Denton house featured as part of homes tour

Tribune photo/Robin Hixson The home of Mark and Kim Denton at 402 S. Main St. is one of the attractions on this year's Homes for the Holidays tour Dec. 2 and 3. Mark Denton grew up in this house, which his parents sold in 1980. In 2000, he and his wife purchased his childhood home and have since lived there with their own children. The Homes for the Holidays tour is the primary annual fund raiser for the Historic Preservation Association of Bourbon County, and proceeds from the tour go toward restoration and preservation of historic structures and dissemination of area history.

It's not uncommon for adults to include things in their home that bring back certain memories from their childhood, and Fort Scott resident Mark Denton is no exception. However, while pictures or home movies serve as memorabilia for many, what takes Denton back is not a particular item, but the house itself.

The two-story house at 402 S. Main St. that Denton, his wife Kim and their children live in today is the same home where Denton grew up. The 96-year old home will be part of the Homes for the Holidays tour to be conducted Dec. 2-3.

The theme of the home during the tour is "Memories, Old and New, of Christmas on Main Street," and keeping with that theme, Denton said, the house features many items from his younger days.

"Since I lived there as a kid, we wanted to have things out that us as kids had growing up," Denton said. "There are some home videos and some toys that we used to play with on display."

The entrance to the home includes an ornate leaded glass door with various shapes. Intricate leaded glass windows are prominent throughout the house, and Denton said no two windows are alike. Quarter white oak woodwork, cut in a unique fashion, accents the formal living room. Denton said the woodwork is all original. An original fireplace has a green brick facade and has been converted to natural gas.

Denton said the home has two distinct areas.

"There is the formal part of the home, then there's the part we live in," he said.

The story of Denton's involvement with the home goes back to when his parents purchased it in 1968. The family lived there until 1980, but 20 years later, Denton's story with the home continued.

"I was traveling back and forth to Chicago for work," Denton said. "We got an opportunity to come back here and the house happened to come up for sale. So, my wife and I re-bought it in 2000."

Denton said that after his family left the home in 1980, he hoped of one day living in a similar house.

"I always talked about building a home with that same make-up," he said.

Denton said his family is excited to show the home during the Homes for the Holidays tour, and he hopes visitors will enjoy it as much as the Dentons do.

"It's very special to us," Denton said.

Among other venues for the holiday tour weekend are the Todd and Amanda Ehrlich home at 702 S. National Ave., the home of Elaine Kirby and Crystal Mason at 2095 Justice Lane, and the Scottish Rite Temple, 110 S. Main Street. The tour also includes the annual Stocking Stuffer sale at Arnold Arena, 2108 Horton St.; the Old Congregational Church, 502 S. National Ave.; and the Fort Scott National Historic Site. Holiday music will be presented throughout the Homes for the Holidays tour weekend at the church and "A Christmas Ball" will be presented from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, in the Grand Hall at the fort. The Fort Lincoln Country School, 18th and Horton St., will be open from 1 - 5 p.m. both days of the tour. The school will be staffed by retired school teachers from the Bourbon County area.

Tickets for the 27th annual Homes for the Holidays tour are currently available at Country Cupboard, 12 N. Main St.; at Ruddick's Furniture, 117 S. National Ave.; at City State Bank, 1012 U.S. Highway 69; and at the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, 231 E. Wall St.

Tickets for the Homes for the Holidays tour will also be available during the tour at any of the tour stops. The ticket price is $8 per person. The homes will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the weekend.