By Lori Ehde
Local history buffs will enjoy the Hinkly House at its best Tuesday during the Tea and Tour from 2 to 4 p.m.
The tea, featuring authentic orange pekoe tea, spritz cookies and finger sandwiches, will honor the grandchildren of R.B. Hinkly.
Hinkly was a pioneer Luverne businessman and mayor who built the house in 1892 of Sioux quartzite hauled in from the Blue Mound Quarry.
He willed the house to his nine grandchildren, five of whom are still alive.
Of those five, three will attend Tuesday's tea and tour to greet visitors and to answer inquiries about the house.
Luverne's Sister Mariella Hinkly will be joined by her sister, Elizabeth Hinkly Kaiser, from the Chicago area, and her cousin, Charlotte Hinkly Pugsly, from Baton Rouge, La.
Providing tours of the home during the tea will be 4-H members costumed in turn-of-the century clothing.
According to Sister Mariella, Charlotte lived in the house for six years and has an impeccable memory of what it was like at the time.
Though she's well into her 80s, she still serves as a valuable resource for those working to restore the house.
The house, located on North Freeman Avenue, is on the National Register of Historic Sites.
The two lions at the front entrance were carved by a Norwegian stone cutter, Knute Steine, in 1895. The name HINKLY is displayed in a panel of stained glass. Leaded or stained glass transoms imported from England are featured in the main floor rooms.
The word WELCOME is engraved in the oak parquet floor, and oak paneling with beveled mirrors lines the dining room walls and stairway.
Voluntary donations are accepted, but Tuesday's tea with a $5 admission is presented as a fund-raiser to defray costs of restoration and upkeep.
Heating costs ate up much of the Historical Society's budget last winter, and the house is now in need of paint.