2019 Candlelight Tour of Homes
Weatherford, Texas December 14, 201 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Tickets $15 for adults and $12 for children 12 and under and seniors 65+
Ticket can be purchased in person at the Doss Heritage and Culture Center and the Weatherford Chamber during regular business hours. Online tickets purchased previously can be picked up on or before Saturday, December 14 at the Doss Center.
405 WEST LEE AVENUE
House Sponsor: Greene’s Florist-Hunter Homes
This house was built in 1902 by W.E. and Eva Richards. Its style is transitional Victorian or in other words a Victorian farmhouse. There is a formal woman’s parlor, a separate men’s parlor, a study, dining room, kitchen and back den area.
The house hosts four bathrooms, two upstairs and two down, four upstairs bedrooms and a laundry room.
There are also four original fireplaces. The dining room has the most ornate fireplace mantle. The tile around three of the fireplaces is original. The last one needed to be replaced because of damage. The four fireplaces were originally designed to burn coal but have been converted to electric fireplaces because of their shallow depth. The house has two chimneys which serve all four fireplaces. An unusual feature of the rooms with the fireplaces is that they have closets built on either side of the fireplace. This is not standard in an older home.

508 SOUTH LAMAR STREET
House Sponsor: Jamie Bodiford - Century 21 Judge Fite Company
Banker W. H. Eddleman built this wood framed Queen Anne house in 1887-1889. The original design featured a three-story tower with steep roof and finial. The estate consisted of out buildings, a servants’ quarters, barn and corrals. W. H. was married to Sarah Conger, and they had one daughter Caroline Aurelia (Carrie) in the fall of 1877. Carrie was married to F. Hays McFarland in the home on June 29,1898.
Dry goods merchant Asa Grant purchased the house in December, 1905 for $7,000. He and his wife Susan Couts Grant lived there until their deaths in 1926. Asa and Susan did not have any children, but in the 1910 census a niece Blossom (Roberta) Putnam lived in the home with them. Concerns over safety motivated the Grant family to remove the tower’s third floor and its steep roof.
In 1931, W.S. Fant purchased the house for his daughter, Mrs. J.P. McFarland II (nee Louise Nevitt Fant) and her family. The McFarland’s remodeled the kitchen and added a bathroom and dressing room. They vastly embellished the yard with Mrs. McFarland’s roses, iris, tulips, and other plantings. The McFarland’s had two children, James Porter and Louise. Ms. Louise never married and lived with her mother and took care of her in her aging years. Their daughter, Louise McFarland, resided in this stately residence until her death in 2007.

ANGEL’S NEST BED & BREAKFAST 1105 PALO PINTO STREET
Location Sponsor: Texas Bank Financial
A delightful surprise awaits the tour goer inside this Queen Anne style home which was built in 1896 for the family of C. D. Hartnett, early day banker and wholesale grocer. A native of Ireland, the family had come to the United States in 1863. In 1880 C.D. came to Weatherford and entered the grocery business with A.F. Starr. From 1894-1904, he was President of the First National Bank. The wholesale grocery company is still in business as C.D. Hartnett Co.
Located high upon a hill west of downtown Weatherford, the four-story mansion appears even greater than its 10,000 plus square feet. The turret reaches from the first floor to the third floor. Given the lofty location, summer breezes kept the home cool when the heat was at its worst. It became known as “Denver” to the guests who were invited to escape the sweltering summers. Keeping the home warm in the winter was the purpose of the five main fireplaces, whose mantels are believed to have been made in Italy. Dividing a portion of the twenty-nine rooms are four sets of ten-foot-tall pocket doors. Several balconies reach out of the home offering multi-directional and spectacular views of Parker County. A wine and root cellar can be reached by a stairway off the pantry. Stained glass windows offer a kaleidoscope of light into many rooms. It is situated on three and one-half landscaped park-like acres. This beautiful home is now the Angels Nest B&B, a place you can stay for the night and hear stories of the Guests Who Never Left.

