Marion Chamber sponsors Tour of Homes

The Marion Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a Historic Marion Tour Homes and Gardens on April 4.

This is a new fundraiser for the chamber, Director Judy Johnson said, and funds raised will be used for programs and activities to benefit the community. The tour begins at the train depot at 10 a.m. and will run until 5 p.m. Tickets are $25 on the day of the tour or $20 in advance. Call (843) 423-3561 for details.

Featured homes were built between 1840 and 1956 and represent various architectural styles. Lunch will be available at the Marion County Museum for $12.50 per person by reservation only. Checks should be mailed by March 27 to: Marion Chamber of Commerce 2009 Historic Marion Home Tour P.O. Box 35 Marion, SC. 29571.

Take a peek inside: Tour Marion Homes

The following are the homes on the Chamber’s tour of homes. On April 4, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., the Marion Chamber of Commerce will host a tour of homes built between 1840 and 1956. Tickets for the tour are $20 in advance and $25 the day of the tour.

The oldest home is at 403 South Main St. and was built by Duncan J. McDonald. A Greek revival cottage with freestanding Tuscan columns on brick piers, the house was enlarged with a rear wing in 1910. Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm McLendon, who obtained National Register recognition for the property, started an extensive restoration in the 1940’s. Current owners are Mr. and Mrs. Herb Hickey.

Three large houses at the end of Harlee Street are also on tour. The oldest of these is the home of Mr. and Mrs. Gary Marshall at 405 Harlee Street.

Built in 1882, this imposing structure is Federal in design with beautiful symmetrical proportions. Three steeply pitched gables punctuate the roofline. Eight square paneled columns and a pair of matching balusters support the flat-roofed porch. Adding to the symmetry is a pair of side bay windows. A white picket fence, lush with confederate Jessamine, encircles the property. Marion natives call the house the old Hamilton house for the family of the late Dr. W.W. Hamilton.

Across the street is the home of Mr. and Mrs. Alberto Alba, 401 Harlee Street.

The house was built in 1888 for Salley Wannamaker and Charles Albert Woods. Mrs. Woods was a leader in the city beautification program and organized the Civic League. Judge Woods, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of South Carolina, supplied outstanding leadership in the forming of the library and the Marion Academy. The interior of this house is very handsome with the use of stained glass and beveled glass around the doors. Paneled wainscot is used throughout the house. Supporting the large front porch are 31 Doric columns.

Harlee Street ends at the driveway of the Grove, a beautiful Eastlake home built in 1893 by W. J. Montgomery for his family.

Montgomery was a leading citizen involved in the building of the Merchants and Farmers Savings Bank, of which he was President. He was also a lawyer, a mayor and a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1895. The rooms of the home have carved woodwork and trim of natural pine. The present owners are Mr. and Mrs. Denley Caughman who operate a successful bed and breakfast inn. Since acquiring the property, the Caughmans have done extensive renovations and have researched the Montgomery family, acquiring artifacts pertinent to the home’s history.

At 1203 North Main St. is another National Register property, Bluefields, the home of the late Annie Evans Blue and her husband John Gilchrist Blue.

Gen. William Evans gave the property to his daughter, Annie, in 1872. The Blues had two sons who became quite famous, Rear Admiral Victor Blue and Rupert Blue, Surgeon Gen. U.S. Public Health Services. The house has a gambrel roof with a large center dormer. The front porch has eased columns and horizontal rails. The late Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. McCollum purchased the property in 1958 and made extensive repairs without jeopardizing the structural value and quality of the old house. Julie McCollum, of Virginia and Marion, owns the property that recently received a state historical marker.

At 201 Oakenwald Drive is the two-story brick home of Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Atkinson Jr.

The Atkinsons are the third family to live in the home since it was built in 1921 by a Virginia family. Years after the completion of its construction, the late Mr. and Mrs. William G. Moore and their daughters lived in this imposing structure. The front door is beautifully detailed with beveled glass sidelights and transom. 15 Doric columns support a wide, sweeping porch and porte cochere. Beautiful bay windows grace the sides of the house.

Will Stackhouse built Rosewood, now a popular bed and breakfast inn at 900 North Main St., in 1895.

The house was later acquired by the A.M. Rose family. Tom Griggs, the current owner, moved into the home in 1990. The doorway of Rosewood Manor is spectacular with its Corinthian balusters and leaded glass. Heavy corbels above the door support the balcony for the arched leaded glass doors leading from the expansive upstairs hall.

In 1937 Dr. and Mrs. Carlisle Moore built a beautiful two-story house at 924 Evans Road. Presently owned by Mr. and Mrs. William Brady, this white brick house has a strong English influence.

A wide hall runs along the front of the house with the study, dining room and kitchen at the rear. The living room wing is sunken and has an access to the side garden through French doors.

Across the street from the Brady home is the residence of Cynthia L. Sloan, 905 Evans Road.

This imposing white brick colonial home was built in 1939 by Sloan’s aunt and uncle, the late Mr. and Mrs. William E. Hall Sr. The center section of the house is cypress boards, installed with no overlapping, while the wings are brick. Doric columns and pilasters give the entrance a look of a Greek revival portico and support the roofline of the porch.

The white clapboard colonial home of William H. Cornelius Jr. is at 200 Northside Ave.

Built in 1956 by the late Joe Bostick for Mr. and Mrs. Eugene West, the house features beautiful woodwork, all made on site by the Burroughs brothers who were well known for their woodworking and cabinetry. Large spacious rooms with high ceilings lend an air of southern graciousness to this home.