THOMAS JUDD / GEORGE MILES HOME
St. George, Utah

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LOCATION

269 South 200 East
St. George, UT 84770

37°6'8"N 113°34'40"W

Later moved to the Green Gate Village at 76 West Tabernacle in St. George where it is now located.

HISTORY

Built by Thomas Judd in 1872.

The home was located in the midst of huge old mulberry trees and behind a tall untrimmed tamarack hedge surrounding most of the city block. Grapevines and rose bushes bordered the sidewalk to the house.

After building his new store on Tabernacle in 1911, Thomas Judd built a new family home on the corner of Tabernacle and 100 West in 1917. Judd sold this old house to the George Q. Cannon family who, in turn, sold it to George Miles.

(??? Either the above or below dates must be wrong! ???)

Purchased in 1899, Miles lived there until he was 104 years of age.

This house was put on the National Register of Historic Places (#1978002710) on January 31, 1978.

In 1986, it was scheduled for demolition by a local builder with plans to build a condominium project on the property. Enough signatures from caring people in the community prevented the home's destruction. The house was moved to an empty lot, but was severely damaged. One of the most valuable discoveries from the property were portions of a green gate and fence, which for years had been hidden from sight behind massive hedges. For several years, the disassembled pieces of the home sat in piles, protected against the elements until its restoration in 1991.

This home is now part of the Green Gate Village and is known as the Green Hedge Manor.

BIOGRAPHY

Thomas Judd was 18 years old in 1864 when he joined the LDS church and moved his family from England to St. George. He worked hard and became a prominent businessman and church leader. He soon built the home at 269 South 200 East in St. George around 1872. Looking to expand his business interests and alarmed that frequent flooding was washing away valuable river-bottom farm land, in 1888 he developed a plan to divert water from the Virgin River onto the LaVerkin "bench" in order to irrigate several hundred acres of fruit orchards that he planned to plant there. Because of extensive delays due to constant breaks in the canal he was eventually forced to mortgage his St. George house in order to raise the necessary funds to complete construction of his canal, which by then stretched several thousand feet and included an 840-foot long tunnel. Eventually his canal project was the key factor in establishing the community of LaVerkin. In 1890, Thomas assumed responsibility for the Cotton Mill between St. George and Washington. Under his management the mill employed 70-80 people and operated at a profit--the first time in the history of the mill. In 1897, after 18 years as Bishop of the St. George 1st Ward, Thomas Judd was called by Wilford Woodruff, then president of the Church, to serve a mission colonizing Whitewater, Nevada. By the time he returned home, the railroad had extended far enough south that he was able to import thousands of bags of Portland cement to coat the inside walls of his canal to prevent breaks and leakage and, thus, better assure its success. He subsequently sold much of his interest in LaVerkin, including the hot springs there, and opened Judd's Store Company. He to be in St. George with his family while the children were in school and he wanted a business for the boys to work in so they wouldn't get into mischief.
Thomas Judd died in 1922.

George Miles TBD.

PHOTOS

TBD

REFERENCES

Green Gate Village Brochure and Self-Guided Tour

A History of Thomas Judd
Green Gate Village Information Page on the Green Hedge Manor (aka Thomas Judd Home)