Clifton Forge Woman's Club Sets 2015 Homes Tour
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Clifton Forge, VA (Nov. 11, 2015) - Christmas is “just around the corner,” and to get ready for the turn, the Clifton Forge Woman’s Club is announcing its seventh Holiday Homes Tour on December 5th from 11 AM to 6 PM.
Because the Tour has been expanded with more locations, the hours have also been expanded in order to make it possible to visit every site. Tickets are $15.00 which includes refreshments and may be purchased in advance from any Club member or in Clifton Forge from The Club Car, Country Gardens Florist, Alleghany Highlands Arts and Craft Center, and Owen’s Pharmacy. In Covington, tickets may be purchased in advance from the Vintage Bouquet or Main Street Shoppe, and in Low Moor at the Old Forge Coffee Shop, located in the lobby of Alleghany Regional Hospital. Tickets may also be purchased the day of the Holiday Tour at any of the homes.
As in previous years, the Club will use any proceeds from the Tour to contribute to local charities, including the C. and O. Historical Society, the Masonic Theatre Preservation Foundation, The Clifton Forge Area Food Pantry, the Highlands Christmas Mother program, Clifton Forge Main Street, Head Start Christmas, Lisa’s Kitchen (serving over 200 dinners to the needy in the community), Mountain Regional Hospice, YMCA After Prom Party, Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center, Clifton Forge School of the Arts, and the Clifton Forge Library.
The Clifton Forge Woman’s Club is especially pleased to include a variety of interesting locations this year. Eight homes and one church will be showcased and homemade refreshments will be available at the Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center.
Milton Hall
207 Thorny Lane, Callaghan
Milton Hall, a Virginia Historic Landmark as well as a listing on the National Historic Landmarks, has evolved through the ages. At its beginning it was known as Callaghan Tavern, offering food and lodging to travelers on the Kanawha Turnpike in 1792. It became a refuge and home for English Viscount and Lady Milton in 1872. A fire started by holiday fireworks destroyed the wooden building in 1874. Lady Milton then rebuilt her home in the Gothic Revival style and that home still stands today.
Over the years the property changed ownership numerous times and few improvements were made until the 1980s when Mary Dowdy renovated the home and applied for its Virginia Historic Landmark status, making it a bed and breakfast stopover once again. In 2007 Ed Loiseau and Floyd Harrison purchased Milton Hall and started extensive renovations to restore the royal family feel to this lovely home and the English gardens. They did add a beautiful swimming pool located between the manor house and the gardens.
Visitors will enter the large foyer with its wide staircase. There is a lovely living room, an elegant dining room, a billiard room, and a music room with a 1912 grand piano the first floor. On the second floor, guests will find a wide hall with an upstairs tea room, a library, and three bedrooms.
For the holidays Ed and Floyd will decorate their home in simple but elegant style with poinsettias, holiday pillows, and a lovely porcelain nativity scene.
When asked why Ed and Floyd decided to relocate in this area, they responded that they were seeking a location away from the busy area around Washington, D.C. They found just what they were looking for at Milton Hall. They had lived in quite a large home in Washington and had collected a lifetime of treasures. These treasured collections, which become so dear to all of us, are what makes a house a home, and perhaps makes a manor house suitable for royalty.
Lohman Residence
72 Bath Street
Originally constructed in the late 1800s, the house at 72 Bath Street underwent significant renovations in 1923 to become a stately Colonial Revival style home. Once the “eye-sore” of the neighborhood, Ambrose and Rives Cosby Ford, then owners of Ridgeley across the street, gave the structure new life by essentially rebuilding it for their son, William Kent Ford and his wife Bernice. The refurbished home was then photographed for entry in a House Beautiful contest and the original presentation board documenting the remodel has been preserved and will be on display during the Tour.
