John L. Edwards House, 55 South Second West, Willard

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Private residence. icanee: The John L. Edwards House is the substantial Willard residence of a prominent northern Utah cattleman. This attractively situated structure of stuccoed native stone and sun-dried brick is enhanced with decorative features of the Carpenter Gothic style. PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History: 1. Date of erection: ca. 2. Architect: not known. 3. Original and subsequent owners: The John L. Edwards House is built on lots 7, 8 and 9, Block 11, Plat A, Willard City Survey. The following references tracing the title of these lots are found in the Box Elder County Recorder's Office, Brigham City, Utah. Deed, signed December 26, filed November 29, recorded in Book E, page John L.

Edwards received a deed from Probate Judge Saul Smith for lots 7, 8, 9 for a fee of Deed, signed April 20, filed January 10, recorded in Book 53, page 94. David T. Edwards bought from John A. Edwards, Administrator of John L. Edwards estate, lots 7, 8 and 9 for $1. Deed, signed February 6, filed March 22, recorded in Book 58, page 42 7. Emerson Rex Edwards bought from David T. Edwards lots 7, 8 and 9 for $1. Deed, signed May 10, filed June 18, recorded in Book of Records page Gladys Edwards Schroeder bought from Emerson Rex Edwards lots 7, 8 and 9 for JOHN L. EDWARDS HOUSE HABS No. UT-90 (Page 2) 4. Builder: According to members of the Edwards family, this building was most likely constructed by Shadrach Jones.

More than ten of the historic structures in Willard were constructed by Jones, including the Robert Bell Baird House (HABS No. UT-89)> the George Mason House (HABS No. UT-92), and the Shadrach Jones House (HABS No. UT-86). Jones's influence also extended north into Idaho and to finish work on the Latter-Day Saints Temple in Logan, Utah. 5. Original plans and construction: Constructed of both stone and adobe, the walls have been covered with stucco. The exact material of each section could not be determined. 6. Alterations and additions: The porch on the south side of the house was added sometime between and An original stairway from the kitchen to the upper bedroom was removed ca.

A cement and stone bathroom was added on to the east side of the house in A window was put into the kitchen wall on the north side and a new wall cupboard was installed ca. An opening was made to the left side of the doorway leading from the sitting room to the kitchen, leaving a knee wall, ca. The east wall enclosing the stairs was removed from the tread to the ceiling ca. The kitchen porch was enclosed and converted to a utility room in The balcony on the second story of the west side was rebuilt and restored with the use of early photographs by John E. Edwards, brother of the owner, in B. Historical Context Willard, in Box Elder County, Utah, was one of the early settlements founded by Mormon settlers upon a request from Brigham Young.

It was originally known as "Willow Creek" in recognition of the steady stream flowing from a steep mountain canyon to the great Salt Lake. Later the town was renamed to honor Willard Richards, an apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In plan the town resembles the plat of the "City of Zion" as designed by Mormon leaders before the settlement of the Utah territory. Instead of dispersed farmsteads, as encouraged by federal land acts of the JOHN L. EDWARDS HOUSE HABS No. UT-90 (Page 3) nineteenth century, the Mormons maintained a closely knit village pattern. Important distinguishing characteristics of a Mormon village manifested in Willard are the presence of barns, granaries, corrals and fences in the village proper.

The townsite rests on a wide alluvial fan whose fertile soil has supported farms and orchards since the days of the first pioneers in An abundance of finely crafted pioneer stone architecture sets Willard apart from most other Mormon villages. This fact was recognized in July of when a large portion of the town was designated a National Historic District. The ingenuity of the settlers in making such harmonious use of natural stone, quarried from the mountain canyon just east of the townsite, is uniquely demonstrated in a majority of the more than forty historic structures found within the boundaries of the historic district. John L. Edwards, a prominent cattleman in northern Utah, immigrated from Wales in and shortly thereafter settled in Willard.

Active in both civic and church affairs, he served as acting Bishop of the Willard Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and two terms as the town's mayor. C. Sources of Information: 1. Old Views: Two early views of the Edwards house are on file in the Utah State Historical Society's Photographic Collection. The earliest view, most likely taken late in the nineteenth century, shows the south elevation without a porch. The second view, taken later in the nineteenth or possibly around the turn of the twentieth century, shows the addition of the porch. 2. Interviews: John E. Edwards, grandson of John L. Edwards, and Gladys Edwards Schroeder, granddaughter of John L. Edwards, August 17, Willard, Utah. Both presently live in the house. 3.

