The historic Dr. E.E. Smith House will be open for Christmas tours this week in what organizers hope will become an annual celebration, according to a city news release.

The home of Ezekiel Ezra Smith, located at 135 Blount St., will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, according to the release.
Visitors are invited to tour the 1902 house, which is decorated for the holidays.

Smith was an educator, minister, diplomat and soldier, according to the news release.
He was the third and longest-serving principal of the State Normal School, the forerunner of Fayetteville State University.

The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Admission to the tour is free.

“We are excited to announce the first annual Dr. E. E. Smith House Christmas,” Heidi Bleazey, historic properties coordinator with the Fayetteville History Museum, said in the news release. “We hope to see alumni, families and history enthusiasts pay a visit during this open house to see the home in traditional holiday decorations.”

For more information, contact the Fayetteville History Museum at 910-433-1457 or www.fcpr.us\historymuseum.