Brigham Young Winter Home and Office
Encyclopedia
The Brigham Young Winter Home and Office is a historic residence and museum located in St. George
, Utah
. Brigham Young
was the foremost Mormon pioneer
and led the church to the Utah Territory
. As Young grew older, his arthritis
precluded him from spending winters in the Salt Lake City region, so his followers built him a winter home in St. George in the arid Dixie
region of Utah. Young seasonally occupied the home and office from 1873 to 1876. The building was eventually deeded to the Utah State Parks and Recreation
department and is now open as a museum
.
from Whitingham, Vermont
who converted to Mormonism
in 1830. He joined President of the Church Joseph Smith, Jr.'s Church of Christ in 1832 and moved to their headquarters in Kirtland
, Ohio
. After the church relocated to Nauvoo
, Illinois
, Smith named Young to the first Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
and named him president of the group
in 1839. In 1844, the residents of Nauvoo were split over the issue of plural marriage
, leading to the arrest of Smith. A mob of men assassinated Smith
while he was in jail, resulting in the succession crisis.
By the time Young was President, tensions between the Mormons in Nauvoo and non-Mormons in nearby settlements was at a peak. In early 1846, Young left with most of the Mormons and headed west
to establish a new settlement, away from persecution. When he arrived at the base of the Great Salt Lake
, he decided to create a permanent settlement, Salt Lake City. Young was instrumental in delegating groups of Mormons to settle nearby territory, convert the natives, and provide infrastructure.
St. George
was a commissioned settlement in Utah's Dixie
. Intended to be a cotton
-growing colony, the region was noted for its warm temperatures, even in winter. As Young aged, he found that warm weather helped his arthritis
. St. George settlers built a home and office for Young in 1871, and he frequently spent his winters there after a front extension was added in 1873. Young's presence motivated the locals to complete the St. George Temple, which Young himself dedicated in 1877. Young died on August 29, 1877 and willed the land to Judd Gates, the local dentist
. It was later abandoned until Georgius Cannon Young, a descendent of Brigham, purchased the lot and restored it. He deeded it to Utah State Parks and Recreation
in 1959 and the house was again restored.
The house and office was designed by Miles Romney. A 1873 addition was designed by his son, Miles Park Romney. The house stands at two stories and is constructed with beige adobe
brick. The red sandstone
basement has two rooms, and the roof gable
has wood shingles
. Inside, the house has four fireplaces, three made of red sandstone and one from adobe. The church relocated all of Young's existing former furniture, some of which was built by Young himself, and added other period pieces to replace those lost. The office is east of the living quarters, featuring stucco
walls and a sandstone chimney. Wood for the house was cut from the Mount Trumbull Wilderness
and the Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness
.
The Brigham Young Winter Home and Office was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1971. It is located at the southeast corner of 100 West and 200 North and is open to the public as a museum
.
St. George, Utah
St. George is a city located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Utah, and the county seat of Washington County, Utah. It is the principal city of and is included in the St. George, Utah, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is 119 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, and 303 miles ...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
was the foremost Mormon pioneer
Mormon Pioneer
The Mormon pioneers were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Latter-day Saints, who migrated across the United States from the Midwest to the Salt Lake Valley in what is today the U.S. state of Utah...
and led the church to the Utah Territory
Utah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....
. As Young grew older, his arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
precluded him from spending winters in the Salt Lake City region, so his followers built him a winter home in St. George in the arid Dixie
Dixie (Utah)
Dixie is the nickname for southwestern Utah. It was first settled in the early 1860s, when farmers were sent south by Brigham Young to grow cotton, hoping to capitalize on the lack of availability of cotton due to the American Civil War. St. George, Grafton, Duncans Retreat, Adventure, and Northup...
region of Utah. Young seasonally occupied the home and office from 1873 to 1876. The building was eventually deeded to the Utah State Parks and Recreation
Utah State Parks
Utah State Parks is the common name for the Division of Utah State Parks and Recreation; a division of the Utah Department of Natural Resources. This is the state agency that manages the state park system of the U.S...
department and is now open as a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
.
