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James and Penninah Wrathall House

21 Thursday Dec 2023

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James and Penninah Wrathall House

The James and Penninah Wrathall House, built in 1898, is located at 5 North Center Street in Grantsville, Utah. The Wrathall House is a two-story central-block-with-projecting-bays type house. The house is constructed of brick with sandstone foundation, lintels and sills. The style and ornamentation is Queen Anne with an Eastlake style porch. The house has a wood shingle roof with the original decorative shingles on the turret roof. The house has a circa 1940s one-story frame addition at the northwest corner. The 0.84-acre lot includes two contributing outbuildings (a circa 1910 garage and a circa 1900 coop), and one non-contributing outbuilding (a circa 1980s shed). There is also a contributing structure, a circa 1950 metal Butler silo.

Though technically a central-block-with-projecting-bays type house, the footprint of the building is contained within a roughly 40 by 40 foot square. The one-story addition is located in a niche at the northwest corner and extends 12 feet to the north. The house was constructed of brick with a facing of fired red brick and an adobe brick lining on the interior. The brick is laid in a running bond with flush mortar joints. The tan-colored sandstone foundation is rough-faced ashlar blocks with concave mortar. A smooth sandstone stringcourse is above the foundation at the water table. Similarly smooth sandstone blocks provide the lintels and sills from most of the windows. The house faces Center Street to the east. The facade features an octagonal bay to the north and a projecting square turret tower to the south. The centerpiece of the fa9ade is the entrance, which features Eastlake details (spools, spindles, lathe-turned, brackets, etc.) above the main floor entrance and on the second-story porch. The concrete deck and steps, and the wrought iron rail are later additions (circa 1930s-960s).

The Wrathall House has an imposing presence. The attic space under the central truncated pyramidal roof is nearly a story-high. The roof is covered in square-butt wood shingles with a small eyebrow dormer above the main entrance. The slender turret roof is higher than the main roof by ten to twelve feet. It is covered with wood in an alternating pattern offish-scale and square-butt shingles, and is capped metal. The octagonal bay has a simple-gable roof. The bay’s gable trim combines paterae within a weave of wood and a base offishscale shingles. Other ornamentation includes both fan-shaped and scroll-shaped brackets with knobs, and a dentilated cornice. The windows are original (the smaller windows are covered in storm windows, date unknown). The larger windows are fixed frame with transoms. The horizontal mullions are notched with a centered paterae. The tall narrow windows are one-over-one, double-hung wood sash. The front door is original with Victorian carved ornamentation. The exterior wood work is painted grey with dark green accents.

The secondary elevations are less elaborate. Several of the narrow windows on these elevations have been shortened or blocked (circa 1940s to 1970s). The north elevation features a second eyebrow dormer and a leaded and colored-glass window, which lights the staircase. There are corbelled brick chimneystacks on the north and south elevations. The south and east elevations are relatively plain and not easily visible due to the mature trees near the house. The circa 1940s addition at the northwest corner is a one-story frame structure covered in shiplap siding on a concrete foundation. The addition has a concrete stoop on the east side. There are doors on the east and west elevations. The east elevation door is half-glass (with multiple panes). The window also is a multi-pane wood sash window. The west door is at grade level.

( This was added to the National Register of Historic Places (#05001629) on February 3, 2006 and is located at 5 North Center Street in Grantsville, Utah )

On the interior, the house has approximately 2,700 square feet of space divided between the two floors. The full-height attic is expansive, but the basement is only 20 percent excavated. Though a central-block house, because it has a square footprint, the interior feels more like a foursquare. The central entrance has a foyer. The semi-open stair is on the north side. It features a ball and spindle balustrade, knobs, brackets, square newel posts, and a curved rail. At the stair landing, the stained glass window glows in colors of rose and gold. With the exception of the stair rail, the woodwork in the foyer has been painted white. The interior doors are all original with hopper window transoms. The door and window casings feature fluted stiles and paterae. The room in the octagonal bay is to the north. The parlor is on the south in the projecting turret tower. The parlor is the most intact room. The oak woodwork is in excellent condition. The room features an elaborate two-tier mantel featuring columns acanthus-leave capitals, a mirror inset, and a tile surround. The tall oak pocket doors lead to a large dining room in the southwest corner of the house. The kitchen is in the northwest corner. The house has a total of thirteen rooms with four bedrooms and a bath on the second floor. The interior was painted and re-papered in the 1950s.

