The Quillen Home at 511 Third St., owned and designed by Kim Quillen. The home dates back to 1886 and was purchased by Kim in 2022. The home was one of 11 total buildings on the Historic Marietta Tour of Homes Saturday and Sunday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

The rain held off this weekend for the Historic Tour of Homes presented by The Castle. The annual event included available tours of 11 homes in Marietta with six homes on Saturday and concluded with five on Sunday.

Tours began at 10 a.m. and ended by 4 p.m. with individuals reserving spots to explore the historic houses at their own pace.

These homes were the first established settlements of the Northwest Territory, including The Castle Museum, which was available to tour on Saturday.

Participants could visit as many homes as they desired with tour guides available for questions at each home.

Hundreds of guests toured five locations on Sunday which included the Beaver Home, Advantage Real Estate, the McGlynn Home, the Tate Home and the Quillen Home. Each home carried its own rich history as well as the current designs of the home/business owner.

The Quillen Home, located at 511 Third St., was purchased by interior designer Kim Quillen in 2022.

The two-story home was built in 1886 and constructed with thick, brick layers. Key features included the woodwork from local trees like butternut, chestnut, cherry, walnut, white pine, and oak.

Quillen provided guests with a detailed overview about the history of the home itself and how she chose to maintain its historic elements.

Another location on the tour was one of the oldest buildings in town at 103 Putnam St., or Advantage Real Estate.

The building, which sits on the corner of Putnam and Front Street, has been reported to be over 200 years old.

According to Desni Crock, a broker at Advantage and daughter of the building’s owner, the building was the city’s first bank.

“We bought this building four years ago and we haven’t really done any significant remodeling,” said Crock. “We’ve just been painting and freshening it up.”

Crock said she and her mother love history and thought it would be interesting to purchase the building. She said they’re “huge history buffs.”

Crock said they frequently hold tours there and learned a lot of its history throughout the years.

“I used to daydream all the time about ‘someday I’m going to buy this building,'” she said. “It’s neat that now I do work here and we own it now.”

Crock said an hour into the tours Sunday, there had already been over 30 people who had visited the building. Crock was on the second-level and provided a brief history of the interior which had original brick walls.

Of the hundreds of individuals touring on Sunday, three women had made it a goal to see every building on the tour.

Phyllis Risher and Melissa Brogan, residents of Vienna, and Joyce Arias of Parkersburg said they enjoyed looking at old houses.

“I enjoy the architecture and the history of the buildings,” said Risher. She said they had historic home tours in the past and would continue to visit.

“I love the history and how well-preserved these properties are,” said Arias. “It’s neat to see them in-person and learn about the history of these homes.”

Brogan said the owners put a lot of work into keeping up with the homes and it’s a shame when historical buildings are torn down.

By noon on Sunday the trio had only two homes left to visit and said the weather had been accommodating for the time being. They all said they enjoyed the Lockmaster’s House at 518 Fort St., which they toured on Saturday.

For more information about historic homes and to stay up-to-date on upcoming events, visit www.mariettacastle.org/

Amber Phipps can be reached at aphipps@newsandsentinel.com