WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY (Washington County, Utah)
THE MINER GRANT PRISBREY HOME
St. George, Utah
LOCATION
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405 S. Main Street -> 413 S. Main Street -> 12 East 400 South
St. George, UT 84770 Plat C, Block 10, Lot 5 on the old pioneer map of St. George. 37° 6' 4.22" North Latitude, 113° 34' 59.02" West Longitude 37.1012° North Latitude, 113.5831° West Longitude 2,676 feet (816 meters) MSL Parcel# SG-XXX-x-x-x |
DESCRIPTION
Drawing by Scott Prisbrey of the lot layoutDrawings by Scott Prisbrey of the elevations and floor plan of the house
The home was an adobe structure approximately 15' X 29' 4". A cellar under the first floor served for food storage, a loft for sleeping could have occupied the attic space. Two fireplaces occupied the opposite ends of the home.
A rough lumber lean-to room was added to the rear or east side of the home for a summer kitchen.
HISTORY
Miner located on a lot assigned to him by the Bishop of the 1st Ward at 413 South Main. The ploneer plat first surveyed in Febuary 1862 by Israel Ivins was later made an offical plat in 1876 and this lot wras listed as Lot 5, Block 10, Plat C of the St. George City Survey. The St. George Courthouse records show Miner Grant Prisbrey's signature on this lot when deeds were issued from President U. S. Grant to Mayor Joseph W. Young in 1874. Also tax rol1s list Lot 6 to the East of the Prisbrey home as being the property of M. G. Prlsbrey.The first living quarters on the Prisbrey lot conslsted of a wagon box, a dug out (coo1 place for food), and water wi11ow brush shed.
The home was probably constructed in the mid-1860s.
Building materials came from these sources: Adobes were made from a light colored clay located at the "Dobe Yard", 400 South 800 East. Black rock for the foundation came from the west black rldge. This rock formed rough-dressed masonry laid-up with lime and sand mortor. Sand was hauled from the Santa Clara Creek south west of town. Lime was produced by burning lime rock in a kiln and then slacking with water. Plaster mortor for the interior wal1s and ceiling was made from lime and sand with a binder of animal hair from the local tannery. Lumber came from Pine Valley Mountain. Wrought iron nal1s were made locall1y from scrap iron. Samuel Adams produced one of these early nail machines.
After Miner died in 1895, the family moved to Meadow, Utah and later to Wapello, Idaho (near Blackfoot?). But after Miner's son, George, lost his left for in a train accident, George and his mother decided to return to the old homestead. The home had fallen into disrepair due to years of being unoccupied. So George and Mary were given a room at their friends Henry & Selina Atkin's house (95 West 100 South) to live while they repaired the old Prisbrey home.
The Prisbrey boys: Hyrum, Miner Heber, Joseph (Brigham), Frank, George, and John were to assist in the restoration. They reached an agreement to provide the south room of the home as a living quarters for their mother until she passed away and George was to live in the other portion of the home and inherit the lot.
At this point in time, George met Effie Walker who lived one-half block north of the Atkin home at 444 South 100 West. They were married June 29, 1909. Their first chi1d was born at the Atkin house pn Octoer 4, 1910. This indicaLes that George was unable to complete the remodeling on the o1d home in time to move in with his new family.
The remodellng consisted of filling in the ce11ar under the home, removing the two fireplaces, and building a two-way stove flue in the cenLer of the home for the two rooms.
George excavated a cellar under the o1d grainery and rebuilt the walls and roof. The grainery's top floor was used for George's gunsmith shop from 1916 to 1926. To do the excavation work he constructed a wooden wheelbarrow with iron rimmed wheel. In this 1ittle shop he created many of the tools used in his gunsmith work and secured patents to cover these inventions.
George died in 1931 and his wife, Effie, continued raising the family of 10 children there.
The home was sold in 1985, ending a 123 year ownershlp by the Prisbrey family. The new owners tore down the old home and replaced it with a larger, more modern home.
Owners:
Miner Grant & Mary Ann Hershey Prisbrey
George William & Effie Walker Prisbrey
BIOGRAPHY
Miner Grant & Mary Ann Hershey Prisbrey Click here.George William & Effie Walker Prisbrey Click here.
PHOTOS
TBDREFERENCES
History of the Miner Grant & Mary Ann Hershey Prisbrey HomeThis is a talk by Scott Prisbrey given to the Washingon County Historical Society in February of 1986.