The Wrathall House is on the south half of a 0.84-acre rectangular parcel. A 0.12-acre portion at the corner of Main and Center Streets was divided from the main property and a one-story commercial building (circa 1970s) sits right at the corner. There is a concrete sidewalk leading from Center Street to the main entrance. A wood fence at the rear separates the house from the Main Street property. The landscaping is overgrown and the mature trees near the house obscure views of the secondary elevations. For many years, two 100-year old evergreens obstructed the façade view, but these trees were cut down recently. North of the house is a large field where the outbuildings are located. They include a contributing wood garage with a simple gable roof. This building was built circa 1900 to 1910 and originally may have been an agricultural outbuilding. South and west of this building is a contributing shed or coop (circa 1910), which is partially dilapidated. There is also a non-contributing circa 1980 wood shed. The round metal Butler silo (circa 1950) is a contributing structure. The James and Penninah Wrathall House is in good condition and contributes to the historic resources of
Grantsville, Utah.

The James and Penninah Wrathall House, built in 1898, is significant under National Register Criteria A and C for its association with the development of Grantsville and its contribution to the architectural resources of the rural Utah community. The owners, James and Penninah Wrathall were prominent second-generation members of the community. The property is eligible within the Multiple Property Submission: Historic and Architectural Resources of Grantsville, Utah, 1850-1955. The history of the house spans all of the historic contexts: “Mormon Agricultural Village Period, 1867-1905,” “Impact of Technology and Transportation Period, 1905-1930,” and the “Economic Diversification Period, 1930-1955.” The Wrathall House is architecturally significant as an unusual and well-preserved example of the Victorian style known as Queen Anne. The design shows the influence of design books, particularly in the Queen Anne and Eastlake details, but the execution by local builder, Charles Z. Schaffer, is unique. The imposing residence is a landmark at the corner of Main and Center Streets. The Wrathall House is a contributing historic resource in Grantsville, Utah.

The community of Grantsville was settled on October 10, 1850, three years after the first settlement of the Salt Lake Valley by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church or Mormon Church). After several altercations with the nomadic Native Americans who camped in the area, the Grantsville area was settled and known as Willow Creek. In 1852 a town site was surveyed and in 1853, the town was renamed Grantsville in honor of George D. Grant, who led a company of the territorial militia to protect the settlement. In April of 1890, James L. Wrathall bought Lots 1 & 2 of the Grantsville survey’s Block 3 from fellow Grantsville pioneer John Eastham (1820-1893). At the time a small Victorian cottage was located in the southeast corner of Lot 1. The Wrathall family lived in the cottage while their substantial brick home was construction. The local newspaper pinpointed the construction year in an article dated November 25, 1898, which read: “Bishop Wrathal’s [sic] fine home is nearly completed, all of the latest modern design, and shows the skill and fine machanical [sic] labor of C. Z. Schaffer, the builder.”

James Leishman Wrathall was born in Grantsville on September 22, 1860. He was the son of prominent
Grantsville pioneers, James Wrathall (1828-1896) and Mary Leishman Marston (1822-1871), English
immigrants who came to Utah in 1850. On February 2,1882, James L. Wrathall married Penninah Hunter.
Penninah Susan Hunter was born in Grantsville on January 14, 1862. She was the daughter of Edward Hunter (1821-1892) and Mary Ann Whitesides (1825-1914), who were also English immigrants. James and Penninah had ten children, with the last two born after they moved into their new house.

James Wrathall’s early life was spent herding his father’s cattle and sheep on the plains of Tooele County. He saved and invested, eventually becoming the owner of several large herds of sheep and cattle. He also acquired over 4.000 acres of farm and ranchland. He raised hay and sugar beets. He had a large fruit orchard, which included apples and other small fruits. As a prosperous rancher and farmer, he had numerous business interests: North Willow Irrigation Company, president; Richville Milling Company (flour mill in Tooele), president; Utah-Idaho Sugar Company, stockholder; Consolidated Wagon & Machine Company, stockholder; etc. James Wrathall was a member of the Grantsville City Council. He also served on the Grantsville School Board for thirteen years and on the Tooele County Board of Education for seventeen years. He held numerous leadership positions in the LDS Church, including serving as Grantsville’s bishop between 1890 and 1906. A biographical sketch of James L. Wrathall written in 1919, began: “There is no name perhaps that figures more conspicuously and honorably in connection with the business development of Grantsville and Tooele County than does the name of Wrathall. James L. Wrathall is now extensively engaged in farming in this section of the state and he is also at the head of various important business enterprises which constitute a dominant factor in the general development and progress of the district in which he lives.”

