This year has been a big year for Selma with so many anniversaries being celebrated. That trend was no different for the 2015 Pilgrimage, as the tour celebrated its 40th anniversary.

The tour included some homes and churches that have never been shown during the annual event.

One home, the Jordan Home, was among the never before shown buildings that opened its doors for the tour.

The owners of the home, Robert and Catherine Gordon, invited the public in to take a step back in time and get an up close look at the Victorian-Italianate style house and the many treasures that lie within.

According to Catherine, Robert is a talented artist and had a gift at restoring antiques. And the house is full of antiques.

“There’s not many people like [Robert]. He’s most unique,” Catherine said. “It’s just hard to find somebody these days that can restore all this stuff. He’s really talented.”

Stepping foot into the Jordan home is truly like stepping into the 19th century, and Catherine said that’s just how she likes it.

“My hope is that the house will always be furnished and decorated and restored and styled to the period and to the 19th century,” Catherine said. “That’s very important to me because I think the people who built the house were very intelligent and they don’t need any help from modern day architects or decorators. I think the homage needs to be paid to the original idea for the house.”

Catherine said she enjoys having a house large enough to host a lot of people and to have her yoga studio.

“I love having people over. It’s so much fun. It’s really nice to have a house that you can invite a ton of people over to. It’s just so nice to have a beautiful place to do all kinds of different things,” Catherine said.

“I really like that it’s a great place to have people over because of the beautiful architecture, and so when I have friends here I hope that they take home just [an] experience of hospitality and that they had a great time and that they saw some interesting things that they wont see anywhere else.”

Catherine said she is hopeful that the neighborhood where the house is located will remain in good condition so her home and the others around it will continue to stand and remain in the hands of people who want to honor them.

“It’s such a nice environment to be in all the time because it’s so beautiful,” Catherine said. “It’s just beautiful to look at.”

Although living in a big, older home has its perks, there can also be a downside.

“I think about how much cleaning there is to do,” Catherine said laughing. “There’s a lot of cleaning and dusting that goes on in an older house.”

Catherine said there are so many aspects of the home that she loves, but she particularly enjoys the architecture and openness of the layout.

“I like the tall ceilings and the open space. It’s just such a beautiful house to be in,” Catherine said. “You just feel good being inside the house because it’s so well styled and well constructed.”