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Washington Evening Journal
111 North Marion Avenue
Washington, IA 52353
319-653-2191
T.T.T. Tour of Homes is this weekend
This will be the group’s 23rd Annual Tour of Homes in Mt. Pleasant
MT. PLEASANT — This year’s 23rd Annual T.T.T. Tour of Homes will be Sunday, Nov. 19 from 1-4 p.m. It will include four gorgeous homes decorated for the holidays.
In the price of a $15 advance ticket available for purchase at Brown's Shoe Fit and KILJ Radio through Friday, Nov. 17 or $20 the day, you can begin a tour at any of the four homes of Melodee and Mitch Yaley, Lea Bradley, Ann and John Bennett, or Melanie and Rodger Patton.
Chapter DD’s also will offer their world-famous fresh pecans for sale at one of the homes for $13 per one pound package. They are perfect for your holiday baking or make a great gift for the baker in your life.
Proceeds from this fundraising event help T.T.T. Chapter DD of Mt. Pleasant send deserving young girls to summer camp who might not otherwise have the opportunity to go and make a positive difference in their lives. They also provide scholarships for campers who go on to further their education after high school.
Melodee & Mitch Yaley — 600 E. Harvest Dr.
In May of 2022, after living out of state for several years, the Yaley’s moved back to Mt. Pleasant with blueprints in hand.
While they planned to build a home on their farm, unforeseen delays pushed their build start date out more than a year. So, they began to consider other options.
Then, the property at 600 East Harvest Drive came up for sale. The location features six acres of land, a pond, and a timber line, which appealed to Mitch and Melodee.
In November 2022, they closed on the property. Then worked with Laura Ross Interior Design to bring their home up to date with modern renovations.
The home was originally built in 2013 and now features a fully redesigned kitchen and butler’s pantry, new flooring, paint, and lighting.
The oversized finished garage with an HVAC system, fully finished basement and screened in porch and deck area gives the Yaley’s plenty of space to spend time with family and friends.
They are enjoying being back in Mount Pleasant and home for the holidays. They will be decorated for Christmas and can’t wait for you to tour their fabulous home!
Lea Bradley — 500 W. Monroe St.
Lea Bradley’s home, located at 500 West Monroe Street in Mt. Pleasant was built in 1892.
The original owners were Dr. Judson O. (1861-1950) and Catherine Allen Ball (1861-1943). Dr. Ball was a dentist and played an instrumental role in establishing Mt. Pleasant Utilities, which still exists today.
The Ball house is an elaborate Queen Anne style home with a tower. It is said to have been one of the first modern residences of Mt. Pleasant as it had central heating, indoor plumbing, and electric lighting.
The home has had several owners throughout its existence and was even converted to a nursing home for a time. It is now totally renovated by the Bradley’s and once again a single-family dwelling.
The Bradley's spent over 10 years renovating the home to its original state …well, everything but the kitchen!
They took out the claw foot tub and, as in the original home, replaced it with a copper tub. They stripped the house down to the studs and started at the top and worked their way down.
Lea will decorate for Christmas to show off holiday cheer during the tour.
She featured her home on the T.T.T. Tour over 20 years ago and is thrilled to open her home to visitors again. She will have her basement open this time around and her carriage house as well!
Ann & John Bennett — 1913 Franklin Ave.
The beautiful house at 1913 Franklin Avenue is home to Ann and John Bennett.
Different from many of the other homes, the Bennetts will decorate for fall and Thanksgiving for the tour as that is Ann’s favorite holiday.
John has worked extensively to renovate the home, fixing the outside and the inside. He even built all the cabinets in the kitchen.
The home is full of heirlooms and antique furnishings. A late 1800s walnut wardrobe from the Joseph Mettenburg farmhouse near Houghton, Iowa is featured in the home. Joseph and Mildred (Holtkamp) Mettenburg are the parents of Ann's father, Clarence Mettenburg.
Inside you also will find an oval walnut parlor table in the bay window, which was a wedding gift in 1884 to William and Anna (Wallenhorst) O'Donnell, John's great-great-grandparents on his father's side.
Ann likes brown dripware pottery (Hull, McCoy, Western) for setting tables as they are oven proof. The bluebird dishes (Homer Laughlin) came from Joe and Virginia Heitz of Fort Madison, Iowa, parents of Ann's mother Mary Fran (Heitz) Mettenburg.
The 1950s Chambers gas stove in the kitchen belonged to Donna Lamb's mother. It has an insulated oven that continues cooking after the gas is turned off. The stove has 3 burners, a deep well, oven, broiler, and griddle; it even came with a cookbook! The lever/knobs are child proof with a thumb latch and the chrome and enamel still looks new.
Along with fun antiques and family heirlooms featured throughout the home, the picturesque view the Bennett home offers is something you won’t want to miss!
Plus, they are neighbors of the Patton’s, another home featured on this year’s T.T.T. Tour of Homes, so the short drive out of Mt. Pleasant is worth it.
Melanie & Rodger Patton — 1898 Franklin Ave, Mt. Pleasant
Melanie, Rodger & LuCasey Patton moved to Mt. Pleasant from Colorado in 2008 and to their home at 1898 Franklin Avenue in 2009.
They love the location as it sits in the rolling hills south of Trenton and has incredible views and sunsets.
This house was built in the early 1950s and was home to Guy and Genevieve Messer for years and many people know it as the Messer House or Messer’s Corner.
Since moving to the home in 2009, Melanie and Rodger have made it their own by transforming the upstairs into a master bedroom and adding their touches throughout. The Patton’s style can be described as Rustic Western with a touch of vintage. ‘
The Patton Family loves Christmas and decorating, so they will have multiple themed trees and Christmas décor galore inside and out.
Melanie and Rodger also transformed the 1800s era barn into a workshop and showroom that houses their business, Victory Barn, which also will be open during the Tour.
Victory Barn is known for Rustic, repurposed furniture, signs, horseshoe décor and more.
Melanie and Rodger have an eye for using vintage & farm relics to create something new & one of a kind for people’s homes and businesses. They specialize in custom creations and turning customer’s visions into reality.
The Patton’s daughter, LuCasey also lives in the basement of the home and has her own business in the Barn as well.
A Bonus at this stop will be a quick tour of the fifth wheel camper that the Patton’s transformed from ordinary into an extraordinary Western themed Bunkhouse on wheels.
The inside is alive with Turquoise, Barn Wood and Cowhide and is a cozy retreat on wheels.
They can’t wait to welcome you on the T.T.T. Tour!