Secondary sources: Baddley, Edith Edwards, compiler. Biographical Sketch of the Life of John L.Edwards, October, Box Elder County Chapter, Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. History of Box Elder County. Salt Lake City: Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, Nicolas, Hannah B., ed. Willard Centennial Book, Willard, Utah: Willard Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, JOHN L. EDWARDS HOUSE HABS No. UT-90 (Page 4) State of Utah, Division of State History. "Historic Sites Survey Form; John L. Edwards House." Compiled by John E. Edwards, August 29, Prepared by: Peter L. Goss Architectural Historian Graduate School of Architecture University of Utah November, PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A. General Statement: 1.

Architectural character: a Carpenter Gothic style house of stuccoed masonry. 2. Condition of fabric: excellent. B. Description of Exterior: 1. Overall dimensions: x with additions on the northeast. 2. Foundations: stone. 3. Walls: masonry, stone or brick, covered with stucco. 4. Structural system, framing: masonry bearing wall with wood floor and roof framing. First-floor joists are logs. 5. Porches: two wooden porches, one at west front entrance with balustrade and one along the south side, both with hip roofs. A second-level wooden balcony extends across the west gable end. 6. Chimneys: one, brick. Two metal flues. 7. Openings: a. Doorways and doors: panel doors. b. Windows and shutters: six-over-six light double-hung sash. Deeply splayed wood-paneled jambs on the interior. 8. Roof: a.

Shape, covering: gable roof with asphalt shingles. JOHN L. EDWARDS HOUSE HABS No. UT-90 (Page 5) b. Cornice, eaves: Scallop-like jigsaw work at eaves. Decorative bargeboards on gable ends. c. Dormers: The six gable dormers have barge boards and pinnacles. C* Description of Interior: 1. Floor plans: See drawings. 2. Stairways: the stairway, closed on both sides, had wood risers and treads. 3. Flooring: original flooring is 1" x 6" softwood boards} presently covered with carpet or vinyl. 4. Wall and ceiling finish: plaster on wood lath. 5. Doorways and doors: some openings have a paneled jamb and head while others have four-paneled wood doors. The door into the second-floor storage room is made of wood slats nailed together with two horizontal boards. 6. Trim: flat casing and trim. 7.

Hardware: surface passage and locksets. 8. Lighting: present lighting has been installed in recent times. 9. Heating: forced warm air furnace and duct system. D. Site: 1. General setting and orientation: building faces west with a granary to the north side and a cherry and peach orchard across the back half of the site. 2. Outbuildings: a. Granary: a simple x brick building with a x stone addition. Stone foundation. Wood rafters and floor joists with a gable shingled roof. Prepared by: Burtch W. Beall, Jr. Project Supervisor Graduate School of Architecture University of Utah November, JOHN L. EDWARDS HOUSE HABS No. UT-90 (Page 6) III.

PROJECT INFORMATION The State of Utah survey, conducted by the Historic American Buildings Survey, was cosponsored by the National Park Service and the Utah Heritage Foundation and supported by the Utah American Revolution Bicentennial Commission and the Utah State Institute of Fine Arts jointly with the National Endowment for the Arts. All work was recorded under the direction of John Poppeliers, Chief of HABS, during the summer of at the Historic American Buildings Survey Field Office at the Graduate School of Architecture, University of Utah. The survey team consisted of Burtch W. Beall, architect (University of Utah), project supervisor; Dr. Peter L. Goss, project historian; student architects Ronnie B. Cullen (Washington State University), Clayton B.

Fraser (University of Tennessee), William B. Klein (University of Utah), and Eric V. Ramsing (University of Oregon). Photographs were taken by Louise T. Taft in The written data were edited by Alison K. Hoagland, HABS Historian, in ADDENDUM TO HABS No. UT-90 JOHN L. EDWARDS HOUSE 55 S. Second West HAFSS Willard Box Elder County UIr\H a- XEROGRAPHIC COPIES OF COLOR TRANSPARENCIES HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY National Park Service Department of the Interior Washington,