 |
| Door painted by Misty Little 2011 |
This year marks 100 years that the
Wilcox home has been in existence. Our
curiosity about the history of our house was first piqued when we remodeled the
kitchen in 1977 and found copies of the Deseret Evening News dated 1912, in the
walls. They had evidently been used for
insulation. We saved some of the
newspapers and these became the starting point for a research project that
three of our sons (Aaron, Robert, and Nathan) did for a Regional History Fair
in 1984. They interviewed several people
who had either owned or lived near the home.
Primary informant was Alma Palmer who had kept a detailed journal of every
improvement he made on the property when they owned it, as well as its cost. Verde
Washburn Hughes who also lived in our home, also provided information via
letters and sketches March 18, 1984.
The original structure at 112 S.
300 W. was at first a small granary, but was later turned into a two-room home
by Benjamin Grant Black, the year he married Jennie Melinda Brown in 1912. Four the Black’s children were born in this
little wood home. They lived there for
seven years, and the sold it to LaVell and Wasel Washburn.
It was during 1912 that the first
elementary school was also built in Blanding, and in 1914 the South chapel was
begun. In 1915 the Grayson post office
was changed Blanding, and the next year the town built its first reservoir
(1916) and the stone bank and Blacks grist mill were also built.
LaVell traded the corner lot west
of Morley Guymon’s (where Deb and Charles Orvin now live) to Benjamin Black in
1919 for the little home and lot. Originally the kitchen door was on the north,
with a small porch. Verde recalled, “Oh, the cave of
that vine covered porch, the play house, the bed in summer, and reaching
through those vines in winter for a bite of clean snow.”
LaVell expanded the kitchen and
added a lean-to bedroom and moved the kitchen door to the south. There was no
inside water, but there was a stand tap on the north side. The Washburns had six children and had two
big beds in the bedroom, “There was with no room to move or mop,” said daughter
Verde Hughes. Vel and J.B. Washburn were
both born in the living room of the little three-room home. The walls were
adobe and the roof was tar papered by her mother Wasel. The wall boards were calcimined.
The corrals and barn were built
by the Washburns. An irrigation ditch
ran past the north side of the house. The granary and livestock pens were
located on the east side of the barn.
Like most Blanding families, the Washburns, kept a milk cow. “LaVell could whirl a full bucket of milk
around his head and not spill a drop,” remembered his daughter Verde. “Wasel
made the best bread in the world, divinity candy, mashed potatoes and gravy,
pies and delicious beans.”
In 1931 LaVell Washburn sold his Alkali Ranch and bought Zeke
Johnson’s brick house across the street (where Maureen Beeson lives). Wasel had helped her father David Patten
Black build that home in 1915. The
Blacks lived there until 1929 when David Patten traded it to Zeke Johnson for
the Charley Sipe home. The Washburns sold their little home to Alma and Lila
Palmer in 1931. All of the Palmer
children were raised there. They had
three milk cows and 44 pigs at one time, and Lila usually did the milking,
gardening, & watering because Alma was away doing road construction and
other projects. Alma did, however, keep a
very detailed diary of all his business dealings and the following data came
from his diary:
1946—Built a second level addition, also added a porch, and front
room. Robert Dodge and Frank Wright did
the work. A garage was built, cost $370; a picket fence was also added.
1949—Cement walks were poured around the home, cost $117; brick
planters were put in which cost $190.
The Chicken coop was built for $485.
(All are still intact.)
1950—Planted the maple tree on the north lawn. (Now 62 years old.)
1952--Planted the Ash tree on the north lawn. (60 years old). Girls who grew up with Margaret, Ilene, and
Shirley also remember the play house Alma built for his kids, and how much fun
it was to play there.
1955—A fireplace and large patio doors were added on the south by
Ernest Sondregger.
1959—The bedroom walls downstairs were lined with knotty pine; cost
$225; more picket fence built by Alma.
1960—Installed the wagon wheel fence.
1962—Home was remodeled again; paneling installed in the front rooms
for $300. Doug Harvey and Don Pendleton,
Glen Johnson did most of the carpentry.
This was beautiful dark walnut paneling made from scratch.
1973—Pete and Charlotte Black bought home from the Palmers;
insulation was blown in to the attic.
1974—The Blacks sold the home to the Wilcox family. We had four children at the time: Aaron 4,
Rob 3, Nathan 2, and Chris 1 year old.
After living in a trailer for six years, we thought we had moved into a
castle!!
1975—We reshingled the house, remodeled and insulated the middle
upstairs bedroom. Planted lawn on the
west side of the house. Debarked the elm
trees on the north and south to kill them, as they were over powering the Maple
trees. We loved the large garden and
orchard area as both of us were raised on Idaho farms. Two of the original
grapes vines are still growing.
1977—Drilled a well near the barn. Cost $1221. Anthony born Sept. 27
1978-79—Dick Einerson remodeled our kitchen, added new cabinets. Cost $4000. Autumn born Oct. 31 Built a grape arbor, and planted more trees and grapes.
1981—Andrew born April 6.
1982—Installed chain link fence around three sides of our acreage.
1987—Added on 12 feet to west end of home, and brought the walls
straight up on the 2nd story.
This added four more rooms upstairs. Hoyt Hoagland did the work and
remodeling for $17,000. Our family did
the sheet rocking, perfa-taping and painting and finishing work. It was a long winter!
Jan. 4 , 1990—A house fire destroyed the interior walls downstairs, and smoke damaged the rest of the home. We were devastated to lose all the hard work we had just completed. The basic structure, however, was still solid. Bishop and Sister Webb generously invited us to stay with them, until we could find another place to stay. Nine people for company for over a week—just imagine! Our neighbors and friends helped clear out the insulation, and burnt sections as well as wash our clothes, dishes, and anything salvageable. What a labor of love they provided. We were soon able to rent Dr. VanDyke’s home, where the Giddings now live on the dump road. Scott Hurst and his crew rebuilt our home and we moved back in 6 months later. They did amazing work, and made the home better than ever. We truly felt an outpouring of community love and support during this very trying time.
January - July 1990 Hurst Building added new wiring, insulation,
plumbing, bay window on south, termite prevention, storm windows, new furnace,
porch in front, vinyl siding and cement work.
They took down walls in the kitchen/family room area, added a big
support beam, to open up the back of the home.
Taylor Palmer did the cabinets for the kitchen and office. They did wonderful work, and we were so
thankful to be back in our home six months later.
1992—City installed curb and gutter on 3rd west and 1st
south.
2003 -- With the help of the boys we leveled off the south patio area and added flagstone in time for Andrew's wedding. So now the patio was part cement, part wooden docks from UNDC (that Silvia and I confiscated) and then flagstone.
2006—Tired of hauling around water hoses for 30 years, we installed
a sprinkler system, in preparation for leaving on the mission in 2007.
In 2012 we added a deck with an escape route in case of
fire. It has only taken us 20 years to
do that! 
2013 During April Conference Ashley and Autumn helped give our kitchen a face lift, with a bright blue turquoise. I would never been able to climb up on the cabinets to do it, and I love the cheer it brings to our home.
We love our home, and appreciate
changes and improvements made over the past 100 years. It has served its occupants well and been a
wonderful refuge to all the families who lived there, a temporary abode for students in transit, and hopefully a friendly
respite for those who come to visit and often to play games.
No comments:
Post a Comment