Willard Historic District

Willard, located forty-five miles north of Salt Lake City, was settled in 1851. Of these original settlers one home, the Lyman Wells Home, was constructed in the early 1850’s, The original settlement was called Willow Creek because of the numerous willows along the stream which flowed from the steep mountain canyon just east of the settlement westward into the Great Salt Lake. Later, the town was renamed Willard in honor of Willard Richards an apostle of the Mormon Church.

Willard reflected Brigham Young’s concern about Indian attack and on his advice s constructed one of the largest forts in any Utah village. It measured half a mile in length and a quarter mile in width and had walls twelve feet high and two feet thick at the top. The fort proved unnecessary and as the settlers grew more convinced they were at last at their permanent homesite, they disassembled the fort and used many of its rocks in homes nearby and in the foundation for the L.D.S. Meeting House beginning in the 1880’s.

The Willard Historic District is one of Utah’s Historic Districts and is bounded by 200 W, 200 N, 100 E and 200 S in Willard, Utah. It was added to the National Historic Register (#74001933) on June 25, 1974. The text on this page is from the national register’s nomination form.

As the pioneers expanded beyond the confines of the fort, Willard began ;o take on the form of a typical Mormon agricultural village. In many other frontier communities, the move from the fort was to dispersed farmsteads (a pattern encouraged by the Federal Land Acts such as the Homestead Act of 1862) but the Mormons maintained a closely-knit farm-village pattern, Willard’s plan resembled that of the Plan for the City of Zion drawn by the Prophet Joseph Smith in the following respects:

• All of the people lived in the town, an area approximately one mile square.
• The grid pattern was strictly north-south, east-west.
• Blocks were large and those in the center of town were larger than others and set aside for church, school and public use.
• Houses were set back from the streets at least twenty-five feet and the streets were wide, intersecting each other at right angles.

Other important distinguishing characteristics of a Mormon village manifested in Willard are the presence of barns, granaries, sheds, corrals, and fences in the village proper and the predominance of earth tones in the color of building materials. The abundance of pioneer stone architecture in Willard sets it apart from most other villages not only in terms of sheer numbers but in styles ranging from Gothic to Greek. The ingenuity of the settlers in making such harmonious use of natural stone is uniquely demonstrated in the craftsmanship of the towns’ master-builder, Shadrach Jones, A native of Wales, Shadrach was converted to Mormonism in 1850. After emigrating to Utah, he made his home in Willard. As a stone mason, his work reflects the style of the houses in his native Wales. In 1083, Shadrach was called by L.D.S. Church authorities to return to his homeland as a missionary. He died June 24, 1883 at Swansea, Wales after a three week bout with pneumonia.

The Willard Historic District illustrates several significant facts relating to America’s and Utah’s history and heritage, as follows:

• The concentration of rock homes reflecting the influence and use of European house styles on the Mormon frontier.
• The craftsmanship of Shadrach Jones and his helpers who used their tremendous skills with a minimum of hand tools to create some of the most beautiful structures still standing.
• The Mormon philosophy of building as permanently and beautifully as their resources would allow.
• The adaptability of these settlers to their environment. Rocks were used in the homes because of their abundance and the ability of the settlers to work with them. In other parts of the Mormon territory adobe and bricks were used in constructing much the same styles of homes.
• Willard still reflects, in large measure, the design and composition of the typical Mormon agricultural village.

It is believed that Willard’s rock buildings were designed from memories of Wales, since the master stonemason credited with their construction came directly to Willard from Wales. Although northern Utah is endowed with many pioneer rock structures, the greatest concentration existed in Willard. Also, certain features of Willard’s homes differ from those found elsewhere. For example, the rock homes built in Willard between 1861-1881 did not have fireplaces. Although many communities along the Wasatch front had ready access to rocks, the extent and success of this material’s use is especially pronounced in Willard.

The settlers and early residents of Willard were as substantial as their architecture. One of Shadrach Jones apprentices, Evan Stephens, nurtured his musical talents in Willard then went on to direct the famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Robert Bell Baird, another accomplished musician, composed many hymns still used in L.D.S. Churches today. John L. Edwards was one of northern Utah’s most prominent cattlemen and entertained Lei and Stanford and Brigham Young in his home. George Mason was a well-todo dairyman and George and Charles Harding were prominent ranchers. Matthew Dalton had the first sailboat on Great Salt Lake and set out the first orchard in northern Utah. It is believed that more residents of Willard per capita achieved college educations than from any other town in Utah. Willard was (and still is) a hub of fruit-growing activity. Some associate Willard most clearly with the devastating floods of 1923 and 1936.

Several Willard residents interested in the protection and enhancement of their heritage have formed a non-profit, educational organization called Historic Willard. They are participating in workshops directed by outstanding restoration architects, landscape architects and planners and legal consultant Their goal is to learn how to preserve and restore their individually-owned buildings at the same time they become advocates for compatible community development. These citizens were instrumental in securing zoning for Willard last year. They are sponsoring educational activities, e.g. the collection of photographs to document Willard’s early history. They are also studying the long range effects of major planning considerations, e.g. curb and gutter, sewer, etc. They hope to influence public opinion on the latter to provide what is considered appropriate for Willard.