WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY (Washington County, Utah)
ADDIE PRICE HOME
St. George, Utah
LOCATION
|
185 W. Diagonal St.
St. George, UT 84770 Plat A, Block FR 4 (North Part) on the old pioneer map Parcel# SG-736-A 37° 6' 49.94" North Latitude, 113° 35' 14.06" West Longitude 37.1139° North Latitude, 113.5872° West Longitude 2,801 feet (854 meters) MSL |
HISTORY
[Note: There are some discrepancies in the early part of this narrative.(1) The house was built before the land was granted.
(2) The land was originally shown as belonging to John Alger
and some accounts have Addie buying the home from him.
(3) Andrew McArthur died in 1882.]
On June 19, 1883, Mayor Robert Gardner granted Andrew B. & Addie McArthur ownership of the triangular shaped piece of land bordered by Diagonal Street, Third North, and Second West as shown on the old pioneer map of St. George.
Mrs. Addie Price built this house in 1881. She was described by local citizens as having "considerable means", and she spared no expense in building her home.
After the fashion of the times, no architect was used; the builder just drew the house design with a stick on the ground and changes were made as deemed desirable. The material was rock for the foundation and double-thickness adobes for the walls. There was the very popular bay window in the parlor and fireplaces in all the downstairs rooms. A porch ran all of the way across both the back and the front, a desirable feature of a Dixie home before the advent of air-conditioning.
On the south side, the first floor is slightly below ground level. Here Mrs. Price established a millinery business, which she advertised in the Southern Utah Star on July 20, 1895, as having the largest supply of millinery south of Provo. It was very successful, not only for the hats and other dry goods, but because the women told each other that it was not in the business district so they could just run in without having to get all dressed up. In the days of bustles, corsets, rats and hats, we can understand their line of thinking.
Her home was the favorite gathering-spot for the young of the community.
The home remained in the family until 1920.
Owners:
John Alger
Addie Price
Sarah Sorensen
Grace Woodbury
Fenton & Mary L. Frehner
The Greene family
BIOGRAPHY
Addie Price click herePHOTOS
The Addie Price home in 2005
WCHS photos:
WCHS-00560 Jon Bowcutt sketch of the Addie Price Home
WCHS-04374 Photo of the plaque in front of the Addie Price home
WCHS-04375 Photo of the Addie Price home looking westsouthwest
WCHS-04376 Photo of the Addie Price home looking southwest
WCHS-04377 Photo of the Addie Price home looking southsouthwest
WCHS-04378 Photo of the Addie Price home looking south
WCHS-04379 Photo of the Addie Price home looking southeast
WCHS-04380 Photo of the Addie Price home looking eastnortheast
WCHS-04381 Photo of the Addie Price home looking northeast
REFERENCES
Historical Buildings of Washington County (Volume 2)See Pages 12-13.
Landmark and Historic Sites: City of St. George
First Edition, January 2, 2009, pp. 7-1 through 7-5
Compiled by the St. George Community Development Department
Landmark and Historic Sites: Informational Guide of Historical Sites within the City of St. George
Second Edition, Revised 2011, pp. 17-18
Compiled by the St. George Community Development Department
Landmark & Historic Sites: Informational Guide of Historical Sites within the City of St. George
Third edition, Revised 2015, Pages 17 through 18
Compiled by the St. George Community Development Department