Story 4

Your guide to Southwest Minnesota!

By Valerie Scherbart Quist

Slayton’s Dinehart-Holt House is beautiful any time of year. But at Christmas, it takes on an added glow.

Murray County acquired the Dinehart-Holt House in 2007, putting the Murray County Historical Society in charge of its maintenance and use. It has been a work in progress ever since.

For the holiday season, the house will be decorated throughout the first

The Dinehart-Holt House has undergone a transformation, both inside and out.

floor, said Jolene Johnson. Three trees are put up, leaving space for the house to be rented for holiday parties. Electric lights are used, but otherwise the decorations are chosen with the home’s heritage in mind.

“We have a lot of beautiful vintage ornaments,” Johnson said. All of the decorations that are used are ones that have been donated to the museum.

This year, Johnson hopes to decorate parlor one in a musical theme.

“It was a really musical family,” she said. Flora Dinehart owned the first piano in the county, and the community would gather once a week to listen and enjoy the music.

The house will be open during the Parade of Trees open house at the museum, and Mondays and Fridays through the month of December from 1-4 p.m. Tea will likely be served on those days as well, Johnson said. The museum sells Buckingham Palace tea as a fundraiser.

The Dinehart-Holt House was built in 1891, the same year as the Murray County Courthouse and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973. The historical society has photographs from the family showing what the interior of the house looked like about five years after it was built. The pictures have been invaluable in placing furniture.

“We have tried to duplicate within a budget,” Johnson said.

The photographs were included in a box of items donated from the family. The items are on display in a case in the home’s main entrance.

The dining room, Johnson said, is the favorite of most people who visit the house. That’s likely due to the large built-in buffet. The buffet, however, was not original to the home. It was added later on, as evidenced by one of the photographs sent by the family.

In Judge Holt’s office, another find is displayed. The historical society has “scouts,” Johnson explained, who search for items including Victorian teacups that are used for teas. One day, a scout found Judge Holt’s robe at a sale. Sometimes people will donate items they bought at the auction following Judge Holt’s death.

The kitchen is one of the future planned projects for the

The dining room table at the Dinehart-Holt House is set for a holiday feast.

house. The current kitchen is modern, having been remodeled during the 1990s. While the restoration would still allow for modern conveniences to accommodate guests, it is hoped that someday the original tin ceiling and doors can be showcased.

The bathrooms are the most recent project that has been undertaken. Octagon tile has been installed in both bathrooms, and the lighting will be redone. The stained glass in the first floor bathroom will also be redone.

Tours with Tea held at the Dinehart-Holt House have become popular over the past couple of years. About two dozen teas are held there in the summer. Next year, Johnson said, they plan to change things up a bit and offer more of a salad luncheon.

Parade of Trees

Just down the street at the Murray County Historical Society Museum is the Parade of Trees. This year marks the 21st Parade of Trees, said Diane Clercx.

An open house is planned Sunday, Dec. 2 from 1-4 p.m. About 20 trees are decorated by local businesses and organizations for the Parade of Trees each year. The museum does a few more.

“We have people who come back every year,” Clercx said.

Often participants make their own ornaments, and create their own theme. Clercx said they used to choose a theme, but now they let people choose their own.

“We get a great variety. They’re very clever,” Johnson said.

First and second graders at Murray County Central compete against one another every year. The second graders make their ornaments on Pioneer Day, and usually have a pioneer theme, Clercx said.

The Parade of Trees can be viewed during regular museum hours, Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors can vote for their favorites by putting change in jars next to the trees.

For more information on the Murray County Historical Society Museum and the Dinehart-Holt House, visit www.murraycountyhistoricalsociety.org or call (507) 836-6533.

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