History
Brigham Young was a tradesmanTradesman
This article is about the skilled manual worker meaning of the term; for other uses see Tradesperson .A tradesman is a skilled manual worker in a particular trade or craft. Economically and socially, a tradesman's status is considered between a laborer and a professional, with a high degree of both...
from Whitingham, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
who converted to Mormonism
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...
in 1830. He joined President of the Church Joseph Smith, Jr.'s Church of Christ in 1832 and moved to their headquarters in Kirtland
Kirtland, Ohio
Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, USA. The population was 6,670 at the 2000 census. Kirtland is famous for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saint movement.-Origins of Kirtland:...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. After the church relocated to Nauvoo
Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Smith named Young to the first Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is one of the governing bodies in the church hierarchy...
and named him president of the group
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is a priesthood calling in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . In general, the President of the Quorum of the Twelve is the most senior Apostle in the church, aside from the President of the Church...
in 1839. In 1844, the residents of Nauvoo were split over the issue of plural marriage
Plural marriage
Polygamy was taught by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890.The Church's practice of polygamy has been highly controversial, both within...
, leading to the arrest of Smith. A mob of men assassinated Smith
Death of Joseph Smith, Jr.
The death of Joseph Smith, Jr. on June 27, 1844 marked a turning point for the Latter Day Saint movement, of which Smith was the founder and leader. When he was attacked and killed by a mob, Smith was the mayor of Nauvoo, Illinois, and running for President of the United States...
while he was in jail, resulting in the succession crisis.
By the time Young was President, tensions between the Mormons in Nauvoo and non-Mormons in nearby settlements was at a peak. In early 1846, Young left with most of the Mormons and headed west
Mormon Trail
The Mormon Trail or Mormon Pioneer Trail is the 1,300 mile route that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled from 1846 to 1868...
to establish a new settlement, away from persecution. When he arrived at the base of the Great Salt Lake
Great Salt Lake
The Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah, is the largest salt water lake in the western hemisphere, the fourth-largest terminal lake in the world. In an average year the lake covers an area of around , but the lake's size fluctuates substantially due to its...
, he decided to create a permanent settlement, Salt Lake City. Young was instrumental in delegating groups of Mormons to settle nearby territory, convert the natives, and provide infrastructure.
St. George, Utah
St. George is a city located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Utah, and the county seat of Washington County, Utah. It is the principal city of and is included in the St. George, Utah, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is 119 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, and 303 miles ...
was a commissioned settlement in Utah's Dixie
Dixie (Utah)
Dixie is the nickname for southwestern Utah. It was first settled in the early 1860s, when farmers were sent south by Brigham Young to grow cotton, hoping to capitalize on the lack of availability of cotton due to the American Civil War. St. George, Grafton, Duncans Retreat, Adventure, and Northup...
. Intended to be a cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
-growing colony, the region was noted for its warm temperatures, even in winter. As Young aged, he found that warm weather helped his arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
. St. George settlers built a home and office for Young in 1871, and he frequently spent his winters there after a front extension was added in 1873. Young's presence motivated the locals to complete the St. George Temple, which Young himself dedicated in 1877. Young died on August 29, 1877 and willed the land to Judd Gates, the local dentist
Dentist
A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services...
. It was later abandoned until Georgius Cannon Young, a descendent of Brigham, purchased the lot and restored it. He deeded it to Utah State Parks and Recreation
Utah State Parks
Utah State Parks is the common name for the Division of Utah State Parks and Recreation; a division of the Utah Department of Natural Resources. This is the state agency that manages the state park system of the U.S...
in 1959 and the house was again restored.
The house and office was designed by Miles Romney. A 1873 addition was designed by his son, Miles Park Romney. The house stands at two stories and is constructed with beige adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
brick. The red sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
basement has two rooms, and the roof gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
has wood shingles
Shake (shingle)
A shake is a basic wooden shingle that is made from split logs. Shakes have traditionally been used for roofing and siding applications around the world. Higher grade shakes are typically used for roofing purposes, while the lower grades are used for siding purposes...
. Inside, the house has four fireplaces, three made of red sandstone and one from adobe. The church relocated all of Young's existing former furniture, some of which was built by Young himself, and added other period pieces to replace those lost. The office is east of the living quarters, featuring stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
walls and a sandstone chimney. Wood for the house was cut from the Mount Trumbull Wilderness
Mount Trumbull Wilderness
The Mount Trumbull Wilderness is a 7,880 acre wilderness area located on the Uinkaret Plateau in the Arizona Strip. It is managed by the Bureau of Land Management....
and the Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness
Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness
Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness is a wilderness area located in the Dixie National Forest in the U.S. state of Utah. It is the fourth-largest wilderness area located entirely within the state...
.
The Brigham Young Winter Home and Office was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1971. It is located at the southeast corner of 100 West and 200 North and is open to the public as a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
.