The Buchanan Town Improvement Society will hold its Annual Christmas Home Tour on Sunday, December 8 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Four homes in the Buchanan area, decorated for Christmas, will be open to the public. Three of the homes are over 100 years old, one of which is nearly 200. Visitors may end their tour with holiday refreshments at the historic 1839 Wilson Warehouse in Buchanan. Tickets are $20 per person (cash, check or Venmo) and are available at any home on the tour or in advance at Austin Electrical Construction, 17566 Main Street, Buchanan.
Homes on the tour are:
Wheatland Manor – The Kelly and Robert Dye Home
2094 Wheatland Road, Buchanan
Wheatland Manor is one of the most historic homes in Botetourt County. Long in need of renovation, owners Kelly and Robert Dye began extensive work in 2023 with an eye towards preserving the original architectural beauty. Built in 1827 in the Federal Style with a Greek Revival porch, the home features 11 rooms. The original main house lower level has 10-1/2 feet ceilings, and upper level has 9-1/2 feet ceilings. There is only one staircase in the house. Look for numerous Christmas trees throughout the home, each with a different theme. The home sits on 72 acres.
From Rt. 11, approximately two miles. From Fincastle, take Springwood Road, turn on Wheatland Road, and proceed approximately 2-1/2 mile.s
The Melinda and Michael Amos Home
16620 Lee Highway, Buchanan
The home was built in 1986. Melinda and Michael Amos have owned the home since May 2023. The spacious home incorporates beautiful traditional design elements among its 12 rooms. Featured for the holidays are numerous Christmas trees and many other unique decorations. The Amos home is situated on 38 acres with spectacular mountain views all around.
On Rt. 11, approximately 1-1/2 miles north of North Star Restaurant, on the right.
The House of Montgomery – The Lyn and Seth Mowles Home
16414 Lee Highway, Buchanan
The home has been in the Montgomery family for five generations, most recently under the care of Seth and Lyn Montgomery Mowles. The home was built in the early 1900s using bricks that were made on-site. Seth and Lyn have renovated the home reusing as many materials as possible such as the 10-inch baseboards, doors, window and door trim. The home features seven rooms in addition to a widow’s walk that has been enclosed and two enclosed porches. The front door features the original carved wood, and includes the metal mechanical twist doorbell. The covered side porch sits above an old cistern with the old tin roof covering the ceiling. As the home’s tin roof was replaced, Seth and Lyn were able to reinstall the original lightning rods including the glass balls, each of which are unique. The home sits on 32 acres.
On Rt. 11 just north of North Star Restaurant, on the right.
James River View – The Gail and Pat Jasper Home
95 Pattonsburg Lane, Buchanan
Overlooking the James River, the home was built in 1837 of handmade, over-sized, sun-dried bricks molded of the clay from the hillside behind the house. Handmade nails, wooden pegs and river mud mortar hold the house together. There are two rooms on each of the three floors. Walls are five bricks thick at the base of the house and gradually change to three bricks thick at the roofline. The beams were cut from local trees and are 18 inches thick. Some beams still have the bark and knots of the original trees. There are three fireplaces. One was used on the first floor as a cooking fireplace, and each of the two second floor rooms, dining room and parlor, have English-style coal burning fireplaces with baskets for the coal. The two rooms on the third floor were family sleeping rooms with windows on either side for cross ventilation. The house was built on 30 acres.
Cross the Rt. 11 bridge north from downtown Buchanan. Make the first right, then first left onto Pattonsburg Lane.
Photos courtesy of Buchanan TIS
Final stop on the tour, the Wilson Warehouse
421 Lowe Street, Buchanan
Included in the tour admission price, after touring, visitors are invited to the Wilson Warehouse for holiday refreshments and to enjoy the Christmas decorations and elegance of this historic building which was constructed in 1839 as a combined store, warehouse and private residence. All of the rooms retain their original woodwork, floors, fireplaces and mantels.
~ Fincastle Herald staff report
