Why travel to Charleston for a holiday tour of homes?

The Elloree Heritage Museum & Cultural Center will sponsor a tour of some of the region’s most elegant homes lavishly decorated for the holidays on Sunday, Dec. 7. Participants will have the opportunity to view personal collections and unique Christmas decorating ideas for both inside and outside the house.

Featured in the tour are the homes of Karen and Jim Roquemore in Cameron, Blanche and Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers in Bowman, Penny and Bill Summers in Cameron, Laura and Bill Spiers in Cameron, and Carolyn and Gary Dietrich in Cameron. Light refreshments will be served at the Roquemore home.

Melrose, the Summerses’ home, was built by John Jacob Ulmer in 1757 on Four Holes Swamp. The house was inherited by his son, George Jacob, who moved it near its present location in 1836. After the Civil War, it was sold to Dr. Jacob Washington Summers and has been in the Summers family for four generations.

The original “dog trot,” which once ran the length of the house to carry the cool breezes, was enclosed in the 1969 restoration. Melrose was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

The Weatherses’ home in Bowman was built in 1917 on land that has been farmed by the same family for four generation. It is believed to be a king’s land grant to the Shuler family, which is Hugh’s grandmother’s family.

Built as a one-story farmhouse by Hugh’s great-grandfather, John Lawrence Shuler, for his sharecropper, no one in the family lived in the house until the couple purchased it from the family and remodeled it in 1983. In 1991, the Weatherses engaged architect Bill Clark of Santee to redesign the house. The Victorian hip roof was removed, and a second story was added to the house with a gable roof, giving it a more Georgian look.

The home features several pieces of hand-built mahogany furniture. A handsome buffet in the entrance hall was built by a great uncle, and a reproduction knife box was handcrafted by Blanche’s father. The dining room ceiling is painted with a tromp l’oeil by Blanche’s artist cousin, Susannah Gramling Hubble of Charleston. There is also a watercolor in the dining room by Hubble.

The living room is home to an oil painting of the Weathers boys by Ann Aul. A framed Order of Secession, signed by Hugh’s maternal great-grandfather, John Gill Landrum, hangs in the front hall.kmsz

A special feature of the Weathers’ Christmas décor is the living room tree, which is adorned with handmade satin and jeweled Christmas balls created by Blanche’s grandmother. There is also a pastel portrait of Santa Claus, the story being that Santa may have sat for it himself.

Laura and Bill Spiers bought their property, formerly owned by the Tilley family, in 1993 because it is close to family land. Although they lived just down the road, they always wanted to build in this location. Bill enjoyed hunting there, and both of their families farmed surrounding areas. The home, in colonial revival farmhouse-style with Greek revival influence, was designed by a family friend, architect Warren Propst of Southern Classic Design in Columbia. The home was built by Dean Williams of DWCI and decorated by another family friend, Cindy Wynkoop of Griffin Interiors of Greenville.

The Spierses moved into their home in March 2006. Laura grew up in a painted white brick home of her parents, Jean and the late Everett Gasque of Elloree, and she knew from the beginning that was what she wanted. Although husband Bill questioned the degree of maintenance, he soon gave in to his wife’s wishes. Laura says the best compliment she receives on their home is that it feels so warm and friendly and is a great place to entertain family and loved ones.

Guests will enjoy touring Bill’s study with his baseball memorabilia and hunting trophies. Laura gave Bill a large painting by Houston artist Opie Otterstead depicting Bill in action on the baseball field. The artist is well known for painting many athletes from a variety of sports.

Laura and Bill are especially proud of their dining room table and chairs. The table belonged to Bill’s maternal grandmother, who is from Edgefield. The dining room chairs are heirlooms of Laura’s paternal grandmother, Mary Catherine Price of Elloree.

Guests who visit the home after dark on the night of the Tour of Homes will appreciate how lovely the lights are reflecting off the pond that sits in front of the home.

The Dietrichs’ home, also known as Interlaken Plantation, will feature the family’s outstanding trophy rooms. The couple have collected many unusual and rare trophies and artwork during their world travels. Gary Dietrich will greet visitors and share some of the stories surrounding the many interesting pieces in his trophy rooms, including the showpiece lion.

The Roquemores’ home, a blend of elegant design and sumptuous landscaping, looks especially beautiful for the holiday season. Jim, president and CEO of Super Sod, acquired the 751-acre tract of land on which the original house stood in 1997. The house was built in 1903 on land that had been in the Riley family for generations.

Karen’s enthusiasm to build on the property began an 18-month-long remodeling project that transformed the 2,700-square-foot house that Jim found on the Riley farm into the 11,000-square-foot house that is now the Roquemore family home.

Following their principles and desires, the Roquemores maintained as much of the original house at the core of the renovation and building project as was possible. With the expansion and additions they wanted, their builder, Mike O’Cain Construction Inc., insisted the foundation be shored up to withstand the added weight it would have to bear as the work began.

The completed project is an impressive body of work from every perspective. The floors throughout the house are of Brazilian cherry, providing a rich, neutral color as a foundation for many decorative possibilities.

To the right of the entry hall is the library, or the men’s parlor. The walls in the library are of American cherry, and it houses an enviable collection of books, some dating back to the 1800s. The mood in the room is decidedly masculine. “I think I’m partial to that room because it’s a great place to relax with a good book — a quiet place,” Jim said.

Other rooms include the ladies’ parlor and the formal dining room, whose walls have an outdoor mural by Charleston artist Micheline Shufe featuring the Roquemore children involved in their favorite activities — James Jr. hunting, Martha in the garden and Laura with horses. “The dining table is the only piece of furniture we have from the original house,” Karen said.

Beyond the dining room is the kitchen, which is really two kitchens. Jim is a gourmet cook, and Karen likes to cook regular home meals. The family room flows from the kitchen almost seamlessly. The view from this room is breathtaking. The swimming pool has a negative edge, which makes it seem to be a part of the pond beyond it. The pond feeds a waterfall that flows through a man-made stream approximately 50 yards long, with a decline of more than 10 feet. At night, the trees along the paths are lighted, imparting a wonderland effect to the whole of the Roquemore estate. In the master bedroom suite, the Roquemores have placed a treadmill at the large window that looks out over the landscaping.

“All proceeds from the Christmas Tour of Homes will benefit museum-sponsored programs,” said Adadra Williams, museum administrative manager. “This is a not-to-be missed holiday event, and we hope to make the tour an annual holiday event.”

Williams expressed her appreciation for the generosity of the participating families. “A special thank-you is due the gracious homeowners for inviting the public to view their homes. This is sure to be a wonderful tour and will put us all in the holiday spirit,” she said.

Chairperson Eve Nester encourages participants to purchase tickets early for the event. Tickets are $25 each and are available at the museum, the Elloree branch of SCB&T, Super Sod of Orangeburg, Anne’s House of Treasures in Orangeburg, Nester & Jackson Law Office in Santee and The West Nest in Bowman. Mail orders will be accepted at P.O. Box 54, Elloree, SC 29047.

For more information, call 803-897-2225. Brochures, including a map, will be available at the museum.

T&D Correspondent Shirley Upton can be reached by e-mail at writer@ntinet.com. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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