Landmarks of Longview offers two interior home tours

LONGVIEW, Texas (KLTV) – The Gregg County Historical Museum is hosting its annual Longview Landmarks Tour this Saturday. This year, it features just two homes instead of the usual half-dozen. But both homes are opening their doors for interior tours.

Jennifer White, interim director of the Gregg County Historical Museum, said the two homes on this year’s architectural tour are The Pinehurst Tipps Home and Hinshaw Manor.

“We choose homes that we show the public that they might not otherwise have access to. It’s just an opportunity to remind people why Longview is a great place to live,” White said.

The Hinshaw Mansion was built two years ago and was based on a similar structure that owners Lisa and Curt Hinshaw saw online.

“What I really love about Hinshaw Manor is the owner. She told me how good she is at copying other people’s styles. So a lot of people come in and see these fabulous homes, homes they see in a magazine, and they know it’s something they can incorporate into their lives,” White said.

The center of the home is open, from the kitchen to the dining room to the living room, and it’s laid out that way for good reason.

“It had to be a long, narrow house because we wanted to have enough space in the backyard for this beautiful rock feature,” Lisa Hinshaw said.

Typically, landscaping is done after the home is built, but Hinshaw explained that the rock waterfall was included with the property and was assembled using boulders from states like Colorado. The second floor of the home includes a game room with unique ceilings due to the home’s roofline.

The Pinehurst Tipps house sits off Judson Road, but is rarely seen because it is obscured by trees.

“It has been beautifully restored. It has retained many original features. We are very grateful for the attention to detail to preserve its originality and allow people to appreciate the beauty of this house,” Mr White said.

Debbie and Woodie Tipps bought this 1932 home two years ago. When they walked in, they were struck by its original features.

“We later discovered that this staircase was hand-carved by craftsmen who found themselves out of work right after the Great Depression,” Debbie Tipps said.

The Pinehurst Tipps House is also open, but in a different way, with two entrances to almost every room.

“Congratulations to the owners for what they have done according to their vision,” White said.

It was this vision that led them to be chosen for the Longview Monuments.

We have good news and bad news about the Longview Landmarks Walking Tours. The bad news first, tickets are sold out. But the good news is that we have full video tours of both homes, with the owners, that will be added to this article at 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 21, once the in-person walking tours have concluded.