Among the many guests enjoying elegant china cups filled with either English Breakfast or herbal teas was Vice Mayor Richard Garbarino, who applauded when a tablemate won a gift basket during one of many raffles held at the tea’s end.

Tea co-chair Margie Casagrande explained that raffle tickets, as well as a small boutique full of antiques for sale set up in a backyard shed that normally houses an historic 1916 Seagrave fire engine, were all part of a fundraising effort to benefit the Plymire-Schwarz House maintenance fund. Ticket sales from all four teas also go into the fund, which has helped make recent upkeep (like the recent restorative painting of four rooms) possible.

A 105-year old South City landmark, the house has transformed over the years from its initial use as a hospital to a boarding house, then into a private residence in 1954, and eventually to its current use as a historical site and South San Francisco Fire Department Museum.

While many guests came ready with their own large-brimmed hats, resident hat lady Diana Minsky stood waiting on the house’s classic wooden front porch waiting to help those in need of a luxurious head adornment.

Minsky, who has been amassing her own private hat collection for years, says that she enjoys lending out her hats to guests for the tea because it reminds her of the elegance of Victorian times.

“I love this era, all the lace and fine detail,” she said. “It’s a lost culture. People don’t dress up anymore when they go out.”

Those who missed their chance to dress and dine in the Victorian tradition can attend next weekend’s teas, which take place Saturday and Sunday at 11:30am. Contact Dorothy Buhagiar at (650) 589-5597 for ticket availability.