2024 Abingdon Historic Homes Tour
Abingdon Historic Homes Tour
Saturday, August 3, 10am-4pm Tickets: $25 Downtown Abingdon
Abingdon prides itself on its well-preserved downtown historic district and its commitment to historic preservation. Tour the interiors of a variety of the best preserved Federal, Victorian, and early 20th century houses and buildings in Virginia, all within walking distance downtown.
Tour the houses of perhaps the wealthiest man in the United States in 1810, a 19th-century hotel converted into an elegant home, and the former President’s House at Stonewall Jackson College. .
Nine magnificent structures are featured in this year’s line-up.
Ticket Purchasing Options:
Purchase tickets online or at
Shady Business during the month of July (180 East Main St.).
Also available day of the tour at 242 Grove Terrace or at Shady Business.
*Even if you have purchased a ticket online, you must pick up the printed house guide and
map to the houses at Shady Business or 242 Grove Terrace on the day of the tour.
242 Grove Terrace
In the 1890s, several businessmen formed the Grove Land Company with ambitious plans to build an extensive development. Grove Terrance and parts of Bradley Street are the remnants of that planned development. Built in 1924, this house is an “American Foursquare” or a “Prairie Box,” one of the most famous house styles in America from the early 20th century. The house is notable for its original woodwork as seen in its floors, window trim, and doors. It has recently been restored by Chris and Jessica Gotwalt, in a British library style, with fun wallpaper choices, dark wall colors, and cozy nooks.
The Walnut Grove-Yeary Cabin
(On Plumb Alley behind 171 East Main St.)
The Walnut Grove-Yeary Cabin, a re-creation of an early Appalachian homestead, is an authentic representation of what was common to pioneer life in this region from the late 1700s until the early 1900s. This “Village Homestead” is surrounded by split rail fencing of American chestnut and includes two log cabins (circa 1860s) connected by a “dog trot,” an outdoor bread oven, century-old bee gums, a blacksmith shop, an outhouse, a portable gristmill, and horse-drawn farm equipment. Emmitt Yeary is the creator and owner of this “Homestead.”
133 East Main Street
This brick townhouse, known as Marcella, was built in 1845 by the Rev. Phillip Rohr, a Methodist minister. The original house consisted of two rooms downstairs and two above. Its later additions to the rear added additional rooms, including a kitchen and dining room. Though built as a home, over the years it was also used for businesses, including a hat shop, a doctor’s office, and the Town Library. In the early 1980s, it was purchased and fully restored by Anne and Gene Worrell. It is currently the home of Betsy and Ramsey White
136 East Main Street
Two versions of the Sinking Spring Presbyterian Church were built in the 1770s on the site of the present-day Sinking Spring Cemetery. The third building was where Barter Theatre is today. The fourth and current building was built with semi-circular pews in a raked design--and was dedicated in 1851. The intricately carved “12 Apostles’ Doors” were designed and carved by Dr. Richard Taylor, a minister at the church in the 1960s and 70s. The church recently celebrated its 250th anniversary.
171 East Main Street
Wealthy merchant Colonel James White had this Federal-style house built in 1819. It was partially burned in December 1864 during the Civil War and later restored by Col. White’s son, who added the Italianate brackets under the roof eaves, an architectural feature seen on several Main Street homes. Attached to the main house is a brick structure consisting of several rooms originally used as servants’ working and living quarters. Many original furnishings remain in the home. Emmitt Yeary is the current owner.
228 East Main St.
During the 1780s, this lot housed a dwelling, a log tavern, and then an ordinary, run by Fincastle Sterrett, an emancipated slave once owned by William King. The Washington House, Abingdon’s first hotel, was built in 1835 by Thomas Findlay, serving stagecoach and other business travelers, as well as housing professional offices. During the early 20th century, a meat market and a hat shop were located on the first level. It is currently owned by Byrum Geisler, who fully restored and renovated it to include his residence on the upper floors and two businesses on the ground level.
208 West Main Street
James Fields, a building contractor who also operated a brick kiln and factory, built the house in 1858. The house has an attractive blend of Greek revival details, such as the horizontal lintels above the windows and the side-and-transom light doorway, and the Italianate features, such as the shallow-hipped roof and the deeply bracketed cornice. A second owner was George E. Penn, who came to Abingdon from Danville as a tobacco merchant, but later became a lawyer. The Town of Abingdon has recently done extensive renovations and opened the house as the town’s Visitors Center.
238 Barter Drive
This brick residence was formerly the President’s House for Stonewall Jackson College (1915-1932) whose buildings still stand farther up Barter Drive. It was built in 1921 on the site of the antebellum mansion Carpet Hill. Privately owned since 1945, it has been the family home of Bob and Stella Gilmer since 1984. In addition to its gracious and large living areas, special features include a split staircase, an early mantel, and a new master suite. Of horticultural interest is one of Virginia’s few old slippery elm trees located near the front of the house.
150 West Main Street
For the first time in a generation, there will be guided tours of the Martha Washington Inn & Spa during the annual Abingdon Historic Homes tour. Preston Hall was originally built in 1832 by General Francis Preston, who in addition to a military career, served in Congress and the Virginia General Assembly. Mrs. Preston was the niece of Patrick Henry. The original home consisted of two stories over an English basement. The original house had a low-hipped roof and dormer windows and was capped with a widow’s walk and balustrade. The original octagonal shape created by the east and west wings reflected the Federal style’s fondness for shapes other than square or rectangular. It was the grandest house in western Virginia when it was built.
In the 1850s it became an upscale girls’ school, Martha Washington College, affiliated with the Methodist Church. As a college, many modifications had to be made. The college struggled during the Great Depression and had to close in 1932. Falling into neglect and disrepair, the building housed Barter actors until it made a transition to a hotel in the late 1930s. It has been extensively renovated and has changed ownership several times until today it is the Martha Washington Inn & Spa, one of a select few 4-Diamond hotels in Virginia. Guided tours of many lavishly furnished public and private rooms and exterior features of the Inn will be every 30 minutes, beginning at 10:30am. Each group will consist of approximately 15 people. Visitors check in and gather on the front porch. There will be refreshments on the porch all day long provided by the Inn.
