Experience Christmas Past at the 2012 Holiday Historic House Tour

Once again the Marion County Historic Society is sponsoring the 2012 Holiday Historic House Tour on Saturday, November 24 from 10 am to 3 pm. This self-guided tour includes nine historic properties and has been an area favorite for many years.

Want to know more about the tour? Here’s a look at the history of the homes you can see, provided by the owners.

Located at 210 Adams Street, Fairmont, the former sheriff’s home now serves as the Marion County Museum.

Construction on the Sheriffs’ home and connecting county jail was started on October 22, 1909 and completed on March 12, 1912. Calvin D. Conaway and family became the first residents on January 1, 1913. The design of the structure is unique in that the Sheriff could go to the jail and court house without ever going outside. All three structures had a common utilities connection.  The residency became the Marion County Museum in 1986. The Sheriff’s office and several jail cells have been restored for viewing.

The Methodist Protestant Church (The People’s Temple) is located at 216 Monroe Street.

The cornerstone was laid in 1896 and a stained glass window, originally from the “Church on the Hill” (1834), was installed.  The church has over 40 stained glass windows from the 1800s.  West Virginia Governor Francis H. Pierpont and his wife, Julia, worshiped here.

111 Virginia Avenue (at 2nd Street) is the address for the George S. Brackett Home.

This circa 1902 Shingle Victorian Home is thought to have been built by A.B. Fleming and his wife Carrie as an investment property. Owners of the home include an engineer (who worked for the City of Fairmont and had several U.S. patents), a local church, and the George S. Brackett family, who purchased the home in 1927 and resided there for the next 62 years.   The home’s most significant features are in the library with its hand hewn old growth oak beams that span the entire room and a hand cut stone fireplace that covers the entire width of one end of the room.

Located at 205 Fairmont Avenue, the Hutchinson Coal Company Warehouse still stands.

This 1920’s construction is a contributing building to the Downtown Historic District. The company offices for Hutchinson Coal Company were located here.  The building has since been renovated into apartments.

The Hunsaker-Ice Farm is located at 1683 Fairmont Avenue.

When the ‘Hunsaker Farm” was built in the 1860s, it faced the Beverly Turnpike. In the 1930s, the house was turned around to face new Route 250. During the WPA era, it was resurfaced with same stonework used in the construction of East-West Stadium and the 12th Street Pool.  Guest James Watson once brought the entire Ziegfeld Follies cast from New York to visit for a weekend.

This Sears and Roebuck Kit House is located at 1623 Edgeway Drive.

This Sears and Roebuck Argyle Cottage was built from a kit in 1920 and shipped by rail in crates to Skinner’s Tavern, and then hauled by horse and wagon to its present location.  It features the original gable front porch and exposed roof rafter tails capped in copper.

The Arthur G. Martin House is found at 201 Watson Avenue.

This American Arts & Crafts (Craftsman style) home is attributed to a commissioned Gustav Stickley design.  Pictures of the home are featured on pages 438, 439, and 440 of the book, “Stickley’s Craftsman Homes”, by Ray Stubblebine. Arthur G. Martin, mayor of Fairmont, had the home built as a family residence in 1911.

Situated at 1312 Pennsylvania Avenue, the Meredith House stands.

This Federal Italianate-style two-story wood frame home was built prior to 1860 by William Meredith, a manufacturer of lumber as well a Contractor. He was a Captain commissioned by Governor Pierpont as well as a Justice of the Peace and the first Mayor of Belleview, originally known as Barnesville.  His son, Judge Winfield Scott Meredith, next occupied the house.  He served as a director of the People’s National Bank of Fairmont, a State Senator and a Judge of the Circuit Court of Marion County.

The Shaw Home sits at 425 Morgantown Avenue

The Tudor style, 2-½ story home was built in 1916 by Judge Harry Shaw, a Marion County Circuit Court Judge and prominent political figure.  The interior features a birch-paneled living room beneath a ceiling patterned after the strap work of the Long Gallery at Haddon Hall in Derbyshire, England.  Three stained glass windows contain a coat of arms. Note:  This may be the last time the house is on the tour, as it is currently for sale by the owner.

There are a few things you’ll need to keep in mind if you’re considering taking the tour:
This tour is designed for adults.
Please respect your hosts’ privacy and possessions.
Kindly ask for the owner’s permission to take photographs, as photographs for commercial purposes must be given written permission from the owners.
No soliciting of any kind.
Also remember that many of our tour locations are privately owned homes.  There may be family emergencies that occur that can affect the availability of the home for the tour.

Sound like fun? If you’re going, Tickets are $16.00 in advance and $18.00 the day of the tour and can be purchased at the Marion County Historical Society Museum located at 210 Adams Street, Fairmont. For more information, call 304.367.5398

Will we see you on the tour?