History of Magnolia House Bed and Breakfast

The house was built in 1903 and originally owned by the Duerr family, Edward Samuel Duerr and Elizabeth Umstead Duerr. They owned the home until their deaths. In the 1950s, the house got its second owner, John Burlingame, who was and is a building contractor in the town. He completed several renovations to the house to make it his self-made "showplace of New Martinsville". When the house changed hands again in the 1970s, it was then owned by a local businessman by the name of Robert Corace. He was an avid tree fancier and is responsible for the various types of trees on the property. He and his wife lived in the house until they died. The house sat empty for about five years while the family decided what should become of the house. The decision was made to sell in 2000 and once again began a remodeling process.

New Martinsville, West Virginia was established in 1836, with the classically Victorian architecture of the day. New Martinsville bears the marks of a town which had its beginnings when transportation was anything but easy, so the "moneyed" people lived closest to downtown. As a result, the big beautiful Victorian homes are in the downtown region. New Martinsville was quite the business center in the area. The old pictures of the downtown show an impressive row of big buildings bustling with opportunity. As with many old Victorian towns, it is close to the water and, at that time, the town boasted a residential avenue commonly called High Street. In the early days, as the name would suggest, High Street was the farthest away from the river and the highest street at that point in the town. As the town grew towards the north, northeast, High Street was lengthened and other "higher"streets were created and named. The name of High Street was eventually changed to Maple Ave, another common name not far away from the proverbial Main Street. Maple Ave became the primary residential street in New Martinsville.

As mentioned above, the home was built in 1903, one of a cluster of homes at the north end of Maple Ave built by the Duerr family . The owners, Edward Samuel Duerr and Elizabeth Umstead Duerr were both from prominent families in the town of New Martinsville. The Umstead family residence was at the south end of Maple Ave. Thankfully, Ed lived a full life and died of old age, while Bess was taken by cancer. I was fortunate one afternoon to have Fred Duerr, grandson of the original owner of the home, Ed Duerr, knock on my front door. From Fred and his wife Claire, I have gotten the sense about the house that I had been looking for to understand why the house has such a warmth about it. So I will return to the subject of Bess and Ed later in the writing. When John Burlingame bought the house, he recalls that the house was in poor condition when he bought it as the Duerrs were probably too frail and ill to maintain it. In the 1960s, the house underwent renovations that included structural changes, including enlarging the "south parlor" which engulfed part of the front porch and taking with it the two brick pillars at the south end of the porch. The large master bedroom was created by removing a wall and combining two rooms. Perhaps to accommodate this,the partial dividing wall between the north parlor and the dining room was moved slightly east,enlarging the size of the north parlor. The kitchen was enlarged and remodeled, which engulfed part of the back porch. A hidden pantry still exists behind the refrigerator in the Butler's pantry, keeping the secret of Bess' kitchen. Central air was added and carpeting was added throughout the house. The fireplace mantels were altered to the marble in the living room and brick in the study that is now present. The garage and driveway were also added. In addition, the house on the lot south of the Magnolia House was dismantled and the lot was purchased and added to the property. Elegant decorations were chosen with exquisite additions such as importing the marble on the fireplace in the north parlor from Italy.

A local businessman named Robert Corace acquired the home in the 1970s. He has often been described to me as a big man with a big voice and big personality to match. A long time resident of New Martinsville has said to me that she used to love to go see him because there was always so much going on and he had so many interests. He also raised his own grapes and fermented his own wine. His wife died first and then he died several years later. The house sat idle for five years or so while the family decided what should be done with the home. When the decision was made to sell it, I used to sit on my porch and watch the steady stream of prospective buyers flow through the house. Many people have been very curious or perhaps even have coveted the house for many years. A few months went by and my husband and I decided to buy and turn it into a Bed and Breakfast so that more people could appreciate the exquisite Victorian homes in charming and scenic New Martinsville.

The Magnolia House was a dark green color initially,as were many of the homes at that time. It was changed to a lighter shade of green, then a combination of green on the bottom and white on the top. Then the house was painted completely white.

