Brigham Young Winter Home and Office facts for kids
The Brigham Young Winter Home and Office is a historic house and museum in St. George, Utah. Brigham Young was an important leader and the second president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He led his followers to the Utah Territory. As Young got older, his arthritis made it hard for him to spend winters in the Salt Lake City area. So, a winter home was built for him in St. George. This area is known as the warm, dry Dixie region of Utah. Young stayed at this home and office during the winters from 1873 to 1876. The building was later given to Utah State Parks and Recreation. Today, it is a museum where church missionaries give guided tours.
Who Was Brigham Young?
Brigham Young was born in Whitingham, Vermont. He worked with his hands and joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1830. In 1832, he joined Joseph Smith, who started the church. They moved the church's main office to Kirtland, Ohio. Later, the church moved to Nauvoo, Illinois. There, Joseph Smith chose Young to be part of the first group of twelve leaders, called the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In 1839, Young became the leader of this group.
Around 1844, people in Nauvoo had different ideas about marriage. This led to problems and Joseph Smith was arrested. Sadly, a group of men killed Smith while he was in jail. After this, there was a disagreement about who should lead the church next.
Moving West
When Young became church president, there was a lot of tension. People in Nauvoo who were members of the church and those who were not had many disagreements. In early 1846, Young left with most of the Latter-day Saints. They traveled west to start a new settlement. They wanted to be away from the problems they faced. When Young arrived at the Salt Lake Valley, he decided to create a permanent home there. This new city became Salt Lake City. Young then sent groups of Latter-day Saints to settle other areas. Their jobs were to build communities and help the local people.
St. George was one of the settlements Young asked people to build. It was in Utah's Dixie region. The plan was for it to be a place to grow cotton. The area was known for its warm temperatures, even in winter. As Young got older, he found that warm weather helped his arthritis. So, settlers in St. George built a home and office for Young in 1871. He often spent his winters there after a front part was added in 1873. Young's presence encouraged the local people to finish the St. George Temple. Young himself dedicated the temple in 1877.
Young passed away on August 29, 1877. He left the land to Judd Gates, who was the local dentist. The house was later left empty for a while. Then, Georgius Cannon Young, who was a descendant of Brigham, bought the property. He fixed it up and gave it to Utah State Parks and Recreation in 1959. The house was restored again at that time.
About the Home and Office
The house and office were designed by Miles Romney. An addition made in 1873 was designed by his son, Miles Park Romney. The house has two stories and is built with light brown adobe bricks. The basement is made of red sandstone and has two rooms. The roof has wood shingles. Inside, the house has four fireplaces. Three are made of red sandstone, and one is made of adobe.
The church moved all of Young's old furniture back into the house. Some of this furniture was built by Young himself. Other old pieces were added to replace those that were lost. The office is to the east of the living area. It has stucco walls and a sandstone chimney. The wood used for the house came 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 corner of 100 West and 200 North. It is open to the public as a museum today.
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