NATCHEZ &8212; Scores of people braved Sunday&8217;s cold, wet weather to get a warm welcome at three of Natchez&8217;s newest or newly renovated houses as part of a fund-raiser for the Armstrong Library.

The Friends of the Library organization&8217;s Tour of Homes has turned into Natchez&8217;s annual chance to see some of the area&8217;s most talked-about houses. This year&8217;s slate of homes on tour included:

4The newly-built house of Braxton and Carol Hobdy at 140 Cemetery Road, which features a dogtrot walkway, spacious porches and a panoramic view of the Mississippi River.

4The restored late 1800s house of Joe Stone at 804 Washington St., a property that started as a billiard hall and was once part of The Elms property.

4&8220;Beaumont,&8221; a circa-1830 house which developer Glen Green and wife Bridget have researched and to a large extent already restored. That house is located at 815 Main St.

&8220;Just beautiful!&8221; was a compliment heard often by those walking through the many rooms of the houses on tour Sunday. For the homeowners on the receiving end of those compliments, it&8217;s a fitting end to months and, in some cases, years of research and construction.&8220;You&8217;ve got to love it,&8221; Glen Green said with a laugh, pointing out some of challenges he and his wife faced when renovating their home.

But the event served as more than just a social event or even a welcome refuge from the wet weather.

Library Director Susan Cassagne said the Friends of the Library, through benefits such as Sunday&8217;s event, raise needed funds for programming and the like. &8220;We only get funding from the city, not the county, and our funding hasn&8217;t increased in seven years,&8221; she said.

Uses of the money in recent years have included young adult and reference books.