WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY (Washington County, Utah)
JAMES W. NIXON HOME
St. George, Utah
LOCATION
232 North 300 WestSt. George, UT 84770
Northeast corner of 200 North and 300 West
Plat A, Block 38, Lot 4 on the old pioneer map of St. George.
37° 6' 42.92" North Latitude, 113° 35' 21.52" West Longitude
2,778 feet MSL
Tax ID# SG-XXX-x-x-x
DESCRIPTION
The original home was about 15 x 30 feet divided into two rooms. There was a chimney on each end. The walls were about six inches thick made of studding with lath & plaster on both sides. The lot was 8 x 16 rods.The added small bedroom on the east and the two new rooms on the north were about 15 x 25 feet. The walls to these new additions were brick and about a foot thick. There was a fireplace and a narrow stairway going up to an attic. There was a nice porch on the front, which was on the south. There was a porch joining the new rooms on the west and also a porch on the east joining the new bedroom. Another porch was on the north. All of the porches had railings around them.
HISTORY
The first home on this lot was probably built in the 1870s. It was occupied by the James W. Nixon family. One of the sons, Will Nixon, was born in a tent just south of the house under construction. Another son, George Nixon, was born in the east bedroom, called the "blue room".Some time later, more rooms were added: a small bedroom on the east and two rooms on the north, about 15 x 25 feet.
The William Fawcette family owned the house in the early 1900s.
Another family moved there in 1936. By that time, the only porch left was the one on the south which was the front of the house. There were no clothes closets or bathroom at that time. There was a cellar under the whole house. It had a dirt floor and rock walls.
This family closed in the front porch with windows and made it into a sunroom. They made a small entrance hall on the west and moved the front entrance there. They put in a bathroom and built clothes closets in the bedrooms. They put in a large window on the west wall of the living room, replacing the small one that was there. They built a screened porch in the northeast corner where the porch used to be. They closed up the stairway to the basement on the west and made steps to the basement lead from the screened porch on the east. They put cement floors in the basement and had the wall plastered, adding a partition or so.
There are currently four homes on the original 8 x 16 rod lot.
Owners:
John W. Nixon
William Fawcette
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