WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY (Washington County, Utah)
GEORGE ANGELL / WALTER EAGAR HOME
Leeds, Utah
LOCATION
125 N. Main StreetLeeds, UT 84746
HISTORY
George Angell designed and built this house in 1885. It was sometimes referred to as a "cottage" because it was small and built of lumber. But it was fairly typical of the homes of the day. It had two rooms and a dirt wine cellar under the house.After the Angell family moved across the street to the bigger Wilkinson home, the cottage stood vacant for some time.
When Walter & Jessie Eagar got the post office contract, they were looking for a place to house it. They thought the vacant George Angell house would be ideal since it was right in the center of town. They bought it from Beckie Angell (George's daughter). There is an interesting story about the purchase in the Beal book referenced below. The Eagars fixed up the little cottage.
In 1935, the Eagars completely remodeled their home, adding two extra rooms plus a small room in the front to house the Leeds Post Office.
This old home is now owned by Ray & Faye Pack from Midvale UT.
BIOGRAPHY
George Angell, TBDWalter (Walt) Clinton Eagar and his wife, Jessie Webb, came to Leeds in the fall of 1928. They stayed in the "Rock Room" of the Bill Sullivan's home for a couple of years while they managed Emil Graff's Leeds Mercantile store. But that was during the Great Depression and they just couldn't make ends meet. So when Mary Jane Olsen, the postmistress for 28 years, passed away on September 1, 1932, Walt took the Civil Service exam and won the post office contract. He was the Leeds postmaster for the next 30 years. The whole Eagar family was musical and contributed their music to the community. They had a family band called the Eagar Beavers. The Eagar's kids included:
Duane
Wendel
Ross Eagar (stricken with polio)
Idonna Eagar Snow (only daughter)
Lee Eagar
Michael Eagar (youngest)
Walter died in 1995.
PHOTOS
 George Angell / Walter Eagar Home about 1935 |
 George Angell / Walter Eagar Home in 1995 |
REFERENCES
Wilma Cox Beal, "Leeds Historical Event in Bits & Pieces", pp. 49-53.Doug Liston, "Musicians of Southern Utah", pp. 138-139.