Spring Tour of Homes has new schedule; Magnolia Cottage is a featured attraction

Magnolia Cottage - 212 West Robert Toombs AvenueThe Washington-Wilkes Spring Tour of Homes 2007 will have a different schedule this year from years past. Both the Day Tour and the Candlelight Tour will be held on Saturday. There will be no tours on Friday or Sunday. The tours will be held on Saturday, March 31, with the Day Tour hours being 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.; and the Candlelight Tour, 6-9 p.m. The homes on the Day Tour are Dawn and Sam Moore on the Tignall Road; Vinnie and Rod Dowling (Anderson home) at Danburg; Virginia Lee King and Skeet Willingham on West Robert Toombs Avenue, Washington; Vivian and Roger Walker (Holly Ridge), Sandtown; Archie and Chrean Brown, Court Street. There will be four homes on the Candlelight Tour. The home of Allan and Sharlene Zima at 206 South Alexander Avenue, Washington (across the street from Laura and Dave Toburen).. The Zimas are newcomers to Washington-Wilkes and the house is a newcomer to the tour circuit. The other three homes on the Candlelight Tour are also newcomers and include the homes of Shane and Amy W. Moore on the Tignall Road; the Nash-Wills House on East Robert Toombs Avenue; Billy and Rosemary Caddell on the Tignall Road. Headquarters for the tour will be at the Washington-Wilkes Elementary School on East Street. The Kiwanis Club will be driving courtesy cars to provide transportation to the various locations. There is no Dessert Soiree this year. Shops on The Square will be open on Friday evening, March 30, to provide a "Taste of Washington." The always-popular Woman's Club Seated Luncheon will be available for $10 each with reservations required. The First United Methodist Church will be open for buffet lunch. The Washington Little Theater Company will be presenting the musical "Gypsy" on Friday and Saturday nights, March 30 and 31, at 8 p.m.; and again on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. Debbie McLeod will be the star of the musical which is directed by Sue Davidson. Musical direction will be by Mrs. McLeod, and Cynthia Aultman will be doing the choreography. Reservations are recommended for the performances and may be made by calling 706- 678-9582. Churches, museums, and historical sites will be open on Friday and Saturday, and also on Sunday. Downtown shops will be open on Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. The First Baptist Church will be presenting a pre-Easter musical drama on Sunday evening at 7 p.m. Any tour home may be visited individually by paying $5 at the door. Cost for the Day Tour (six homes) is $25; Candlelight Tour (four homes), $25; Day and Candlelight package, $45; and the Woman's Club Luncheon, $10. Theater tickets are $10 each; members may use their cards. Tickets may be ordered by sending checks to Spring Tour of Homes, P.O. Box 661, Washington, GA 30673. Tickets will be mailed upon receipt of payment. More information can be obtained by calling the Washington-Wilkes Chamber of Commerce at 706-678- 2013. MAGNOLIA COTTAGE Home of Virginia Lee King and Robert M. Willingham When Virginia Lee King and Robert Willingham (better known in Washington-Wilkes as Ginny and Skeet) were planning their marriage last year, they began looking for an historic house that would be a welcoming home to them and their collections of antiques and Americana. This plain style Victorian house at 212 West Robert Toombs Avenue perfectly met their requirements. With its entranceway framed by two majestic magnolias and its yard boasting camellias, dogwoods, crape myrtles, pomegranates, and even a towering eucalyptus, it would be an ideal fit for Ginny's interest in gardening and native plants. Although the exterior of the house is relatively unadorned, once inside the massive front door the cottage's woodwork surprises and delights. Milled from Wilkes County heart pine, the wainscoting and diamond-patterned 14-foot ceilings have never been painted and retain their more than a century old mellow patina. Magnolia Cottage is a house filled with warmth and history. It is only appropriate that this would become home to Ginny and Skeet who were married in June 2006, for it was built in 1873 as a wedding present for Nannie Stuart Wylie (1853-1918) and Wylie Duncan DuBose (1850-1909) from her father, Henry N. Wylie. Her grandfather, Nicholas Wylie, had been one of Washington's wealthiest and most philanthropic citizens. Their house was a modest cottage most likely of five rooms and a detached kitchen. Nannie and Wylie DuBose would become parents of ten children. In about 1892, they sold this house and moved into the DuBose home on Spring Street which would later become the Washington General Hospital. Purchaser of this cottage was Anson L. King (1867-1910). The son of North Carolina native Dr. Richard Griswald King and Miriam Lewis Brown of Georgia, Anson King was born in Mississippi but spent much of his youth in Thomasville, Georgia. When his uncle, Marcus Brown of Circleville, Ohio, died in the 1880s, young Anson was left with a sizable inheritance. He settled in Washington, established a mercantile business, and became actively involved with the local semi-pro baseball team, which eventually was named the Washington Kings in his honor. He erected a store building on the south side of The Square, and fell in love with a young Washington lady named Belle Hill. She was the daughter of William Wylie Hill and his wife, Emma Eugenia Anthony. Of their seven children, Belle (1868-1937) was the youngest. She was a talented musician, having studied at Lucy Cobb Institute in Athens, in New York, and at the Boston Conservatory of Music. Belle Hill and Anson King were married on December 14, 1892, and moved into this house which Anson had fashionably remodeled for his bride. He contracted with Atlanta architect Edmund G. Lind for the renovations which included pocket doors, five mantels all with different woods and designs, and magnificent paneling. Lind had also been Anson King's architect for his store Downtown as well as the Mary Willis Library and several other Washington homes. When a chimney was being repaired last year (2006) during renovations, reminders of the Kings' occupancy were discovered behind the mantel including old photographs and letters. For much of the twentieth century, the house was owned by the Oslin family, beginning with Captain Robert A. Oslin (1856-1925) of the Georgia Railroad and his wife Duella (1862-1944). Two further generations of this family would make this structure their home as well. Magnolia Cottage has now been lovingly and carefully restored through the efforts of Mike Dyches and his capable assistants. A new master bath and dressing area features antique Southern pine furniture and matching hand-blown glass vessel sinks by Robert Jones of Seattle, a former associate in the Dale Chihuly Studio. The kitchen has also been totally renovated with stainless steel appliances, Tuscan slate floor, English botanical accent tiles dating from 1870, and a memorable wroughtiron and brass chandelier. Bookshelves, designed and created by Mike Dyches, now define the library and are filled with volumes on local history along with prime examples from Ginny and Skeet's outstanding collection of Southern pottery. In addition to showcasing some spectacular works of the potter's art throughout the house, there are fine pieces of Southern furniture including a circa 1820 Carolina tiger maple huntboard, a massive Baltimore Empire sideboard, Wilkes County corner cupboard, and an eighteenth-century locally made pine side table. The elegant formal dining room not only features the most ornate woodwork in the house but also provides an excellent venue for displaying the couple's collection of Georgia-made antebellum coin silver. Artwork also fills the home from original Audubon and Catesby natural history prints to paintings by Skeet's mother, noted Southern artist Helen A. Willingham. All window treatments have been designed and installed by Washington's own Joe Barnett. Magnolia Cottage will open its doors with true Southern hospitality to visitors and friends, giving a glimpse of elegance, comfort, and whimsy. Don't miss the breakfast porch with its Leonard Jones folk art and even an antique checkerboard.