Fulton Heritage Fund to host annual tour of historic homes

This corner of David and Beth McDaniel's home at 826 Court St. used to have a fireplace - the source of a 1940 fire that destroyed the original interior. David McDaniel said the couple spent 10 months restoring the home from its 1940s modernization to its original floor plan. He said one of the main features of the home is the wood flooring, as well as the woodwork.
This corner of David and Beth McDaniel's home at 826 Court St. used to have a fireplace - the source of a 1940 fire that destroyed the original interior. David McDaniel said the couple spent 10 months restoring the home from its 1940s modernization to its original floor plan. He said one of the main features of the home is the wood flooring, as well as the woodwork.

David and Beth McDaniel spent the better part of a year restoring their home at 826 Court St. to its original floor plan.

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Jim Van and Amanda Nolen

On Dec. 3, all of that hard work will be on display when their home will be one of five houses featured in the Fulton Heritage Fund's 13th Annual Victorian Christmas in Fulton home tour.

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From 5:30-7 p.m., area residents are invited into the McDaniels' home, as well as homes at 203 E. Ninth St. and 302, 306 and 307 E. Fifth St. The tour also includes a concert from the choirs of Second Christian Church at the church, located at 401 St. Louis Ave. Tickets are $10 and are available at the Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society, Cornerstone Antiques and the Auto World Museum.

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"(We had been asked before, and) we just decided to do it this year," David McDaniel said of the decision to include their home on this year's tour. "Our house was built by W. Ed Jameson, and was in the Jameson family until we bought it."

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Rachel Cousino, Scott and Sarah Hudson

After a fire in 1942, the house had been remodeled and modernized, but McDaniel said he and his wife wanted to return it to its original design - which is part of the reason they purchased the home in the first place.

"(We bought it) when we found the plans of what it looked like before the fire, and because of the location on Court Street," McDaniel said. "We ended up redoing most of the woodwork and restoring the floors. They had removed 16 windows, we had to put the turret back in, we renovated the siding on the outside and put the porch back on - basically we put everything back the way it was before.

"The biggest part took 10 months. We're still doing stuff all the time."

He said the interior woodwork and the restored wood floors likely will be of most interest to those taking the tour.

McDaniel said he is looking forward to the tour and "having everything in tip-top shape" for visitors.

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.