The Shadow
CLIFTON FORGE — It’s Christmas time in the town of Clifton Forge on Saturday, Dec. 7, and seven homes will be “decking the halls with boughs of holly” for this fifth Holiday Homes Tour, presented by the Clifton Forge Woman’s Club.
Homes will be open for guests from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. The cost is still $10 per person and tickets may be purchased from any club member.
Advance tickets are also available at the Club Car, Heirlooms, Owen’s Phar-macy and the Tea Room in Clifton Forge, the Main Street Shoppe and the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce and Tourism in Covington.
The Old Forge Coffee Shoppe at LewisGale Hospital – Alleghany will also have tickets which may be purchased in advance.
The proceeds from the tour are used by the Clifton Forge Woman’s Club to help support many local non-profit organizations, including the Clifton Forge Area Food Pantry, The Masonic Theater renovation effort, The C&O Achieves and Heritage Center, the YMCA projects, and the Christmas Mother program, among others.
Ridgely
118 First Street
“When will the Roberts have their home open again?” was asked frequently last year, and Don and Johnette have graciously agreeded to open Ridgely, at 118 First Street again this year.
Ridgely, the historic home of Don and Johnette Roberts, was constructed in 1902 by Ambrose C. and Rives Cosby Ford. It was occupied by a member of the Ford family until the Roberts purchased it from Kent Ford, Jr., in 2003. Both Rives Cosby Ford and Bernice Green Ford were active members and officers of the Clifton Forge Woman’s Club.
The home is designed in a modified Tudor style with Arts and Crafts influences.
The home’s exterior of grey/green cedar shingle siding, grey and black trim with wraparound porch is virtually unchanged over the past 100-plus years. The 15-room home has six bedrooms and three and one-half baths.
Prior to 1930, two sleeping porches were enclosed to create a sixth bedroom upstairs and an upstairs sunroom off of the master bedroom. On the ground floor, a patio was enclosed to create the current Morning Room just off the dining room. Also, during this time, a library was added with built-in bookshelves and cabinets. The hardwood floors throughout the house are original.
The Roberts have endeavored to keep the historic aspects of the home intact, but have updated and remodeled the kitchen and butler’s pantry. They have also renovated the large attic into three rooms – family room, office, and hobby room.
Roof windows and skylights have been added in the attic to make this area very welcoming.
In addition to the wonderful historic aspects of the house itself, there is a two-acre landscaped garden laid out in 1932 by Rives Cosby Ford. Don Roberts has worked over the past 10 years to restore and renovate the garden. This year, Ridgely Historic Gardens was opened to the public and the garden is a point of interest in The Virginia Artisan Trail Network.
All three floors will be open for this year’s Home Tour. The home will be ready for the holidays with several Christmas trees and other traditional decorations. The tree in the living room will be hung with gold, brass, crystal and glass ornaments the Roberts have collected over the past 40-plus years. The dining room tree will have a red and white theme. Boxwood and holly from the garden will adorn the fireplace mantle and other areas of the home and greenery will be seen throughout.
Weather permitting, visitors may also wish to walk in the garden, and tour the exhibit hall, created by the Roberts.
Hillcrest
1100 McCormick Blvd.
Hillcrest will be open again this year. Those who enjoyed the tour last year will remember that Martha and Bruce Crawford had just moved in several months prior to December, but this year all of the main floor and a portion of the second floor will be open for the tour.
Hillcrest was constructed in 1912 by a Clifton Forge businessman, A. O. Surber.
In 1934. Dr. and Mrs. J. M. Emmett moved into the home, followed by his daughter and son in law, Dr. Julia Emmett Edmunds and Dr. Meade C. Edmunds, who lived there until the late 1980s.
Classified as a brick Greek Revival Mansion, this extraordinary home has been tastefully refurbished to its original elegance. Situated at the end of McCormick Street ensures a hilltop location which overlooks the town of Clifton Forge and surrounding mountains. The wrap around front porch further allows visitors to enjoy the view and the mature landscaped grounds welcome all to the home.
Hillcrest is 5,800 square feet, four floors, with seven bedrooms and six full baths.
The home contains striking crystal chandeliers, raised panel wainscoting, original hardwood floors, and a “Gone With the Wind” staircase in the entry foyer. The house has a full basement, and a walk-up attic with a skylight in the center of the attic ceiling.
The current owners, Bruce and Martha Crawford, are working to make Hillcrest a premier bed and breakfast to include six elegant guest rooms.
Recently, the firm crew for the DIY Network show “Salvage Dawgs,” filmed the home for an episode detailing the discovery and retrieval of original and rare artifacts from Hillcrest.
For Christmas, Hillcrest will be decked out in holiday finery with a Christmas forest on the wraparound porch and a hot cocoa bar inside.
1010 Claytor Place
The 1998 ranch home at 1010 Claytor Place is owned by Bonnie and Sammy Mynes. Both are longtime residents of the Alleghany Highlands and were married in the home in 2005.
The theme of their home is “primitive” with many unique prints, sets of pottery and collections. All of these reflect Bonnie’s love of decorating. This year’s theme focuses snowman collection, lights, greenery, and primitive Christmas decor, all in keeping with the Christmas spirit of the season.
Bonnie and Sam are looking forward to sharing their Christmas home and hope the guests will share the “magic” of Christmas with them.
2 Ingalls Circle
Like a scene in a story book, 2 Ingalls Circle is a two story white-sided Colonial-style home with six columns across the front, extending from the roof to the ground level. The background of the green forest completes the overall vision.
A circular driveway in the front leads the visitor to a grey stone walk to a front porch, also of grey stone. There is a smaller duplicate of the front entrance in the rear where a back porch/ patio of grey stone with white columns. This allows visitors to enjoy the beautiful mountain view, and closer up, the well-tended gardens.
