Watkins-Coleman House, 5 East Main Street, Midway

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS UTAH,26-MID,1-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

This is one of the early polygamist adobe houses in Utah, maintained in excellent condition throughout its existence. Family home of former Senator Arthur V. Watkins of Utah. PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History: 1. Original and subsequent owners: John Watkins Mary Ann Watkins, widow Henry T. Coleman, Lethe Tatge 2. Date of erection: 3. Architect: John Watkins h. Builder, suppliers, etc.: John Watkins, masonry; Moroni Blood, carpentry; Henry Coleman planing; Joseph Kerby, painting. 5. Original plan and construction: The "builder's daughter Mary A. Shaer, describes the house: "John Watkins did all Interior decorating of his homes; the only exception being when our house was built. Joseph Kerby did the painting and varnishing.

Father always did the paper hanging and remodeling if we needed any. The house had a large spacious cellar for the storing of-vegetables and one room for the milk, butter and fruit. The house had a large dining room on the north. This was a spa- cious room with a long dining table in the center, the china cupboard, the organ, father's bookcase, the sew- ing, an upholstered sofa, rockers and dining chairs." m WATKINS-COLEMM HOUSE HABS No. U-5^ (Page 2) She continues, "There was a long, glassed-in kitchen on the west of this with a pantry on the north end. At the south a door led into Mother's "bedroom. Next there was a large room in the center and front of the house which was used as the parlor and here was the "best carpet, the choice furniture, pictures, and treasures.

It was a "beautiful large room with two sets of double French doors opening on the south porch. This room also had a door leading from Mother's bedroom, one into the dining room and one into the large front hall. The hall had a front door leading to the porch, one to the dining room and another into a large bedroom on the east. There was a winding stairway with a curving ban- ister leading to a large hall and three upstairs bed- rooms. The center room led out onto a balcony or porch. This room also had a door leading to a storeroom which was never finished, but was used as a catch all for un- used articles and discarded band instruments. We chil- dren loved to delve into these things and play a few tunes on the horns when Father did not know we were into them.

The downstair floor of the front porch was finished with smooth red sandstone blocks and immense white sand- stone blocks comprised the front stoop with white sand- stone steps that led down into a lower level with sand- stone pillars on each side. The east bedroom was used as a guest room and many of the church notables have slept in this room such as President George Q. Cannon, John Henry Smith, President Anthon H. Lund, Owen Wood- ruff, Francis M. Luman, and almost all the former apos- tles of the Church. They stayed here as Father was the Bishop and in the days of the horse and buggy it was often necessary to stay overnight. North of this room was a small room that led to the dining room and out on the back porch and into the provision basement.

A closet from the front hall was used to store the large pickle barrel and generally a twenty gallon size barrel of honey and many other dainties. Spacious lawns were on each side of the house. They were slightly raised and terraced above the center semi- circle. In this center at one time there was a large sandstone fountain with a basin, but on account of water conditions, this was done away with and a pine tree was planted in its place. On the east side lawn is a pine tree which was planted while the house was being built and is the largest and oldest cultivated native pine in this section. Native pines and cedars adorn the west lawn.

The lawns were a gathering place for all the young people of the town and many happy times were spent with groups in games of pomp, stealsticks , drop the hand- kerchief and many other games." WATKINS-COLEMAN HOUSE HAES No. Ur-54 (Page 3). 6. Alterations and additions: Kitchen moved to east room on first floor, just east of dining room. Porch on east closed in to become part of kitchen. Modern bathroom added on north side "between dining room and kitchen. B. Historical Events and Persons Associated with the Building: John Watkins was born April 13, in the village of Maid- stone, Kent, England. He was the third son of Thomas and Sarah Watkins. Thomas was a promising architect, and gave John a thorough training in architecture and building.

John married Margaret Ackhurst from Faversham, England and on January 31, their first daughter, Elisabeth, was born at Maidstone. He worked in London as an architect in and that same year was converted to the Mormon Church. On October 29, their second child, John Thomas, was born and in the family migrated to the United States , arriving in Boston harbor on June 28, They went over- land to Iowa City, Iowa and joined the Martin Company wagon train under the captaincy of Edward Martin and Daniel Tyler, in Nebraska.

