BARNESVILLE — The “Magic of Christmas” is on full display at the Belmont County Victorian Mansion Museum as dozens of local decorators have transformed the Romanesque style mansion into Christmas splendor for visitors to enjoy.

The museum is located at 2 N. Chestnut St. in Barnesville.

“We like to say that we provide the canvas and the brushes and the material, and we’re hunting for the Da Vincis’, the Monets’ and the Rembrandts’,” said Emery Stewart, president of the Belmont County Historical Society, while speaking about the “The Magic of Christmas Tours” being offered at the Barnesville facility throughout the holiday season.

“I tell them, ‘Step back to 1893 here — in a world where cellphones didn’t exist,” said Stewart, who always gets involved in decorating a few rooms himself.

This year, 20 of the 26 rooms are decorated with a wide variety of Christmas themes. Whether it’s the entry and inglenook areas sparkling with white lights, or the pantry and kitchen adding a bit more of a rustic touch — all the rooms are captivating in Christmas decor.

He said the historical society has a long waiting list of volunteers wanting to decorate one of the many skillfully restored rooms in the mansion that was built between 1888 and1893 by the John Bradfield family. It is one of five mansions built by the Bradfields during the 1890s. The Earl Watt family assumed ownership of the mansion from 1921 to 1965, before it was purchased and given to the historical society in 1966. The mansion was opened for tours in 1968.

“We love doing it so I guess it’s a passion,” Stewart commented.

He said there many local groups and individuals who sign up to decorate one of the mansion rooms — sometimes a few years in advance. He said there are several local groups, including The Belmont County Tourism agency and The Flushing Garden Club and the Master Gardeners of Belmont County who are eager to help decorate the mansion every year.

Stewart said once the “color scheme” is established — the decorators collaborate with him to decide what they will create in each room. He said while the Belmont County Historical Society, which is the owner and operator of the museum, provides many of the decorations and lights, decorators bring most of their own supplies.

He said they store many of their Christmas decorations in bins in the basement as a way to help cut the cost of buying decorations on a yearly basis. Stewart said they have not used live trees over the past 15 years or so because of the fire hazard they pose. “The nice thing about it is the artificial tree can stay up indefinitely,” he commented.

“What I say to the decorators is, ‘This is what we have, what are you maybe interested in doing,” Stewart explained. He said they are interested in maintaining the decorations that represent the 1890s to 1910 era.

“Every year, people come in and say, ‘It is different,’ and I say, ‘yes, it is different with the same thing. That is part of the challenge — taking our things and readjusting the pieces of the puzzle and coming out with a totally different thing. … They tweak it, and it’s like a good cook, you add a little salt or you add a little spice and make it your own,” he added.

Stewart said the regular visiting season ran from May 1 to Oct. 1. However, the museum’s Christmas tours will continue through Dec. 23. Holiday hours are 5-8 p.m. Friday and 1-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Stewart said the facility will continue to offer private, small group tours until about the second week of January for those making reservations. For a private tour, call Stewart at 740-425-1457.