Fred recalls having the normal excitement that children have about going to their grandparents' house, especially during holidays and the summer. He recalls the fun he and his brother had in the house because they considered it huge and with its three stories, it had many nooks and crannies to explore. Those nooks and crannies most certainly contained treasures. The third floor was the best place to play because it had losts of closets and trunks to look in. Fred was never afraid in the house because it was a friendly house and Grandma and Grandaddy didn't care if you touched things. Also, with such a happy house, there were always people visiting. And of course, the pantry contained yummy snacks.

Fred called his grandparents Grandma Bess and Grandaddy Ed. They called him "Freddy". Elizabeth Umstead and Edward Samuel Duerr were formal people, always dressing as though they were going out to church. Grandaddy Ed always wore a hat when out and Grandma Bess always wore dresses. At home with their family, the frequent hang-out for Ed and Bess was the south parlor. I can understand why because after my husband and I completed redecorating the house, the south parlor is where we like to sit with a fire in the fireplace. When company came, all were driven into the north parlor to find more room. In stark contrast to today, conversation was the activity in the parlors, covering a wide range of subjects from politics to reading of the classic books, to town activities. The radio was also frequent entertainment. In the summertime, probably many a community and world problem was solved on the porch of 757 Maple Ave. Bess had a sister named Lena, who had married a man by the name of John Martin (You will find a street in the town named John Martin Ave.). When John Martin died,Lena came to live at 757 Maple Ave with Bess and Ed. Freddy Duerr remembers Bess and Lena tending to the cooking and the kitchen themselves.

The warmest remembrance Fred related to me was what a special time holidays were in the house. His family lived in Pittsburgh, but they would drive down to see Grandma Bess and Grandaddy Ed most usually on Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. The Christmas visit was usually after Christmas. Fred's family bought a live Christmas tree each year, balled in burlap and decorated it for their own holiday. When the Christmas tree was taken down each year, it was driven to 757 Maple Ave and planted in the north side yard. Occasionally, Fred's family went for Thanksgiving, where there might be 16 to 20 people gathered for the meal. The most special story of all is the Easter holiday. Fred remembers this clearly and I can understand why. For Easter, both Fred and his brother had Easter strings with their names on them. These strings were run everywhere through the house and even out in the yard. Fred and his brother followed their own string wherever it led through the house or outside, leading them to whatever goodies along the way were to be their very own.

Fred can remember Grandaddy Ed walking them down to the river and then around town. Ed wasn't a game player so he didn't play games with his grandsons. Summer activities include the Regatta boat races, which are still run today. Fred and his brother also swam in Bruce Pool, also still in operation. Fred remembers large oak barister bookcases, containing scads of books, filling the second floor hallway.

Fred tried to give me a mental picture of his grandparents. They probably sound like someone that you have met before, too. Bess was a very gracious lady. She had long white hair which she kept tied up in a bun in the back. Fred brought his girlfriend Claire to the house to meet Bess. Claire, who would later become Fred's wife, found Bess very easy to talk to. Fred can't recall ever seeing them angry. The Duerr tailor shop was closed so Grandaddy Ed was already retired when Fred knew him the best. Grandaddy Ed was a homebody. He might go to Pittsburgh for a day then he was ready to go home. Fred can't recall that they ever owned a car. Ed and Bess walked everywhere they wanted to go and somebody drove them to other places. They simply loved their own home and they loved New Martinsville. Fred recalls that Bess and Lena had a garden in the back with peonies and roses. Fred recalls that the sink in the Butler's pantry was made from lead sheets. There was an oak sideboard in the kitchen and above it hung a pastel picture of wrapped and unwrapped lemons. Bess Umstead painted that picture. It is still in its original frame and matting and is hanging in Fred's living room.

My husband and I used to wonder at the home while it sat idle. There was something very warm and inviting about its appearance. I used to walk around the grounds of the home and marvel at the south side stained glass windows and the large open porch. I peeked through the windows and was impressed by the decorative staircase. When I went inside the first time, I was a little daunted by the outdated decorations, but there was something very cozy and captivating about being there, in spite of its large size. It had enormous potential to provide a "welcome home" feeling for a weary traveler.

By Susan Strausser, Owner 2000 - 2009