MANNINGTON — Four historic Mannington churches are opening their doors to the public in a holiday tour beginning at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8.

The churches — First Baptist, 110 Clarksburg St.; First United Methodist, 118 Clarksburg St.; Saint Patrick Catholic Church, 204 Furbee Ave.; and First Christian, High and Locust streets — are located within a square block of each other in the city’s Southside area, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The group will meet at Citizens Square and move out at 6:30 p.m., caroling all the way to the churches. Luminaries will light the way. Each church will have a representative to give handouts and talk about its special features.

The free tour is a joint effort among Main Street Mannington, the Landmarks Commission and the Mannington Ministerial Association.

“Most people don’t get to see the inside of a church unless they attend it,” said Joanna Reeves of Main Street Mannington and the Landmarks Commission. “If you’re historically minded, what better place to be in the holidays than at a church? It’s a way to get into the Christmas spirit.

“You have to see the inside to appreciate them. They are really amazing. Lights will be on inside to show off their beautiful stained glass windows.”

“The community is coming together,” said Amy Metz of the Landmarks Commission and Main Street Mannington.

“We have so much in the town that we want people to see. A lot of people have not seen the beauty of our historic churches.”

“We have something beautiful to show and we want to get people in the holiday spirit,” said Orie Ellen Sterling, who serves as a consultant for the Landmark Commission.

“This is good fellowship of different churches and groups working together. We wanted to call people’s attention to the unique architecture of our churches.

“These churches played an important part in the history of Mannington. Having a religious community is vital to any area.

“We are rich in history.”

E-mail Debra Minor Wilson at dwilson@timeswv.com.