FAIRMONT —
After sleeping off full stomachs on Thanksgiving and fighting the crowds for Black Friday, we’re ready for the Christmas season to begin.
And on Saturday, with a light snowfall to encourage the yuletide spirit, the Marion County Historical Society put on its annual Holiday Historic Houses Tour, kicking off the holiday season.
“A lot of people feel like this starts off the holiday season,” said Dora Grubb, president of the historical society. “I know that I’ve had several people (who) missed a year and they felt like the holiday season never got the real kickoff it needed.”
This year, the tour featured nine houses and a mix of familiar and new buildings for visitors to experience.
One of the highlights of this year’s tour was the The People’s Temple Methodist Protestant Church on Monroe Street, known today as The Gatherings. The church, built in 1896, is particularly notable for its connection to Fairmont native Francis H. Pierpont, governor of the restored state of Virginia during the Civil War.
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Related Photos
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Caitlin Ahren conducts a tour of the “Meredith House,” where her family now lives. Ahren’s home has been on the Holiday Historic Houses Tour for the past several years. PHOTO BY TAMMY SHRIVER
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The “Hunsaker-Ice Farm” in South Fairmont was built sometime in the 1860s by the Hunsaker family. It originally faced the Beverly Turnpike, but in the the 1930s the house was turned to face the new Route 250. The stonework was added by George Ice, who also “stoned” East-West Stadium and the 12th Street Pool during the WPA era. PHOTO BY TAMMY SHRIVER
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Richard Evans, Millie Goetze, Pam Dodds, Gary Goetze and Art Dodds sing traditional Christmas carols at the Methodist Protestant Church, also known as The People’s Temple and most recently as The Gatherings. PHOTO BY TAMMY SHRIVER
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Guests leave the Meredith house at 1312 Pennsylvania Avenue. This Federal Italianate style two-story home was built before the Civil War by William Meredith, ancestor to the late Judge J. Harper Meredith. PHOTO BY TAMMY SHRIVER
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Adam Levitsky shows off the family room of the Hunsaker-Ice Farm. PHOTO BY TAMMY SHRIVER
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Gov. Francis Pierpont, portrayed by Art Dodds, talks with Kitty Hess and Elizabeth Meyer at the The People’s Temple Methodist Protestant Church, currently known as The Gatherings, at 216 Monroe Street. The church’s cornerstone was laid in 1896. The church has more than 40 stained glass windows which have been valued at more than $3 million. PHOTO BY TAMMY SHRIVER
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Connie Ahren tells the history of the Meredith House to a group of guests during the 2012 Holiday Historic Homes Tour sponsored by the Marion County Historical Society. PHOTO BY TAMMY SHRIVER
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Lauren Murphy points out some of the unique features of the “Hunsaker-Ice Farm” house, located on Fairmont Avenue in South Fairmont. The house’s floors are the orignal wood, which dates back to the 1860s. PHOTO BY TAMMY SHRIVER
Christmas kickoff: PHOTOS
Past comes alive in Holiday Historic Houses Tour
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