They arrived in Salt Lake City in November, and soon after moved to Provo, Utah, John helped build the old Mormon Tabernacle in Provo (de- molished He also designed and built Provo's first opera house (Cluff's Hall) in While in Provo he acquired two new wives, and in the family moved to Midway, settling first in the lower settlement on Snake Creek, then moving to the Fort (Midway) above. (Also an occupant of the fort at that time was Henry Goleman Sr. After the signing of a peace treaty with the Ute Indians in the settlers began to build outside the fort. Wat- kins secured two sited, one a block south and east of the fort, and the other a block east. On the first he built a rock home with three apartments for his families.

Shaer describes the other site, on thich the Watkins- Coleman house is built: "The plot of ground that John Watkins had obtained on the main road a block east from the old fort was slight- ly higher than the road. With the help of his boys he began to grade and terrace it. The center section was graded to street level. Each side was terraced with rock to support the spacious lawns on each side. Na- tive pine trees were brought from nearby canyons and planted to adorn the grounds." She also describes the planting of the still existing pine tree on the east lawn at this time. WATKIHS-COLEMAN HOUSE HABS No.

U-5U (Page k) Watkins located a lied of white sandstone, and with his hoys "began to cut and saw the stone for "corners , steps and pil- lars." He located a red clay bed and started to make the bricks and burn them. He used the bricks to build the first brick house in Wasatch County. Tatge does not agree that the house is brick, but rather adobe. She has had several brickmakers from Provo, Utah attest to this during periods of replacement of deteriorated brickwork.) About this time, Moroni Blood had erected a sawmill on Snake Creek, where he cut and planed the intricate moldings, cor- nices, posts according to Watkins' designs. Henry Coleman Sr. also started a sawmill higher up Snake Creek, where he made the lath, shingles, beams and rafters for Watkins1 home.

John Watkins completed the home and did most of the interior decoration, except for the "fancy" painting and var- nishing done by Joseph Kerby, Schaer's account states that John Watkins took a con- tract with "the railroad being rushed to its completion to the Territory" at Green River (Wyoming) in to do masonry work. He was paid for his labors, and upon his return, she states, "Then he finished his home." Others seeing his home gave him their building contracts and he subsequently built homes for George Bonner, Sr. , William Bonner, George Bonner, William Coleman, and others in Provo and Springville. Arthur V. Watkins, former United States Senator from Utah, was a son of Arthur Watkins, Sr. and Emily Gerber. Arthur, Sr. was son of John Watkins and Harriet Steel.

Senator Watkings was born in Midway on De- cember 18, presumably, in this house. C. Sources of Information: 1. Primary and unpublished sources: Interview with Lethe Tatge, daughter of Henry T. Cole- man and present occupant. (See Section E, Supplemental Material) 2.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS UTAH,26-MID,1-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Daughters of Utah Pioneers. Under Wasatch Skies, A History of Wasatch County 1858-I9OO, The Deseret News Press, Mortimer, William James. How Beautiful Upon the Mountains, Wasatch County Chapter, Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Shaer, Mary A. John Watkins , A Bridf History of the Pioneer, (no date; privately published) c. WATKINS-COLEMAN HOUSE HABS No. U-5^ (Page 5) E. Supplemental Material: Interview with Lethe Tatge, July 5> present owner-occupant of Watkins'Coleman house and daughter of Henry T. Coleman. Tatge is 75 years old. John Watkins built the house in He was the archi- tect, and grandfather of Senator Arthur V. Watkins of Utah. His widow (Mary Ann Watkins) sold home to Henry T.

Coleman, Tatge*s father, in They permitted Watkins to remain in the house through the winter to arrange her affairs, and did not move in until I90h. The home was left to her and her husband (Francis C. Tatge) in when they lived in Chicago. They returned to Midway to care for her elderly parents and the property and have lived there since. The parents had continuously occupied the property since Henry T. Coleman died in and Coleman passed away in Mr. Tatge, whose father was William Tatge, law partner of William Jennings Bryan, died in Moroni Blood, a local carpenter, did the intricate scroll wood trim on the house. Henry Coleman Tatge's grandfather) did the planing. Interviewer: John L. Giusti Prepared by John L. Giusti, AIA July 25, PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A.