602 WEST COLUMBIA STREET
House Sponsor: Rosa’s Café
This beautiful style of architecture goes to a late nineteenth-century British social movement. Around the turn of the century, this movement made its way to America. This style of house became in fashion in 1896-1906.
The house on tour is a reproduction of this important transitional style. It was built in 2015 by Bill Crowder who is well known in the Weatherford area for restoring historic homes and building reproductions of historical homes. This home was built to embrace the craftsman style. When you enter the home, you will see a Grinling Gibbons (1700s) carved wooden swag hanging on the wall. A collection of Capodimonte plates with Napoleon’s Seal of the Italian City States can be found in the entry.
The house has beautiful wood floors on the lower level. There is a lovely fireplace with a 1890-1910 mirrored mantel. The kitchen cabinets are shaker in style. The stair case is made of mahogany and has an antique newel post from the 1930s. It not only has a welcoming front porch but also a back balcony. The builder used an extensive collection of antiques architectural materials to create this home which blends beautifully in the historical district. The house lends itself to the gorgeous antique furniture found inside. Many of the piece go back to the late 1700s.
Craftsman style popularity continues because their functionality doubles as an added sense of charm. These homes have become an irreplaceable part of history.

LITTLE HOUSE ANTIQUES 316 DALLAS AVENUE
House Sponsor: Citizens National Bank
According to research, this house built in 1905 by James Wilson is an example of a bungalow. A bungalow home is usually one story with a wood, brick or stone exterior. It typically lacks the ornamental style of its architectural cousin, the Craftsman. These homes can feature a stone chimney, low-profile roof and a covered front porch with a side entrance. The bedroom, bathroom and kitchen are usually laid around a central living space. The material used for the bungalow’s exterior suggested warmth and informality. Clapboard was the most common siding with the wood usually stained or painted a natural shade of brown. The roofs were low shed. A front porch was a quintessential part of the bungalow design. The original design had two front doors.
The outside of the home has remained intact. The windows are original, and most of the hardwood floors were installed in the early 1900s. The kitchen has unique, original wooden cabinets which were painted green. The house had two bedrooms and a small bathroom. Visitors entered the parlor through the second front door.
According to Willa (Webster) Pitchford, her father bought the house in the late 1950s. Mr. H.F. Webster was a baker who baked the wedding cake for the movie Giant. He was a baker at Ferdig’s Bakery which was located at 320 Palo Pinto. The house now has been updated and is a unique antique shop. The Little House Antiques owned by Donna Morgan has many primitive items which are utilitarian: furniture, dish ware, tools and cooking items. Find unusual gift items here which can be purchased.
WEATHERFORD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 204 S. MAIN STREET
Location Sponsor: Remax Trinity
The present church lot was purchased in 1895. The price for the lot was $3,500. L.B. Volk was selected as the architect. The church which is made of Parker County sandstone was erected. The inside of the church has beautiful stained glass windows and a very unique tin ceiling. Construction was completed in 1896. The building cost $8,000 and is regarded as probably the best church building for the money to be found in the state. The church was paid for and dedicated in 1908 and was named the Weatherford Presbyterian Church, U.S. The name has changed several times over the years but has always remained a Presbyterian church. The current Education Building was completed in 1949.
In 1945, lightning struck the tall cupola for the second time. It was at that time the damaged tower was lowered and then replaced by the present-day cupola. The building sat vacant for several years since the 1970s, and by God’s immense grace and providence the name of the church is now Weatherford Presbyterian Church, PCA. This magnificent historic church has been restored; the first service was held in the sanctuary in November 2015.

316 SOUTH LAMAR STREET
House Sponsor: Recaptured Charm
Weatherford banker W.S. Fant built this Greek Revival style house in 1890, attempting to duplicate the architectural style found in his native state of South Carolina.
It features a raised front wrap around porch on the east and south with balanced columns. The house retains its original beaded board ceilings, wainscoting, and hardwood floors.
The house had been vacant and neglected for 25 years when the first restoration began. Everything about this house is true to the 1890s Greek Revival style. The craftsmanship is apparent in every detail: from the trim around every door, to the soaring 13 feet beadboard ceilings and transom windows. The elegant stair case welcomes visitors to the home.
The house was sold in 1893 to John Whitlow. The house remained mostly vacant after Mary Whitlow’s departure. In 1985, Robert Gage bought the house and added the upstairs.
In January 2008, the house caught fire and was severely damaged. However, the home was purchased, restored and once again stands proudly among its historic neighbors along Lamar Street.

