The McClure house, formerly known as the Charles Edward “Buzzy” Duerr home, is one of the houses in ArtsLink’s annual Holiday Home Tour on Dec. 4, 2-5 p.m.

Six homes to be featured in the annual ArtsLink Holiday Home Tour, scheduled for 2-5 p.m., Dec. 4, have been revealed and they will take the visitors back into time. (The home of Fred and Carolyn Goddard was added to the tour after the ArtsLink newsletter went to press.) Cost of the tour is $10. Participants can pay for their tickets at the Francis Creative Arts Center that day and receive directions to all of the sites. The Francis Creative Arts Center, located at the corner of Maple Avenue and Washington Street in downtown New Martinsville, will also host an exhibit of the needlework of Susan Poling during tour hours on Dec. 4. According to Tina Neil, ArtsLink Exhibits chairperson, “Susan Poling is a most enthusiastic quilter; her needlepoint is meticulous and her style, colors, and designs most unusual. The more original she can be, the happier she is.”

The McClure house, formerly known as the Charles Edward “Buzzy” Duerr home, located on the corner of Maple Avenue and Parkway, is the oldest of the houses visitors will see and it features semblances of a time when wealthy families like the Duerr family built stately homes on “The Avenue.”

“This home is a real gem,” said Fran Caldwell, house tour chair. “Still remaining in the home are unique chandeliers that are half electric and half gas, a symbol of status for local people.” Also unique is a stained glass keyhole located on the Parkway side of the house. “Remaining in the house are an original bed and dresser,” Caldwell said.

The Roberta Robinson farmhouse on Rt. 7 just west of the intersection with Rt. 20, on the left side of the road when traveling east, is a very old farmhouse with sheep grazing in the pasture across the way.

The Ina Robinson house on Martin Avenue dates to the 1920s. Martin Avenue is another of the streets that retains the ambience of an earlier time.

Northgate, which arose out of the development of the PPG Natrium plant, will be represented by the home of Fred and Carolyn Goddard on Fairview Drive. Although built in the 1960s, little remains of the original structure. Extensively remodeled, it features an eye-catching back porch with a cathedral ceiling.

Two beautiful homes on Fifth Street Extension complete the list. Wanda Springston Shepard and Janet Berger, whose homes date back to the 1960’s, will open their homes for the tour.

The Berger home was designed by Gene Berger and features a large front door and a bow window in the dining room. The Springston-Shepard home was built by James Springston, who went on the build many homes in New Martinsville. All of the cabinets and the bedroom suites were handmade.

ArtsLink’s house tour is one of the organization’s fund raising activities that shows the arts in another fashion-architecture and home decor.

ArtsLink, the arts council of Wetzel and Tyler counties, is dedicated to fostering and sustaining the rich artistic resources that are essential to the communities it serves and to making the arts accessible to all. While the tour homes are not necessarily handicapped accessible, most other activities are. Persons who may need assistance can contact ArtsLink at 304-455-2278. More information about ArtsLink and the ArtsLink Holiday Home Tour is available from the above telephone number, by e-mailing artslink@artslinkwv.org, or by visiting the ArtsLink Web site at www.artslinkwv.org.