operating in the Old Post Office & Drug Store, which was also a stop on that year's Candlelight Tour.
December 12, hour by hour
The Montgomery Historical Society calls this year's daylong program "Lone Star Christmas." It runs from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the City's parade fits into the morning. If you want to do all of it, the day goes in this order:
- 9 a.m. The Holiday Marketplace Arts & Crafts Sale opens on the grounds around the Old Community Center at 14420 Liberty Street. Vendors sell handmade gifts, holiday décor and home accents until 5 p.m.
- 10 a.m. The Lone Star Christmas Parade comes through Historic Downtown Montgomery and runs until noon.
- 11 a.m. The 36th Annual Cookie Walk opens inside the Old Community Center, at Liberty and College Street. Decorated cookies and candies cost $10 a pound. The walk runs until 4 p.m. or until everything sells out.
- 4 p.m. The 49th Annual Candlelight Home Tour starts and runs until 7 p.m., with luminarias marking the path between stops.
Tour tickets cost $15 for adults and $5 for students. Children 4 and under get in free. You can buy them online at mhs-tx.org or in person at the N.H. Davis Museum, 14264 Liberty Street, according to the Woodlands Online event listing. The Society describes it as a walking tour. In 2024, Montgomery County News reported that ticket holders got a map and a wristband for entry.
The Montgomery Monarchs Chapter of the National Charity League spends several days decorating, staging and preparing the Cookie Walk. If you want a good selection, come early. The Society's own wording is that the walk ends when the cookies and candies run out.
What the route has included before
The Society has not published this year's full list of stops yet. The one confirmed for 2026 is that every home at Fernland Historical Park will be open. Past tours give a sense of how far the walk goes. Montgomery County News listed these stops for the 2023 tour:
- Old Baptist Church
- Magnolia House
- Chilton House
- First State Bank
- Parsonage
- Oaks
- Arnold-Simonton House
- Addison-Gandy House
- Living Savior Lutheran Church
- Caroline House
The same outlet described the 2024 route as the Society's historic buildings, the Living Savior Lutheran Church chapel, the Old Post Office & Drug Store, and up to six private homes. For 2026, the Society describes the walk as historic churches, treasured homes and landmarks. Each stop is decorated for the holidays and honors the families, craftsmen and community leaders who built and cared for the building.
Private homes take a lot of goodwill. Each year a few owners in town open their front doors to strangers carrying luminaria maps. That generosity is a big part of why the tour has run for close to half a century.
Where the ticket money goes
The Woodlands Online listing calls the Cookie Walk and the Candlelight Home Tour signature fundraisers for the Montgomery Historical Society. The money helps maintain the Society's historic buildings and pays for scholarships for seniors at Montgomery's two high schools. A $15 tour ticket and a box of cookies sold by the pound help pay to keep the town's oldest buildings in good repair.
It works the same way at Fernland. The City says the park is free, and docents lead tours of the buildings. Donations and volunteers come through Fernland, Inc., reachable at 936-597-7764. The Tharps moved the buildings here decades ago. Keeping them up is still the job of nonprofits, the City and a lot of volunteers.
Going back after the luminarias are packed away
The candlelight tour gives you three hours in the dark with a crowd. If you want a closer look at the Crane Cabin's logs or the Arnold-Simonton House rooms, come back on an ordinary weekday. Fernland Historical Park is at 770 Clepper Drive. According to the City, a docent is on duty Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. The park is closed Mondays and during bad weather. Groups can schedule a visit by calling the park office at 936-597-7764. Anyone planning a photo session on the grounds needs a permit from the City, available at 936-597-3211. Hours can change, so check the City's facility page before you go.
For a sit-down dinner on the way home, New Bridge Fusion Steakhouse opened October 9 at 759 Pine Market Ave. in Montgomery. Community Impact reports a menu of steaks, seafood, burgers and more.
At The Marlowe Group, we have long been drawn to houses with a provenance, and Fernland is full of them: an 1845 house that has moved twice, and an 1867 cabin carried in from Angelina County. If you own a historic home in Montgomery, or are thinking about opening one for a future tour, we would be glad to talk through its story with you. Connect with Nicole.