Welcome

I'm pleased to welcome you to my blog about the Washington-Wilkes Spring Tours for the last few years. In the absence of a good system for recording the history of each year's tour I've been compelled to extract available articles about the tours from the archives of The News-Reporter.

William T. Johnson

Pages

Pages

Saturday, February 27, 2010

'Sunday in the Country' highlights this year's Spring Tour of Homes




The Washington-Wilkes Spring Tour of Homes is scheduled for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, April 3, 4, and 5, 2009. Eighteen homes are included with special events scheduled each day in addition to the homes.
Friday night features a tour of six of Washignton-Wilkes Bed and Breakfast homes and was featured in The News-Peporter on March 5.
Last week's feature was the Day Tour on Saturday, April 4.
Billed as "Sunday in the Country" - a tour of the Danburg community - is featured this week.
The Sunday tour includes six homes within walking distance of each other. Also included is a c.1790 restored house; a Classic Car show, and a Flea Market.
Homes on the tour and a brief description of each one are:
The Dowling House - at 6405 Danburg Road, is the home of Roderick and Vinnie Dowling. The house is known locally as the Anderson House because it was owned for many years by the John Anderson family, prominent landowners in the area. The Greek Revival house probably incorporates an earlier structure built in the 1790s. The structure underneath the right side of the house is hand-hewn, mortise and tenon, and pegged construction while the living room and bedroom on the left are made with material cut by a circular saw. This probably indicates that an early two-over-two house was added with a hall and a similar arrangement of rooms on the other side after the Civil War. There are four upstairs bedrooms. The third floor has one finished room at the top of the stairs. The addition of brackets and lattice-work to the entablature of the portico is evidence of the increasing influence of the Victorian era on the Greek Revival just after the Civil War.
The Currie House - at 180 Euel Saggus Road, is owned by Walter and Carole Currie. It was built in the late 1800s by Walter Lee Sutton, grandfather of Walter Currie, and has been in the family since that time. In the main section of the Victorian farmhouse, two rooms on each side open into a wide center hallway. In the mid-1990s, the house was renovated with an eye to providing comfort and conveniences but with respect for the historical era of the house. Most of the Victorian era furnishings are original to the house. The rose-hued dining room, centered with an oak table that easily seats 12, is hung with a variety of prints and paintings of camellias that once hung in homes of a number of family members, now deceased.
The Bonertz House - at 6464 Danburg Road is the home of Wayne and Irene Bonertz. It was built in 1897 as a stagecoach stop. The kitchen is the original detached kitchen which was moved from its location and attached to the house, probably when electricity became available. All of the flooring is original heart pine except for the kitchen. All of the plaster throughout the house is original to the house.
The Pat Bass House - at 269 Euel Saggus Road was built by Robert Heard. Marvin and Ethel Blackmon bought the property around 1927 and lived in the house until their deaths in 1963 and 1966. The house remained vacant for nearly 40 years. Pat Bass purchased the property in 2006 and has restored the house to its original state with very few changes to the layout. Windows have been replaced to heat and cool the house.
The Maynard House - at 233 Euel Saggus Road is owned by Louise and Ross Maynard. It was originally owned by Lizzie Heard. One of the chimneys and fireplaces has been dated between 1780-1790. The property was undergoing renovation in August 2006 when the Maynards purchased the property and completed the restoration. In April 2007, restoration was begun on an old house behind the main house. The house was dated at about 1760-1780 and was moved to this site in the late 1890s.The chimneys on each end were replaced by an elderly Wilkes County Master Craftsman and the interior was restored by Ross and Louise with rough sawn yellow pine. A barn on the premises houses Ross' "Model T" collection and will be available along with a display of several Model T's.
The Lindsey House - at 230 Euel Saggus Road is the home of Mike and Patricia Lindsey. It was built in 1922 in the popular Craftsman Home Style. Craftsman Homes began being built in the late 1800s for the middle class. Mike Lindsey's grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. J.M. Lindsey, bought the property in 1945 and lived in the house until their deaths. From 1974 until 2006, the property was owned by several individuals over the years at which time Mike and Patricia Lindsey bought it for their country home. The Lindseys have been remodeling and landscaping since their purchase of the property. Mike grew up in Danburg and Patricia in Washington.
During the Sunday in the Country Tour, the Memory Lane Cruisers and the Greensboro Car Club will be hosting a Classic Car Show featuring a Model T Museum.
A flea market featuring crafts, art, refreshments, and yard plants will be held in the Old Danburg School.
Headquarters for the Sunday tour is the Washington-Wilkes Chamber of Commerce on The Square in Downtown Washington. Tickets may be purchased at the headquarters. The tour begins at 1 p.m., and closes at 5 p.m.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Friday will be the Bed and Breakfast Candlelight Tour from 6 to 9 p.m. Homes on the tour will be Wisteria Hall, the Hurd House, Holly Court Inn, Sleighter House, Washington Plantation, and Southern Elegance.
The Day Tour on Saturday will feature the homes of Carlton and Margaret Norris, Steve and Rachel Arnold, John and Rita Horton, Buzzy and Jo Randall, Deb deShazo, and the Tupper-Barnett House.

No comments:

Post a Comment