Fictional Manor House Rosemont Inspires Little Free Library

We’ve done it! Or, I should say, my husband’s done it! Built an incredible Little Free Library inspired by Rosemont. I casually mentioned the idea to him one night when we were getting ready for bed, and the next day when I came home after work, he had plywood and power tools all over our back garden. Almost every evening during the next three weeks, we’d dash out to a hardware or home improvement store to look at supplies; stone siding, dormer winds, a decorative door, and the most elusive detail – the class blocks for the roof. It’s absolutely glorious! The inside is paneled in birch. A tiny replica of Eve is in the dormer window. There are round peephole windows on each side, under the eves, and if you look inside through the window on the south side you can see a tiny, framed copy of my dad’s formal portrait hanging in the library.

We’ve named our library “Hinske Hall”, in loving memory of my father, Edward R. Hinske. We christened the library in a ribbon-cutting ceremony held
at 7 am one Saturday morning (it gets really hot here in July by 9 am). The ceremony was well-attended and was even written up by the local press. See the article here http://bit.ly/16QRqHr. In an extremely fitting tribute to my husband’s vision, hard work and skilled craftsmanship, Hinske Hall was awarded the coveted “Library of Distinction” award by the Little Free Library organization.

Our community has embraced the library and it is in constant use by readers of all ages. We have a healthcare worker who drops in on her way to the bus stop and some late-elementary school children walk their dog to the library. I’ve placed a signed copy of Coming to Rosemont in the library and it’s been checked out frequently, with people leaving kind and encouraging notes in it for me upon its return to the library. It’s always exciting to check on the comings and goings of the library. I can’t thank my remarkable husband, Brian Willis, enough for making this a reality.