With the Christmas season underway and children line up to give Santa their Christmas wishes, it is a great time to remember the Santa Houses in Milford from years gone by. Around 1939, Al Humes, owner of Humes Hardware, built a small house that was designed specifically for Santa in downtown Milford. The house was known as the “Storybook House” and resembled a gingerbread house. It was set up on the Plaza, in front of where the City of Milford Customer Service Office and the Jesus Love Temple now stands. The home was surrounded by a fence and there were evergreens, a sleigh and a sign depicting when Santa was taking requests. It is unclear when this Santa house was removed.
For many years, this home was located behind Gooden’s Flower Shop on North Walnut Street. Recently, the building was sold to a private citizen who moved it to their property.
In 1984 or 1985, John Eustis, who was President of the Milford Plaza Merchants Association, decided that the Plaza needed a Santa house. He is unsure whether the association purchased a shed or whether the shelter was built by members, but it was placed in a vacant area between where Ames and Leggett’s were located at the time. Today, the Ames Department Store has been divided into several different stores.
“I hired a Santa, Bill Dillinger, who was awesome with the kids,” Eustis said. “We had entertainment when he was there. We had the Milford High School Jazz Band perform, other local groups who sang Christmas Carols.”
Eustis said that the Santa House at the Plaza ended when Mr. Dillinger passed away suddenly. Not long after that, Mr. Eustis said he believes the downtown merchants took over the Santa House project, moving it to Walnut Street.
With changes to the shopping center, the Santa House was removed for several years. In 1995, Downtown Milford, Inc., which was originally known as the Downtown Revitalization Committee, decided to revive the tradition. A shed was purchased and decorated to house Santa.
Today, the Santa House is located on Walnut Street with Santa arriving on the Saturday after Thanksgiving on a Carlisle Fire Company truck. He will be in the house on weekends accepting wishes from children and adults until the weekend before Christmas.
