By EDWARD HUSAR

Herald-Whig Staff Writer

Many museums, notable buildings and historic sites in Quincy and Adams County will get a chance to shine Saturday during the second annual "Open House of Historic Properties."

The event is coordinated by the Quincy Preservation Commission as part of Preservation Month activities taking place during May.

Janet Conover, chairman of the commission, said local organizations have been planning for the open house weekend since last fall. She said the event will be a good opportunity for the public to visit some historic treasures not just in Quincy but in nearby Adams County communities as well.

"We have some wonderful historic properties out in the county," she said.

Eighteen sites will be open for visitors as part of a joint effort to celebrate preservation, history and the restoration of historic properties.

Not all of the historic sites are indoors. For example, Conover noted that Woodland Cemetery, the log cabin village on Quinsippi Island and Indian Mounds Park, which she describes as an "outdoor museum," will all be available for tours.

Conover said the first series of open houses last year was a hit with the public, so several more organizations jumped on the band wagon this year and agreed to participate.

She said the event is a good way for the public to learn about local attractions while gaining a better appreciation for the preservation efforts that have gone into safeguarding the region's history, attractions and architecture.

"People always find it interesting to go through historic properties," she said. "You can't go through the John Wood Mansion or the Quincy Museum, or any of these other properties, and not come away learning things. You get inside the buildings and you see wonderful architectural details."

Admission to most of the sites will be free. Most of the organizations that normally charge for admission agreed to waive their fees for the day, but some groups couldn't, Conover noted.

"A lot of these organizations really run on a shoestring budget, and when you're maintaining a building and grounds, it's very expensive. So some of them said they really have to" charge their usual fee, she said.

Printed handouts listing details about the participating sites will be available at each location Saturday.

Conover said the Preservation Commission also reached out to the cities of Hannibal, Mo., and Nauvoo to make the open house weekend more of a regional event. She said residents from Hannibal and Nauvoo are being invited to visit Adams County's attractions this coming weekend, while Adams County residents will be invited to visit historic properties in Nauvoo May 24-25 and in Hannibal May 31.

One goal is to show local residents that many attractions are available in the region so they don't need to travel long distances to have fun or see something interesting.

"With the price of gas, this is going to become more important," Conover said. "There is so much we can do right here."

-- ehusar@whig.com/221-3378