General Statement: 1. Architectural interest: Evidence of the amenity and ornament attained in a pioneer dwelling of adobe brick is found in this example of a polygamous house. 2. Condition of fabric: Excellent; lovingly maintained. WATKINS-COLEMM HOUSE HABS No. U-^k (Page 6) B. Description of Exterior: 1. Over-all dimensions: This two-story house with partial "basement is rectangular, k6f 0 " x kV 6". 2. Foundations: Pot-Rock 3. Wall construction, finish, and color: Hand-pressed "brick; white sandstone quoins. Brick painted red; quoins and trim painted white. (Old picture shows all brick joints painted white). h. Structural system, framing: Masonry; some of floor framing is unsawn log. 5.

Porches and stoops: Front porch recessed, 3 bays with original 3-bay rail above reduced to center bay. Ori- ginal east porch closed in as kitchen shortly after c. Front porch floor now concrete; ori- ginally red sandstone slabs. 6. Chimneys: Two plain chimneys at rear. Two at front; double diagonal chimneys on rectangular base. 7. Openings: a. Doorways and doors: Front door - k panel, upper panel glass with segmental arch. Second story front door - gothic arch with glass; wood muntin tracery. b. Windows and shutters: Two French doors into front parlor, 12 lights per leaf. Other original windows six-over-six double hung. Those at front now changed to two-over-two. Wood lintels slightly pitched like pediments.

Louvered shutters not operable; added within past 20 years to lower bed- room windows only. 8. Roof: a. Shape, covering: Gables and lean-tos; wood shingles; green stained. b. Cornice, eaves: Extremely noteworthy lacy wood bargeboards. WATKINS-COLBMAN HOUSE HABS No. U-5k (Page 7) C. Description of Interior: 1. Floor plans:Partial basement, original vegetable cel- lar. Symmetrical first floor provided equal "bedrooms for the second and third polygamous wives of John Watkins These were on either side of the front entrance and par- lor. One step higher, the large dining room was behind the parlor. The original kitchen and pantry was just west of the big dining room; the porch, now the kitchen, just to the east,.

There are bedrooms over the three front rooms and an attic behind the center bedroom and three steps up. 2. Stairways: A rather steep stair with winders rises from the front hall. The newel is turned but the base is a crude assembly of rounded boards. 3. Flooring: Originally all wide pine boards; some re- placed (living room and downstairs bedrooms). k. Wall and ceiling finish: Wallpaper. Wood lath and plaster. Upstairs rooms were originally whitewashed. 5. Doorways and doors: Four.-panel doors, some with ori- ginal graining, in unornamented openings. Thresholds are evidence of unsawn (adzed) logs in construction. 6. Decorative features and trim: Mantels and stair rail of very simple (almost crude) design and workmanship. Panelled wainscot in living room, 33" in parlor). 7.

Notable hardware: Porcelain knobs, nothing pretentious. 8. Lighting, type of fixtures: Electric; upstairs fix- tures date from installation of electricity. Stamped metal ceiling medallion in dining room was originally used for a hanging coal oil lamp. 9. Heating: Original mantels remain but fireplaces closed. Small cast iron stoves still operable in center and southeast upstairs bedrooms. D, Site and Surroundings: 1. Orientation: Faces Main Street to south; Center Street is at west. 2. Outbuildings: A number of small frame structures are old; original barn destroyed; new concrete block garage. WATKINS-COLEMAN HOUSE HABS No. (Page 8) 3. Landscaping and walks, enclosures: Sunken carriageway now a lawn. Large spruces transplanted by John Watkins from original forest locations.

Crisscrossed with irrigation channels. Prepared by Paul Goeldner, AlA Supervisory Architect Utah Project July 5, PART III. PROJECT INFORMATION This record is part of a Utah Survey conducted in the summers of and under joint sponsorship of the Historic American Buildings Survey of the Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation of the National Park Service and the Utah Heritage Foundation. Field work, historic research and record drawings were done under the direction of Project Supervisor Paul Goeldner, AIA (Texas Tech Univer- sity) assisted by Project Historian John L. Giusti, AIA (University of Utah). Photographs were made by P. Kent Fairbanks of Salt Lake City. Student Assistant Architects on the team were Robert M. Swanson and Charles W. Barrow, (University of Texas) and Kenneth L.

Lambert and Keith Sorenson, (University of Utah). Student Assistant Archi- texts were Keith Sorenson, Charles D. Barker and Robert Sehriever, (Uni- versity of Utah) and Donald G. Prycer, (Texas A. & M. University).