An earlier biographic sketch, noted that “He makes his home in Grantsville, where he erected, in 1898, a
beautiful home of twelve rooms. The house is a two-story brick, and modern in every respect.” According to Lisa Miller, “The Wrathall house was known as one of the most elegant residences in Grantsville. Local
citizens still remember the rosettes that adorned the ceilings in the original parlor and dining room and a grand stairway that features a beautiful stained glass window. The house is also believed to be the first residence in Grantsville to have acquired electricity.” Hazel Johnson, the youngest daughter of James and Penninah, remembers the silverware (which she had to polish every Sunday) and the napkins had the family’s initials on them.

At the age of seventy-three, James L. Wrathall gathered his family around him at home and predicted his death. He died the following day, November 29, 1932. In addition to raising ten children, Penninah Wrathall served in the Relief Society and Primary organizations of the LDS Church. She also served as the president of her local Daughters of Utah Pioneers organization. Penninah Hunter Wrathall died on November 16, 1934.

A portion of the property (Lot 2) had been deeded to a son, Morris Y. Wrathall, in 1931. After Penninah’s
death, the remainder went to Irene Wrathall Page in 1936. Irene Page was listed as living with her parents on the 1930 census enumeration. Irene was born on February 13, 1890 in Grantsville. She married George W. Page in 1918. He died in 1936. It is not known how long Irene lived in the house, but she did rent it out for a few years. In 1944, she sold the property to her sister, Hazel Wrathall Johnson. Irene Page died in Missouri on April 5, 1973. Hazel Wrathall was born on July 18, 1905, the youngest child of James and Penninah. She married Milan Johnson on November 17, 1921. Milan “Mike” C. Johnson was born on October 5, 1903, in Grantsville. They had eight children. The Johnsons remodeled the house and restored portions of the downstairs in the 1950s. They lived in the home until their deaths. He died on September 22, 1978, and she died on August 24,1993. In 1994, ownership was transferred to their daughter, Janice Johnson Sommerfeld, and her husband Sigmund Sommerfeld, who are the current owners.

The Wrathall House is architecturally significant as an imposing and unique adaptation of the Queen Anne style. The Queen Anne style was popularized by the 19th century British architect, Richard Norman Shaw. It was the most picturesque of the various Victorian Eclectic style popular in America in the late 19th century. Variations of the style were popular in Utah between 1884 and 1905. Residential examples are characterized by their asymmetrical façade, irregular plans, and variety in materials. The most common house type for Queen Anne residences was the central block with projecting bays. The Wrathall House is an unusual example: it appears as a block mass (almost a foursquare) flanked by a turret and an octagonal bay. The house includes a variety of juxtaposed materials: rough-faced and smooth stone, brick, wood shingles and other ornamentation. The Eastlake-style porch was adapted from a style book written and illustrated by English architect, Charles Locke Eastlake. Most Eastlake homes were constructed entirely of wood frame and shingle, and lacked the variety of materials of the Queen Anne style. The Eastlake style was popular in Utah between 1880 and 1900, but because Utah builders preferred brick, there are very few pure examples of the style. In Utah, as in the case of the Wrathall House, the Eastlake style is most often found on porches and decorative gable cornices in combination with Queen Anne and other Victorian Eclectic styles.

The builder of the Wrathall House was Charles Zephaniah Shaffer. 8 He was born in Pennsylvania on May 13, 1843. He was living in Grantsville at the time of his marriage to Ellen Barrus in 1895. He was listed as a
“carpenter” in a 1900 business gazetteer. Charles Z. Shaffer is also known to have built the Alex and Mary
Alice Johnson House at 5 West Main Street in Grantsville, listed on the National Register on December 13, 1995. The Johnson House was built in 1900, two years after the Wrathall House. Shaffer had probably gained confidence as a builder with his work on the Wrathall House. The Johnson House is a more exuberant expressive of the builder’s skill with extended bays and elaborate wrapping Eastlake porches, but it is also more typical than the Wrathall House. The Alex and Mary Alice Johnson House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. It is not known whether Shaffer was responsible for other Queen Anne homes in the Grantsville area.9 Charles Z. Shaffer died in Grantsville on August 29,1904.

Alex and Mary Alice Johnson House

15 Saturday Oct 2022

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Alex and Mary Alice Johnson House

The Alex and Mary Alice Johnson House is located at the corner of Main Street and Hale Street in Grantsville. It is a one-and-one-half story brick home in the Queen Anne style built in 1900. The plan of the main floor gives the impression of a cross-wing house with a square tower at the intersection of the wings. However, more substantial than a typical cross-wing, it may also be considered a modified central-block with projecting bays. The house is on a one-half acre property with three outbuildings that retain their historic integrity but do not contribute to the historic significance of the house.