Lana Dotson lives at 2 Ingalls Circle in a cul de sac at the end of Ingalls Street.
This home was built in the late 1950s by Mr. and Mrs. H. R. Larrick. John and Lana Dotson bought the house in 1999, and soon after, enclosed the two-car garage into a game room/ den. There are four bedrooms, three and one-half baths, as well as a formal dining room, living room, family room and kitchen.
Both previous owners were avid gardeners and created beautiful flower gardens.
Lana Dotson follows in their footsteps and keeps the gardens active and cultivated. Because of its proximity to the nearby forest, Lana observes a variety of wildlife at any given time. Turkeys, deer, foxes, bears, raccoons, as well as many species of birds visit 2 Ingalls Circle.
Lana Dotson is well known for her decorating at Christmas time and uses various themes each year. One of the outstanding features of the home is the curved railing on the stairway, which will be decorated with garland and lights. The landing will also be decorated with several trees. The entrance hall will feature a large tree decorated in blue and white. The tree in the living room is more traditional with many family ornaments collected over a number of years, along with angels and manger scenes. During the tour, guests will find Santas and Snow Babies in many locations.
961 Ingalls Street
Continuing our storybook journey east on Ingalls Street, we come to 961 Ingalls Street. Solid and secure, this stately brick home is a highlight of Ingalls Street and is owned by Jerry and Judy Clark, long time residents of Clifton Forge and owners of Chartwell Motors on Ridgeway Street.
This Georgian Colonial style home was built in 1968 by Patricia Haymaker and her late husband, Tommy.
There are several interesting features at 961 Ingalls. A lovely curved stairway banister greets visitors in the hallway entrance. The house boasts three fireplaces – one in the formal living room, one in the family room, and one in the basement family room. There are four bedrooms and two full baths upstairs, a full basement with a bedroom and bar, and two half baths.
The bar stools in the basement came from the old Farrar’s Drug Store counter and the sink in the basement bathroom came from the old Jefferson Hotel, which was demolished in the early 1970s.
Longtime owners Dr. and Mrs. Fred Dakermandji, who lived at the residence for 20 years, installed an in-ground pool in the back yard and converted the garage into a living area.
For holiday decorating, the Clarks believe that everything begins and ends with small white and multi-colored lights. “Nothing says Christmas like lots of small twinkling lights.”
Set back from the road, Jerry and Judy’s traditional home is a gem and one of the highlights of the Holiday Tour of homes.
103 Vine Street
Wesgate
Wesgate is a development in Iron Gate and this is where we find 103 Vine Street, the home of Dorothy and Jeff Bartley.
The Bartleys moved to the Alleghany Highlands in 1976 to begin teaching at Alleghany High School where they both still teach. The home at 103 Vine Street was built in the 1960s and the Bartleys have lived there for 20 years. Each of the three floors has a different Christmas theme, with some of the decorations remaining in place throughout the year.
The family room is the site of two Department 56 villages. Dorothy arranges each lighted piece in a way that not only shows off the piece, but creates a sense of community in the village. Non-lighted accessories help to highlight each village.
The family room is also the display area for an eclectic collection of Santas from around the world. A recent addition is a Department 56 Winter Silhouette figurines inherited from her mother.
In the living room we find a 7½-foot Christmas tree decorated with over 500 ornaments, many of which are handmade, including P. Buckley Moss ornaments cross-stitched by Dorothy’s mother. Displayed along with the tree is a collection of snowmen, with several of these animated. A collection of ceramic snowmen can be found in the antique hutch in the living room.
The second floor has another Department 56 village along with a tree featuring miniature ornaments that have been collected over the past 27 Christmases.
There is also a display of porcelain P. Buckley Moss ornaments.
Neu Bleidorn
22765 Botetourt Road
Neu Bleidorn, located at 22765 Botetourt Road, is the home of Skip and Lois McMullan. This home is located about two miles south of Iron Gate, across the road from the head of the James River. Built in 2006 on nine acres with nature all around, this log cabin blends in well with the surrounding area.
The German influence is well represented in the design of the home. Bleidorn Kaserne was the first Army post they were assigned to in West Germany when Skip was serving in the U.S. Army.
“This was the place we started our lives together,” he said.
With many ornaments from Germany found on the nine-foot tree, the tone for Christmas is a very old world experience.
The love of wood and antiques gives the home a rustic charm.
With the shell of the home done by professionals, Skip McMullan was the “general contractor” with Skip and Lois doing all of the interior work. The home is two stories high but very open with the living/dining/kitchen area and master bedroom and bath on the first floor, and office, second bedroom, sitting room and bath on the second floor.
There is a walk out basement. All of the interior woodworking was done by Skip. Most of the artwork was done by Skip, Lois, and their daughters, Ruth and Lee.
Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center
439 Ridgeway Street
This year refreshments will be offered at the Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center, at 439 Ridgeway Street in downtown Clifton Forge. The center was organized in 1983 and first opened its doors in 1984.
It has been an asset to the entire Alleghany Highlands in even more ways than the early organizers could foresee. It continues to present splendid shows by outstanding artists in the gallery, and each year sponsors an artist-in-residence for the benefit of the local school systems.
Its many benefits to the community are difficult to enumerate. Every year it attracts people from every state in the union as well as many foreign countries to this area. This splendid facility continues its programs with only one paid employee, with the remainder of the everyday schedule of activies carried out by volunteers from Clifton Forge, Covington, Alleghany County, Iron Gate, Lexington, and other nearby counties.
The Clifton Forge Woman’s Club invites all guests to come by the Alleg-hany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center for refreshments during the day of the Holiday Homes Tour.
