William T. Ogden House
Encyclopedia
William T. Ogden House is a historic Neo-Classical
Georgian style brick mansion located on 3 acres (12,140.6 m²) in Stirling, Alberta
, Canada
. Construction of the house began in 1910 and was finished in 1919 by William T. Ogden. The house has been a rooming house, pool hall and a dance studio, and in 1934 it became a temporary school for grades 1 through 4 due after the local school was affected by fire. This home is actually mentioned in village records as thought to be haunted as far back as 1950s. Every Halloween, the owners conduct Stirling Haunted Mansion tours, making it the largest haunted house in Southern Alberta
. The Santa Claus Mansion event is held there each December in conjunction with a Christmas lights tour. A 16 inches (406.4 mm) gauge mini railroad, the Lost Frontier Mini-Railway, winds its way around the estate.
The house was extremely well built, costing $15,000. The walls are about twelve inches thick and consist of two layers with a space the width of a brick between them to provide insulation. Foundation walls are even thicker to prevent seepage of water into the basement when flood irrigation was taking place around the house. The house had many conveniences not enjoyed by other homes in the community. It was lit by electricity, powered by twelve batteries, which were recharged by a motor, it was centrally heated by radiator
s and a coal
-fired furnace, and had hot and cold running water which was pumped from a very large cistern
beside the house into a storage tank in the basement. The rooms were large and spacious, the ceilings 10' high, a wide staircase led to a large hall on the upper floor, with seven rooms leading off of it. The house was and still is a dominant landmark in the community.
While the house retains much of its integrity, particularly the exterior, the same cannot be said for the site upon which it sits. It is a large house that did not, and still does not, conform with the community in which it is located. For this reason, it is a distinctive landmark that impresses locals and visitors alike and raises many questions as to the reason for its construction.
William T. Ogden was one of the Mormon pioneer
s who arrived in Southern Alberta
in 1899 to help build the St. Mary River Irrigation Canal. He designed the house himself, based on his memories of the architecture of the southern states where he served his mission
and met his first wife. Together with an architect friend, Bent Rolfson, of Raymond, they drew up the plans, and with only "day labour" help built the house over a period of years, completing it in 1919. Ogden was a prominent member of the Stirling community. After his death in 1930, the house gradually fell into disrepair. It was used for classes for Grades 1 to 4 while the Stirling School
was being reconstructed after a fire. It was used a pool hall
, became an apartment house, and then a rooming house for "displaced persons" following World War II
. Over the past thirty years it has been owned by individuals who have endeavoured to restore it.
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
Georgian style brick mansion located on 3 acres (12,140.6 m²) in Stirling, Alberta
Stirling, Alberta
Stirling is a village in the County of Warner No. 5, Alberta, Canada. The village is located on Highway 4, approximately southeast of Lethbridge and northwest of the United States-Canada border....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Construction of the house began in 1910 and was finished in 1919 by William T. Ogden. The house has been a rooming house, pool hall and a dance studio, and in 1934 it became a temporary school for grades 1 through 4 due after the local school was affected by fire. This home is actually mentioned in village records as thought to be haunted as far back as 1950s. Every Halloween, the owners conduct Stirling Haunted Mansion tours, making it the largest haunted house in Southern Alberta
Southern Alberta
Southern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of the year 2004, the region's population was approximately 272,017. The primary cities are Lethbridge and Medicine Hat...
. The Santa Claus Mansion event is held there each December in conjunction with a Christmas lights tour. A 16 inches (406.4 mm) gauge mini railroad, the Lost Frontier Mini-Railway, winds its way around the estate.
History
William T. Ogden was another of the first to come to Canada to settle, he arrived in 1899. This house was the second to be built. His first house was smaller than the one that stands today.The house was extremely well built, costing $15,000. The walls are about twelve inches thick and consist of two layers with a space the width of a brick between them to provide insulation. Foundation walls are even thicker to prevent seepage of water into the basement when flood irrigation was taking place around the house. The house had many conveniences not enjoyed by other homes in the community. It was lit by electricity, powered by twelve batteries, which were recharged by a motor, it was centrally heated by radiator
Radiator
Radiators are heat exchangers used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in automobiles, buildings, and electronics...
s and a coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
-fired furnace, and had hot and cold running water which was pumped from a very large cistern
Cistern
A cistern is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by their waterproof linings...
beside the house into a storage tank in the basement. The rooms were large and spacious, the ceilings 10' high, a wide staircase led to a large hall on the upper floor, with seven rooms leading off of it. The house was and still is a dominant landmark in the community.
William T. Ogden was one of the 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...
s who arrived in Southern Alberta
Southern Alberta
Southern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of the year 2004, the region's population was approximately 272,017. The primary cities are Lethbridge and Medicine Hat...
in 1899 to help build the St. Mary River Irrigation Canal. He designed the house himself, based on his memories of the architecture of the southern states where he served his mission
Mission
Mission may refer to:* Mission , variety of grape* Mission , base of missionary practice* Mission statement, a formal short written statement of an organization's value proposition...
and met his first wife. Together with an architect friend, Bent Rolfson, of Raymond, they drew up the plans, and with only "day labour" help built the house over a period of years, completing it in 1919. Ogden was a prominent member of the Stirling community. After his death in 1930, the house gradually fell into disrepair. It was used for classes for Grades 1 to 4 while the Stirling School
Stirling School
Stirling School, is a public school that covers kindergarten through high school located in Stirling, Alberta, Canada in the Westwind School Division No. 74.- History :- Athletics :...
was being reconstructed after a fire. It was used a pool hall
Pool hall
A billiard/billiards, pool or snooker hall is a place where people get together for playing cue sports such as pool, snooker or carom billiards...
, became an apartment house, and then a rooming house for "displaced persons" following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Over the past thirty years it has been owned by individuals who have endeavoured to restore it.