The extensive renovation included the addition of East and West Sunrooms, a family room with fireplace and French doors, and a breakfast room off of the enlarged kitchen. The second floor was updated to include a master bedroom suite with a west facing sitting room, and two additional bedrooms. An attic playroom completes the upper level improvements. Several neighboring lots were acquired and converted into terraced boxwood gardens, surrounded by stately stone walls and matching retaining walls along the front of the home.
The Lohmanns purchased the home in 2006 and continuously work to preserve the classic character of the twenty room, three level home which includes five bedrooms, two full and two half-baths. Furnished with both contemporary furniture and painted in colors found in the surrounding countryside, the home is a relaxed country classic. Located at the top of the hillside in the west side of town, ever room offers an outstanding view of the town of Clifton Forge, the natural woodland, or the surrounding gardens.
The home will be decorated for the upcoming holidays in a classic Christmas theme, celebrating the railroad history and natural history of Clifton Forge using vintage ornaments and china, a collection of antique and toy trains, along with displays of live greenery from the boxwood gardens.
Hill Crest
Bruce and Martha Crawford
1100 McCormick Boulevard
Hill Crest was built in 1910 as a Federal style home by the Surber family. The home was sold to the Goodwin family in 1914, who sold it to Dr. and Mrs. J. M. Emmett in 1935. The Emmett family renovated Hill Crest into the current Greek Revival style. The Emmett family cherished the home and welcomed all who entered it for many years.
Bruce and Martha Crawford are the eighth family to own Hill Crest. They have turned this lovely lady into a full service Inn, with a tea room, a music room, dining room, parlor, and library on the first floor. Upstairs there are seven guest rooms, six private baths, with each room decorated its own theme. The attic, or third floor, has been renovated into a suite with a new bathroom. The carriage house has been repurposed into a beautiful guest house with a spa bathroom.
For this year’s Home Tour, each room will be decorated, using the theme of joys of days gone by. Hill Crest welcomes you to enjoy the Christmas past, present, and future. Merry Christmas to you!
St. Andrews Episcopal Church
516 McCormick Boulevard
St. Andrews welcomes guests for the Holiday Homes Tour. The Church is located at 511 McCormick Boulevard in Clifton Forge. It is thought that St. Andrews is the oldest church in Clifton Forge in continuous usage. This small church will be decorated in full Christmas greens and hangings, even though the Tour will occur during Advent.
The Church celebrated its 100th birthday in 1990. According to a clipping in the Daily Review (local Clifton Forge newspaper) in 1884, “Great progress is being made in the erection of the Episcopal Church of St. Andrews Parish. It is, as most of our readers know, on the east side of McCormick Bouldvard. Jas. A. Fraiser is the chairman of the building committee. Sheppard and Alexander are doing the brick work and R. A. Coyner is doing the woodwork. It will be finished in about 60 days…its architecture will be of the Romanesque order with rounded door and window heads. It will be, when finished, an ornament to the section in which it is located.”
The church has a small narthex that opens to the chancel which has seven stained glass windows designed with multicolored blocks. There are two Rose windows, one over the altar and one at the back of the chancel. The parish hall sits at the back of the main church and is the site for many community events and activities. Church members will be present to answer questions about the history of the church. Guests are encouraged to look at the scrapbook and photographs being displayed.
Dr. James Snyder
807 Palace Boulevard
Guests visiting the home of Dr. James Snyder will enter a walkway lined with beautiful boxwood, leading to the Colonial Revival home with overhanging second story decorated with stylized pineapples, a symbol of hospitality. This home was built by Dr. and Mrs. G. S. Stephens just prior to December, 1941, and is located on the edge of the hill overlooking Clifton Forge, with a breathtaking view from east to west. As we enter the foyer with black and white tile, we turn right into the living room, furnished with an interesting collection of antiques Dr. Snyder has inherited as well as handmade pieces of furniture which tell a history of their own. There is also a collection of interesting pieces he has acquired through many years of traveling not only throughout this country but virtually the entire world. It is difficult to name a country Dr. Snyder has not visited, thus whetting his interest in such things as paintings, Chinese porcelain, and Oriental objects. But he has always considered Clifton Forge his home since he arrived here in the mid 1970s to practice urology.
