From The Archives

The Upstairs

There are four bedrooms upstairs. The front room (sewing room/office/nursery) does not have a closet. It's about 6' x 10'. It would be a nice bedroom for a small child and has a whole wall built-in bookcase. The master bedroom has the second floor turret in the corner and has one closet. The 3rd bedroom is about 12' x 12' with three large windows all on one wall and has two closets and a large wall built-in bookcase and large built-in desk with many large drawers. The 4th bedroom is the largest at about 12' x 15' has a large walk-in closet.

The full bath upstairs use to be a 5th bedroom before a previous owner converted it into a large bathroom with a jetted tub, and a separate toilet room. The old bathroom was converted into what is now the 2nd floor laundry room and includes a newer Maytag washer and dryer.

The upstairs bedrooms and hallway have nearly new carpeting. The three big bedrooms also have newer ceiling fans. All the bedrooms and the bathroom have working transoms for nice air flow, summer and winter. All windows now have custom mini-blinds. A closed staircase to the attic is also located in the hallway.

The Attic, Basement and Garage

There is a huge third floor floored walk-up attic that could easily house three more rooms. It is unfinished but has plenty of windows and the center has a very tall ceiling (see photo). The walls are not insulated or heated at this point, but the forced air heating/cooling system could be extended to that area. There is blown in insulation under the wood floor.

The basement is a typical old 3 brick thick walled basement with three large separate rooms for storage/shelving. There is a working sump pump, however, we are not in a flood plain and the only time of year there has ever been minimal water in the basement, is around the first big snow melt, and the sump pump efficiently eliminates it. We have never had any water the rest of the year even during heavy rains. Each of the three rooms also has window(s) for natural light during the day. The newer gas furnace and two water heaters are located in the main room.

The garage is an oversize two car with two single doors, one door on an electric opener. It's great for storage on all three sides and a high roof for storage above, and is a nice place for a future garden bench/workshop, etc. There is about 6-8' of room on both sides of the garage (with two cars inside) and the back which provide plenty of storage, working room.Also included is a Simplicity riding mower.

The Property Location and Surroundings

Enjoy the quiet unhurried country life in the over half-acre yard which features many flower and perennial plant beds. A Victorian style metal fence surrounds most of the interior portion of the yard which adds not only an original character to the house but also a nice backdrop for the flowers and shrubs. A small dog run is conveniently attached to the service porch off the mud room.

The property sits about eight blocks north of U.S. Highway 212 which runs through the south side of Hector. The home is bordered on the west side by Main Street (MN Highway 4 - a two lane with a 30 MPH speed limit) and the front (south) by Bryant Avenue, N.E. The front of the home faces the grain towers and railroad tracks (about a block away) and during harvest season (about two weeks) it is rather busy with grain being loaded and unloaded. There are may be one or two short trains that go by each day and sometimes not at all on the weekends. There are large mature trees on both the south and west sides of the house which during spring/summer/fall create privacy and help the house stay cool in the summer months.

Hector, Minnesota, is a friendly, small, quiet farming and bedroom community, with a population of about 1,200, located approximately 90 miles west/southwest of the Twin Cities. Downtown Main Street is one block from the house to the south. A convenience store is located on Highway 212 on the south end of town. Hector has three restaurants/pubs, a library, community center, a bank, a medical clinic (which is linked to the hospital in Olivia, about 15 miles west), a dental clinic, chiropractor, insurance agencies, two car dealers, the Hector Mirror newspaper, a butcher shop, a huge gift store, many churches, a large school, an attorney, two hair salons, a florist shop, a community theater, two beauty salons and a funeral home. There are many public parks/playgrounds for kids, and a community swimming pool, ice skating rink, baseball and tennis courts, etc.

The closest large city is Hutchinson (12,000+ residents) which is 28 miles northeast It is easily accessible by two highways from Hector and virtually no traffic. There are coffee shops, many antique stores, a shopping mall, big box stores, two multiplex movie theaters, a hospital, etc. Of course, the Twin Cities metro area is about an hour and 20-minute drive directly on Highway 212 to the east. Mall of America and many other shopping areas are also located there, plus numerous quaint old shopping areas and cultural/sports events.