The house sits on a coursed rubble foundation. The masonry consists of two types of brick. It is faced with a fired red brick and lined with adobe. The courses are laid in a running bond with 4″ projections at the corners of the octagonal bays. The lintels, sills, and water table are of sandstone. The main floor fenestration is a combination of large fixed sash windows with transoms and smaller double-hung windows. There are paired double-hung windows in each of the four gable ends and the two small dormers. The tower has round arched windows, brick voussoirs, and decorative brick-work at the imposts. The tower’s pyramidal roof is capped with a metal finial.

Probably the most striking part of the house is the decorative woodwork, which according to one source, has always been painted white. 1 The gable trim includes octagonal shingling with lozenge patternwork in the peak. Engaged pilasters with bracket “capitals” flank the windows. Similar details occur on the dormers. Dentils are found on the main cornice completely surrounding the house, as well as on the tower cornice. Corner brackets with lathe-turned spools and spindles occur at either side of the bays. The north and east porches are particularly elaborate. Each consists of lathe-turned columns and console brackets which support a spool and spindle frieze. Other decorative elements on the porches include dentils, fan-shaped brackets, pendants, and paterae. Scroll-cut woodwork is found on the balustrades and the base enclosure.

The principle elevations of the building have remained virtually unaltered since its construction. Minor alterations have been made to the rear, or south elevation, and concrete steps have been added to the east porch. A porch which spanned the length of the rear elevation was enclosed probably within a decade of the original construction. The east half of the porch was screened and the west half was fully enclosed to form a room. A doorway was cut from the main house to this room. In the 1950s, both the room and the screened porch were removed. They were replaced by a concrete porch supported by simple metal columns. Two other changes occurred in 1993: the cellar stair enclosure on the west elevation was repaired and the mid-century asphalt roof was replaced with wood shingles.

( This was added to the National Register of Historic Places (#95001433) on December 13, 1995 and is located at 5 West Main Street in Grantsville, Utah )

The interior of the house consists of several large well-lighted rooms with eleven-foot high ceilings. A small entrance foyer is at the base of the tower and contains separate doors to the dining room and parlor. The two rooms are also connected by a set of double doors. A large kitchen runs the east length of the house, with an enclosed staircase parallel to it. A second set of cellar stairs is found under the main staircase. The west side is separated into two smaller rooms: one was probably used as a bedroom, while the other was the family bathroom (the house was reportedly one of the first to have indoor plumbing in Grantsville). On the second floor there are four bedrooms, a nursery and a small office in the tower. The attic can be accessed from a trap door near the stairs.

Except for some changes in wallpaper and paint, the interior is in good historic condition. Some woodwork has been painted, however, most of the panelled doors, window casings, and other
woodwork are stained and varnished. With one exception, both interior and exterior doors have working hopper transoms and all original hardware. Decorative elements at the doors and windows include corner blocks and paterae. Most of the glass appears to be original.

The house has a full fireplace in the parlor and stove-pipe flues in the kitchen and main floor bedroom. The parlor boasts a tall mirrored mantel with Ionic columns and a carved festoon/wreath. The interior is remarkably well-preserved. In the 1950s the kitchen was partitioned to create a laundry room and new appliances were added. There was also some work done to the kitchen in the 1970s. However, the original wainscotting is still visible on two sides of the room and only the lattice at the top of the partition seems out of period. The bathroom also contains fixtures from the 1950s remodel and includes the blocked door to the missing back room. Other than paint, wallpaper and new flooring, the second floor has seen little modification since a second bathroom was added in the 1950s. The house is still heated by its original boiler and radiators.

The site has three outbuildings which were used by the original household. The small pumphouse at the rear most likely dates to the original construction and supplied water to the house. A small chicken pen has been added to the pumphouse. In the southwest corner of the property sits a large framed three-car garage, built sometime after 1910. The garage also includes a room originally used as an icehouse. A two-story frame summerhouse sits west of the house, and was probably built after the garage (around 1915-1920). The main floor of this building served as a laundry and the upper floor was used for bedrooms. This building has been partially covered with aluminum siding and is currently rented as a residence. An L-shaped asphalt driveway covers a large portion of the property, but the remainder consists of trees, lawns, and flower beds. A rock garden and fountain have been built near the east porch. Sidewalks run from the perimeter to the north and east porches. The property has a combination of picket, post, and chain-link fences.