Dr. Snyder has used Dorns of Roanoke on two occasions to redecorate his home, and the results speak for themselves. The window treatment, paint colors, and wallpaper all reflect a blending of colors that make the home more attractive. The elegant dining room boasts a window that enjoys the marvelous view of the railroad and the mountains. The table likely will be set for the season. From the dining room we go into the kitchen which is a work in progress, but complete enough for guests to understand what the end results will be. The soapstone counter and sink and the cherry cabinets were made exclusively for him. There is a side porch off of the living room, and a deck off of the kitchen. From the kitchen we go into the breakfast room.
For the holidays, the home will be decorated with poinsettias, wreaths, and a few Santa Clauses. Dr. Snyder welcomes you to his home.
Joan Vannorsdall
815 Palace Boulevard, Clifton Forge
Joan Vannorsdell returned to Clifton Forge in 2013 after retiring from teaching in Salem, Virginia. Speaking of her home at 815 Palace Boulevard, she says “I was immediately drawn to the light and openness of the house. The upstairs’ nooks and crannies intrigued me, and the view of the town, train yard, and the view of the mountains from the back of the house sold me.”
With three children and three grandchildren visiting from near and far, Winchester, Seattle, and Minnesota, she decided early this year to expand the living space of the home, adding a series of arched doorways leading to a panoramic sunroom, as well as a large office/guestroom in what was once a garage. Using the arches of the original downstairs design and the mountains rising from the Jackson River, the new space brings the outside in.
Art work from around the world – Africa, Vietnam and Cambodia, Italy, and the Netherlands- hangs throughout the house. Paintings and sketches by her daughter and sculpture by her mother are dear to her and add to the display in her home.
Decorations for the holiday will almost surely be natural greens. These will include cut evergreens, holly, pinecones, and magnolia. Joan has an interesting collection of Christmas books, along with sleighs and manger scenes which will be on display. In addition “almost every ornament on my tree has a story,” she says. “It’s the stories that make things beautiful.”
Craig Hudson and Fred Johnson
1414 Grace Avenue, Clifton Forge
Craig Hudson and Fred Johnson welcome you to their home at 1414 Grace Avenue. This colonial brick ranch style home was built in the early 1950s, and would best be described as having eclectic furnishings. The house has the distinction of having the only even number on the odd numbered side of the street, and is located on the corner of Jackson Street and Grace Avenue. Gracie May, a pet Pug, is the smaller member of the home, and Craig and Fred jokingly refer to the home as “Gracie Land.”
It would indeed be difficult to find any two people who enjoy decorating and sharing their efforts more than Craig and Fred, both inside the house and outside, as well. An 8-foot revolving tree, loaded with ornaments, is found in the living room. Angels, snowmen, crèches, animated figures, and Santa Clauses are found throughout the house. Every room is decorated, and there is Christmas music in the air all of the time.
Their talents with decorations are not necessarily confined inside the house. Their outside decorations are beyond terrific and thoroughly enjoyable. One year they had old Santa relaxing in a hammock supported by two palm trees in Hawaii after his taxing journey on Christmas Eve.
Helene Baker
1604 Jefferson Avenue, Clifton Forge
This brick home, built in 1967, was purchased by Helene Baker in 2007. It has recently been renovated to brighten and open up interior space while capturing the 180-degree view of the George Washington National Forest. It is referred to as the house with the “million dollar view,” and guests will readily agree the scope of this vision is just breath-taking.
The décor is eclectic, featuring contemporary country, antique oak and some traditional pieces, including a red barn door in one of the bedrooms. Not to be missed are prints and paintings created by artists from around the world, as well as some local artists. There are collections of Jane Currie Clark prints along with an Alexander Ross, and an Elliott Erwin photograph. Also on display will be ”The 4 Seasons” paintings done by Helene’s mother as well as several of her needlepoint pictures.
