WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY (Washington County, Utah)
ADDIE PRICE HOME
St. George, Utah
LOCATION
185 West DiagonalSt. George, UT 84770
HISTORY
??? On June 19.1883, Mayor Robert Gardner authorized Andrew B. & Addie McArthur to own this land. ???Mrs. Addie Price built this house in 1881. She was described by local citizens as having "considerable means", and she spared no expense in building her home.
After the fashion of the times, no architect was used; the builder just drew the house design with a stick on the ground and changes were made as deemed desirable. The material was rock for the foundation and double-thickness adobes for the walls. There was the very popular bay window in the parlor and fireplaces in all the downstairs rooms. A porch ran all of the way across both the back and the front, a desirable feature of a Dixie home before the advent of air-conditioning.
On the south side, the first floor is slightly below ground level. Here Mrs. Price established a millinery business, which she advertised in the Southern Utah Star on July 20, 1895, as having the largest supply of millinery south of Provo. It was very successful, not only for the hats and other dry goods, but because the women told each other that it was not in the business district so they could just run in without having to get all dressed up. In the days of bustles, corsets, rats and hats, we can understand their line of thinking.
Her home was the favorite gathering-spot for the young of the community.
The home remained in the family until 1920. Later owners included Sarah Sorensen, Grace Woodbury, Fenton & Mary L. Frehner, and the Greene family.
BIOGRAPHY
Addie Price (Aunt Addie) was a widow with three children. Mrs. Price must have been a true character. She seems to have taken the lead in many of the activities that a small town was forced to devise for its own amusement. The shivarees she planned for the newly-married were the horror of the nuptual pair and the delight of the town. The story of the night Addie managed to get herself and her cowbells under the bridal bed lived on long after she had gone to her reward.PHOTOS
WCHS photos:WCHS-00560 Jon Bowcutt sketch of the Addie Price Home
REFERENCES
Historical Buildings of Washington County (Volume 2), pp. 12-13.Landmark and Historic Sites: City of St. George, pp. 7-1 through 7-5.