“Improving The Community One Project At A Time” PO Box 117 -  Alderson W Va.  24910 Made with Xara © Alderson Main Street 2013 TWO DOCTOR’S HOUSES ON ALDERSON CHRISTMAS HOMES TOUR: Among the houses on the Christmas Homes Tour in Alderson on Sunday, December 4 from 1-5 p.m. are two  houses built for doctors around the turn of the 20th century. Doctors O. P. Argabrite and Charles F. Mahood both practiced medicine in the early 1900’s in Alderson. Dr. Mahood was born in Fayette County where he received his early education. He was graduated from the  University College of Medicine (now the Medical College of Virginia) in 1901. He married Mary Marguerite  Connor of Greenbrier County in 1903. He first practiced medicine in Oak Hill and came to Alderson in 1907. He specialized in diseases of the eye, ear,  nose, and throat in addition to practicing general medicine. He served in World War I as a surgeon in the eye  departments of military camps and was honorably discharged. Dr. and Mrs. Mahood’s house is an American Foursquare style house with Victorian details built circa 1902. It  features stone trim and once had a carriage lane leading from Maple Avenue past the house to the carriage  house in the rear. A local story about Dr. Mahood tells that he drove a car but either did not know how to back  up or was not confident of his skill. His carriage house had a door in the front and one in the back so he could  drive in the front and straight out the back into the alley without backing up! Now occupied by Sam and Dr. Pixote McClung, the decorations on this property will include a larger than life  size nativity scene on the lawn. Inside, the large Christmas tree will be trimmed with ribbon and toys as well as  other decorations. The true meaning of Christmas will shine through in every room. Dr. Argabrite was born in Greenbrier County and he was graduated from Allegheny Collegiate Institute in  Alderson in 1901. He was graduated from the University of Maryland in Baltimore in 1907 with a degree of  Doctor of Medicine. He joined the practice of Dr. Beard in Alderson from 1907 to 1910 before establishing a  practice of his own which he continued in various locations for 40 years. He married Mary Johnson Feamster in  1907. She passed away in 1910 and he married Clella Motteshed in 1911. They were later divorced and he  remarried for a third time. Dr. and Mrs. Argabrite are likely to have contacted the architectural firm of J. H. Daverman & Son after seeing  advertisements for their house plans in popular magazine of the day such as Ladies Home Journal. The  architect’s drawings which they received have an extra wall penciled in to enclose the Doctor’s office.  This house, built in 1908 by Preston Bond Patton, represents the era during which house plans were first mass  marketed to the general public through popular magazines. It was built just as Sears & Roebuck and other  companies were taking mass marketing one step further by selling the plans and all the materials together. The Queen Ann Cottage style is marked by the use of the turreted tower roof; the curved roof and floor of the  front porch; the leaded glass upper sash windows; the asymmetrical plan; and the use of different siding  materials. Now the property of David and Margaret Hambrick, the Argabrite House was placed on the National Register of  Historic Places in 2009 for its contribution to architecture. It will be decorated in both Victorian and more  modern Christmas style. The most unique tree will be found in the western themed powder room where it  seems that a cowboy draped pieces of his outfit on the tree before he took his yearly bath. The other houses on the tour will be featured in another article. Other activities in Alderson on Sunday, December 4 from 1-5 will be a model train show at City Hall; a bazaar, a  $5 soup, sandwich, and dessert lunch, and the music of a famous local choir at the Johnson Memorial United  Methodist Church; and shopping. The $10 tickets for the Christmas Homes Tour will be available starting at  12:30 p.m. at the Historic 1896 C&O Depot. This event is sponsored by Alderson Main Street and the proceeds  will go toward Main Street Projects.