Sunday, November 29, 2009 12:16 AM CST
'Christmas Trees at Dr. Wright's House' enters its sixth season
By DAWN JAMES, Staff Writer
djames@jg-tc.com
ALTAMONT — A home, built in 1889, that housed three generations of the late Dr. Charles Montague Wright family during different time periods will don Christmas trees this season for the sixth straight year.
Each of the 18-rooms will display a Christmas tree sponsored by an area business.
“Christmas trees at Dr. Wright’s House” continues today from 1 to 4 p.m. and Dec. 5-6 from 1 to 4 p.m.
As one of the two historical landmark buildings in Effingham County listed on the National Register of Historic Places (the other being the Effingham County Courthouse, built in 1871), the house displays furniture and items from the mid-1800s to the 21st century that were accumulated throughout three generations of the Wright family: Dr. Charles Montague Wright I, 1834-1989; Dr. Charles M. Wright II, 1879-1970; and Charles M. Wright III, 1912 — 2001.
“It really does a great job of telling the family history,” said Linda Schmidt, director of tours. “They kept things, and it gives a good perception of life in each of the three generations.”
About Dr. Charles M. Wright I and his home
The first Dr. Charles M. Wright came to Effingham County in 1857 and made his rounds on horseback. According to the Web site, www.wrightmansion.org/history.htm, the doctor’s worth was $20,205 in 1870 when he moved his family to the village of Altamont. Altamont became a town in 1871.
While living in Altamont, Dr. Wright built his own professional building at the corner of North Main and West Jefferson and practiced medicine on the first floor and had an opera house on the second floor.
In 1874, he built a two-story frame house, barns and outbuildings on 27 acres he had acquired. In 1878, he stopped practicing medicine and started a bank, the C.M Wright & Co. Bank in the Wright Building. Later, the Wright home was moved across the street in January of 1889, while a new brick home was being built. It was the home of the Wright family, including their three youngest children.
Schmidt said for a house to be moved in 1889 was highly unusual.
Dr. Charles M. Wright I was very involved in the design of this 18-room house. The home boasts a 19th century Second Empire (Mansard) style, with a flare from Italianate influences.
Today, copies of the first floor and basement floor plans with the initial elevations are on display at the home.
The doctor hired Charles Hanker of Toledo to construct the mansion. The labor and materials totaled nearly $35,000, according to a brochure available to those touring the building.
The building and its entire furnishings and collected items are rich in history. The woodwork of the furniture matches the woodwork of the home in both the east and west wings. The woodwork is cherry on the east side, and oak on the west.
Dr. Charles M. Wright II
Like his father, Dr. Charles M. Wright II practiced medicine at the Wright Building. He practiced medicine for 65 years and was active on the school board, the agricultural fair board, and served as city health officer.
He, too, lived at the Dr. Charles M. Wright House with his family. He had met his wife, Ella May, while she was performing as a pianist and vocalist at the Wright Opera House.
Charles M. Wright III, Juris Doctorate (JD)
Charles M. Wright III graduated from Washington University in 1936 and served as an attorney for Shell Oil Company for 40 years. He never married, Schmidt said. He worked in St. Louis, New York, and Houston before retiring to the family home in 1977.
One photo at the home shows the retired attorney sitting on the porch with his bicycle. He never had a driver’s license, according to Schmidt.
Each year, tours of the home have a central theme. This year’s theme is the books. There are more than 7,000 books in the home, and most of them were owned by Charles M. Wright III. Most of them focus on religion and history.
He was an avid reader and scholar and wrote an in-depth history of the family and the home. He also established a trust to help preserve and maintain the Dr. Charles Wright House.
While tours can be arranged at any time, the Christmas tree event joins two other major events held at the building.
In the fall, “Wine Tasting at the Wright House” also features wine and music on the lawn. Four wineries from throughout the area are on hand, and wine glasses customized for the event are available for purchase, said Schmidt.
Also in June, hours at the home are extended during a celebration of the National Road Festival.
For more information about the historical home of Dr. Charles M. Wright, or to set up a tour, call (618) 483-6397.
Historical information about the Wright family and home was taken from a brochure which is given out to those participating in tours at the home.
Contact Dawn James at djames@jg-tc.com or 238-6866.
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