Helene’s home will be decorated for Hanukkah. What is Hanukkah? It is an 8-day observance that remembers the Jewish people’s struggle for religious freedom in the Maccabean War in 162 BCE. It is believed that the one day supply of lamp oil lasted for eight days, thus the Festival of Lights. Guests will want to be sure to look for the wonderful contemporary Susan Harb sculpture that brightens the home with its abstract display of lights for this event.
Join us this year to learn more about this historic and fun Jewish holiday.
Betty Crance, Fairview Home
1417 Main Street, Clifton Forge
Betty Crance purchased the house at 1417 Main Street in 2013 with the idea of turning it into a home for the intellectually disabled. After she completed the purchased, she realized she had her work cut out for her. She completely renovated the house to make it into a comfortable “home,” and that she has done. This 1947 home was, for many years, a single family dwelling. Then for a number of years it was used for a variety of business purposes including a hospice office building.
Betty knew the potential was there to make this an ideal home again. She enclosed the back porch and made a comfortable family room, added an additional bathroom, converted the prior bathrooms for other purposes, remodeled the kitchen, and the result is a comfortable home. Not exactly the way it was in 1947 but more suited for 2015. There is a living room, dining room, kitchen, den, one and one-half baths, and two bedrooms, with a large bedroom upstairs. The home’s remarkable renovation was recognized in 2014 by the Vision 2025 Corridor Curb Appeal Committee.
Betty now has two individuals, along with the needed help to care for them, living there and easily has space for one more.
Betty is encouraging the occupants, with her able help, to decorate each room for Christmas. There will probably not be a single theme throughout the house, because each room will be decorated by an individual. There may even be a Christmas tree in every room, but we will just have to wait and see.
Guests are encouraged to come to the rear of this home, because it is so much easier to enter that way. Guests should just park space on the edge of the Dairy Bar parking lot next door and come to the back door. You will be welcomed.
Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center
439 East Ridgeway Street, Clifton Forge
Organized in 1983, the Allegany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center opened its doors in 1984 in the former Virginia Electric and Power Company space in what was originally two buildings. The building on the left is marked by a cartouche high on its façade identifying it as the former Virginia Western Power Co. The offices for Arts and Crafts Center are located on the second floor which also houses three classrooms, a fine arts lending library, and a space where art videos can be shared with the community as well as in conjunction with the classes. Handicapped access to the second floor is made possible by an elevator installed under a challenge grant from the Alleghany Foundation.
As many electric companies did in the 1950s, a demonstration kitchen was built, and most of this area is still intact, with the cabinets and
sink still in place. A window over the sink looks out at a landscape painted by Elizabeth Smith, a prominent art educator. Today this room serves as a receiving area for the more than 300 juried artists and craftspeople, as well as a kitchen and work room for special occasions.
The exhibit for this year’s holiday season will be “Shared Santas, Carver and Collector.” Bob Tigrett has agreed to share his collection of carved wood Santas, which his wife, Edna, so artfully decorates. These have been a popular item at the Alleghany Highland Arts and Crafts Center, almost from the time it opened, but these Santas will be shared and will not be for sale. They are quite unique and will delight almost everyone.
And as if that is not enough, the late Davey Perry’s family has generously agreed to share some of Davey’s fabulous collection of Santa Clauses. Davey collected replicas of the jolly old man for many years and has caught this fellow dressed for almost any task, attired in varying outfits, but no one will ever mistake him for anything but that good natured old man who comes on Christmas Eve, and makes glad the heart of folks of all ages.
In addition, there will be some quilts hung around the exhibit area. We challenge anyone to leave this exhibit with a “bah-humbug” attitude.
Homemade refreshments will be served at this location to all guests enjoying the Holiday Home Tour. |  | The Hudson/Johnson home
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|  | Dr. James Snyder's home
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|  | The Lohmann Residence
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