Home tours would bore me, growing up.  I wanted to be outside, running pell mell here and there, or at least in one of my little nooks or crannies in the woods or on one of the hill tops near our house.  Gradually, though, I came to value the connection between homes and their attendant gardens and yards.  My fascination with the Story of Man had a lot to do with this.

On  May 3, I joined a day long tour of several Victorian and Edwardian homes, near downtown Prescott.  The city has done a fine job of creating Historic Districts, of which there are five.  Private enterprise has done the rest- and the Prescott Downtown Partnership offered an excellent Open House, with nine properties highlighted, that day.

Here is a look at these, which I originally intended to post yesterday, Mother’s Day, before life intervened, in the form of Death.

I stopped first at the Marks House.  The area of Union Street on which it, and three other historic homes, are located is called Nob Hill, a somewhat pretentious reference to the eponymous neighbourhood of San Francisco.  Marks House was owned by Jake Marks, a colourful rancher and miner of the 1890’s.

Marks House was built in the Queen Anne style, which meant a turret was part of the design.

Here is a scene from inside the residence.  The copper tub is unique to this house, among Union Street domiciles, anyway.

The framed photos of Jake and his wife bid visitors hello and goodbye.

The manicured back yard favoured croquet tournaments.

I meandered next over to C.A. Peter House, now a vacation rental.  It is remarkably well-maintained.

Hand-painted wallpaper evokes the spirit of Prescott’s mine baron heyday.

A handsome settee was useful for those who were winded by climbing the steps to the house, or by exploring all three of its well-appointed floors.

Steam heat was a must, from the 1880’s right up until the mid- 1960’s.

Decorative art alludes to the growing connections between the Mountain West, and the rest of the world, including China.

Mr. Peter enjoyed a fabulous view of the Sierra Prieta, to the southwest.

In the second of three installments, I will look at Henry Goldwater House, and at a few other locales, including Prescott’s most prestigious Bed and Breakfast.