Spring City, Utah
James Rasmussen (Clawson) House, c. 1880
James Rasmussen (Clawson) House, c. 1880 184 East 200 South This small adobe, double-cell house is interesting because it represents a particularly popular building technique in Sanpete County. The adobe surface was plastered with red stucco and then scored and highlighted with white paint to simulate red brick. This technique made the house more attractive while concealing the adobe brick. The James Clawson family occupied the house for many years and added the rear wood frame and concrete block additions. It was restored in 2003 after being vacant for many years.
Orson & Mary Ann Hyde House, c. 1868
Orson & Mary Ann Hyde House, c. 1868 209 South Main This two story, stone hall-parlor house influenced by Greek Revival architecture was built for Orson Hyde probably in the late 1860s. An early convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he was called as one of the twelve apostles in 1835 and served as President of that quorum for 28 years. Sent to direct colonization of the Sanpete Valley in June of 1860, Hyde started in Manti and then moved to Spring City in August 1860. This house served as Hyde’s official residence with Mary Ann Price Hyde, one of his six wives. He died on Thanksgiving Day 1878. There are two original limestone outbuildings and a part of a large barn on the property. Bruce and Bonnie Barker acquired the property in 2004 and have added a new wood frame addition to the rear of the house and undertaken a thorough restoration of the residence.
William & Margaret Osborne House, c. 1894
William & Margaret Osborne House, c. 1894 216 South Main The Osborne house is a fine example of Victorian pattern book architecture in Sanpete County. The one and one half story brick cross-wing house has shingled gables, intricately bracketed eaves, corbelled relieving arches, and polychrome brick. William Osborne was a merchant who owned a meat shop and confectionery shop located just north of the chapel. William’s wife, Margaret Beck Osborne, operated the house as a hotel for a number of years and fed the prisoners at the Spring City jail. It is currently operating as a Bed and Breakfast, named Osborne Inn.
Niels H. Borresen House, c. 1864
Niels H. Borresen House, c. 1864 197 South Main This house, one of the oldest stone houses in Spring City, was constructed of two-foot thick random rubble stone. Borresen, a miller and horticulturalist, was born in Denmark in 1826. He converted to the LDS church in Denmark and came to Utah in the late 1850s. He moved to Spring City in 1860 and had three wives. He was a veteran of the Black Hawk War and was imprisoned twice at the Territorial Prison in Sugarhouse for practicing polygamy. In 1994 a wood frame wing was added and the original house restored by Peter and Inge-Lise Goss.
James C. & Martha Pedersen House, c. 1910
James C. & Martha Pedersen House, c. 1910 74 North 300 East The “Jimmy King” Pedersen house is a one and one half story, brick Victorian pattern book design and one of the most elaborate in Spring City. Pedersen was successful in the sheep business and his wealth can be seen in this home. In 1907, while on an LDS mission to Norway, Pedersen met Martha Gabrielsen. She immigrated to New York and lived with a brother eventually making made her way to Utah. James and Martha were married in the Manti Temple on January 15, 1913. They raised seven children and one nephew. There are several versions as to how James arrived at this nickname, but he was known as an expensive dresser and prominent member of the Danish community.