The Alex and Mary Alice Johnson House, built in 1900, is an excellent example of the Victorian Queen Anne style. This style of architecture documents an important period of growth in Utah. The design, though executed by a local builder influenced by pattern-books, combines a remarkable unity of composition with elaborate decoration. With its prominent position on Main Street, the Johnson House is one of the most distinctive architectural landmarks of Grantsville. Both the exterior and interior details of the home have been extraordinarily well-preserved. The house meets National Register Criterion C in the area of Architecture as the most outstanding example of a Queen Anne house in the community.

Alexander Johnson began construction on the home in 1899, just after his marriage to Mary Alice Anderson. Both were natives of Grantsville, born in 1870 and 1878 respectively. His parents were Charles Johnson and Charlotte Erickson, Swedish immigrants to Grantsville in 1863. Her parents were John Anderson and Mary Ann Clark. Alex and May built their house on the property was just south and across Main Street from the Deseret Mercantile (Johnson Hall) built in 1898, where Alex was engaged in the family business with his father and brothers. During his lifetime Alex also raised sheep, cattle, and horses. A successful businessman, he served as the director of the Grantsville Deseret Bank. He and his wife Alice were both members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) and served the community in both church and civic positions.

The builder of the Johnson House was Charles Zephaniah Shaffer. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1842, listed as a carpenter in the 1900 business gazetteer, and died in 1904. Shaffer also constructed a Queen Anne home at 5 North Center Street. It is not known whether he was responsible for other Queen Anne homes in the Grantsville area. 2 The Johnson house contains all the characteristics of the style: an asymmetrical plan and façade, a variety of materials and textures, decorative shingling and brick, elaborate woodwork, and a tower.

Great care was taken in the construction of the house. According to Mildred J. Conway, a
daughter of Alex and Mary Alice, each red brick, imported from California, came individually
wrapped in paper. When completed in 1900 at a cost of $4,500, the home was one of the most elegant and modern (with its indoor plumbing) in the community. The ornate mantelpiece cost $75.

Alex and Mary Alice Johnson raised ten children in the home. In addition, they also took in Alex’s three nephews and a niece, who had been orphaned. The already spacious home was augmented by the building of the summerhouse, c.1920. The three-car garage was reportedly built for the four Model-T Fords the Johnsons acquired to transport their large family. Alex’s mother also lived with them and a room was built on the back porch for her. The home was literally at the center of community life in Grantsville. From his office at home in the second floor tower, Alex could view his mercantile business just across the street, known as Johnson Hall, and also used as at various times as the town’s bank, post office, and dance hall.

During the depression, with most of their children grown, Alex and Mary Alice took in boarders. Throughout the thirties and forties, the house was called the Lone Pine Tourist Home after the large pine tree in the front yard. Its distinctive architecture, its proximity to the Lincoln Highway, and a scarcity of housing near the Tooele Army Depot insured the lodge never lacked tenants.

Alex died in 1943 and Mary Alice in 1952. The Johnson’s daughter, Mildred J. Conway, moved into the house after her mother died. The few alterations which have made to the house were done while Mildred was the owner. She lived in the house until 1989 and died in 1991. In November of 1989, the house was sold to Grantsville natives, Gary and Janet Fawson. The Fawsons only lived in the house one month before moving to California. It was then used as a rental property. It was sold to Francis and Betty Menalis in October 1992. Betty had seen the house several years earlier and was determined to purchase it if ever it became available. She and her husband are committed to preserving and restoring the original appearance of the house, including re-roofing the house in 1993 with wood shingles. Betty has also been able to purchase some of the original furnishings and return them to the house.

Despite its use as a boarding house and a rental property, the Alex and Mary Alice Johnson house is in excellent condition and retains its historic integrity. This is due in part to its remaining in the same family for eighty-nine years, as well as the appreciation of subsequent owners of the artistic value of the architecture.

The Victorian Queen Anne style is reflective of changes that occurred in Utah near the turn of the century. The architecture in Utah was founded in American building traditions and the early builders had been, for the most part, isolated from the secular influences of much of the country and used established methods brought with them from their homes of origin. As Utah grew and became more integrated with non-Mormons, the architectural styles that were made popular through pattern books were readily available to Utah builders. The building boom of the 1880s and 1890s corresponded with the growth of the non-Mormon population in Utah and brought with it the opportunity to bring in new building traditions such as those published in the style books, popular in Utah during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. With the introduction of plan books, “the former isolation of rural areas was no longer an obstacle to building due to the widespread dissemination of information and building materials.” Plan book Victorian stylistic features were based upon the use of multiple forms and elements and were probably influential in building the uniquely stylized, eclectic, Alex and Mary Johnson residence. The Queen Anne style is one of the most picturesque of the late-nineteenth-century styles and became the most popular style of the period in America. It was popular in Utah between 1885-1905.