902 SOUTH WACO STREET
House Sponsor: PlainsCapital Bank
This house was built by William T. Ivy and his wife Emma Nash Ivy when they moved to Weatherford from Louisiana. This beautiful home was built in 1889. The Ivy’s lived together in this home with their three children until their deaths in 1915 and 1916. Mr. Ivy had been in the mercantile business and had acquired extensive farm property before his move to Texas. Mr. Ivy was one of the original owners of the Carter Ivy Hardware. The building still stands on North Main Street.
The house was designed as a colonial style home with columns and a wrapped around porch on a corner lot. The most obvious attribute of a colonial home is its symmetry. Colonial-style homes normally have a square or rectangle shape, with the door located in the exact center and the same number of windows reflected perfectly on either side. When you enter the house through an original front door with a transom, you will be in the updated living area. The house has been updated, but many original features remain. The house has massive rooms with the original hardwood floors which have been recently refinished. There are large windows and crown molding throughout the home.
There is a second door on the side of the porch which leads to the original parlor. There is a beautiful fireplace with peach colored tile and an oak mantel.
The house has been remodeled over the last 140 years and the kitchen brings in a modern twist.

PARKER COUNTRY COURTHOUSE 1 COURTHOUSE SQUARE
Location Sponsor: Alamo Title
The Parker County Courthouse is the fourth such building to serve the citizens of Parker County. The first was a wooden building of rough pine lumber brought from Red River County. The 18 x 31 building was built in 1856 and was located on the north side of the Square. The 2nd Court house built in 1856 was made of brick fired in Weatherford. An all-night dance celebrated its completion. Early on May 13, 1874, the courthouse burned consuming all deeds, wills, probated and marriage records. Arson was determined to be the cause, but no charges were ever filed. Local buildings were used as the courthouse until completion of the third official Courthouse in 1879. It too burned on March 1, 1884 under questionable circumstances, but most records were retrieved.
The fourth and current courthouse was dedicated in 1886 at a cost of $55,555.55. The French Second Empire building was created with limestone quarried from Parker County. The three story limestone building is visually divided into five bays; the end and central bays are projecting and feature stone pilasters at their corners. The second-story windows are tall and arched and the roof line features bracketing around the eaves. The red shingle roof has two mansards atop the ends and a three-story tower in the center. Each piece features dormers and widow’s walk; the tower has louvers. A clock was placed on its upper story. The Seth Thomas clock was installed in 1897 at a cost of $975. In 1964, the Courthouse was awarded a Texas historical marker.
PYTHIAN HOME 1825 EAST BANKHEAD DRIVE
The Knights of Pythias begin construction of this unique Spanish style structure in 1907. The doors opened March 1, 1909, as a residence for widows and orphans. The Pythian Home was self-sustaining with housing gardens, a dairy, orchard and livestock on its 164-acre lot which allowed the home to provide trade learning opportunities for its residents. The home also housed a school until the 1970s. It originally served students from all over Parker County. The Home no longer serves widows and orphans but does provide temporary out of the home placement for children from families in need. The Pythian home also has a unique gift shop open to the public- don’t miss this.

CHANDOR GARDENS 711 WEST LEE AVENUE
Location Sponsor: Parker County Today Magazine
Chandor Gardens, a five-acre estate, was the home and studio of English born portrait painter Douglas Chandor and his wife Ina. Born in 1897 and trained at the Slade School in London, Chandor came to the United States in 1926. He continued a successful career as a portrait painter for wealthy financiers, industrialists, politicians, educators and other prominent people.

DOSS HERITAGE AND CULTURAL CENTER
1400 TEXAS DRIVE
Location Sponsor: Kimberly Benge Photography
Parker County’s rich tapestry of cattle barons and cowboys, Broadway stars, and political leaders is showcased in state-of-the-art exhibit spaces. The Doss Center opened in 2006. The 23,000 square foot center is available for the world to enjoy the rich history and culture of the area.
On exhibition at the Doss is “The Life and Times of Texas Icon, Charles Goodnight” by artist Lee Cable sponsored by the Susan Kathleen Black Foundation. The exhibition including twelve original oil paintings and twelve preliminary sketches is an exploration of colorful Texas history of one of the iconic characters of the trail driving era that is so rooted in Parker County history.
In addition, the Doss will have activities for children and families at Heritage Christmas from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., and Pioneer Cabin Park will be open to the public (weather permitting) allowing guests to get a sneak peek at the log cabins being restored at the museum.