Utah Centennial Studies

 


Home Sweet Home Packet A

 

Dorius HouseDORIUS HOUSE TITLE SEARCH

Lot 2 Block 29
Marie Anderson 1872 from Ephraim City Mayor
Annie Olsen 1894 (2 months)
Andrew Anderson 1894
A. Larsen 1895
Marie S. Dorius 1897, September 10
L.M. Olsen 1904, December
Andrew Anderson 1905, January
L.M. Olsen 1911. April 10
G.S. Bastion 1911 , April 14
First mortgage, 1911 for $2,350 Lot in front owned by wife, Maria. Lot behind owned by John and wife.
Bank of Ephraim 1912-1913
A.J. Nielsen 1918
Francis J. and LaVerde Scorup Gurney 1936
Leon P. Olsen 1957
Earl Walker 1981, December 4
Leon Olsen 1984, March 29
Gary Phelps 1984, April 6

DORIUS HOUSE TITLE SEARCH - TIMELINE EXPANDED

1896 - Construction started as Utah became a state.

1897 - Construction completed by John Dorius Jr., owner and builder. The house was the first one in Ephraim to have central plumbing and heating. According to a Dorius Family legend, when John Dorius Jr. and his wife held an open house for the townspeople, some of the citizens refused to enter because they were afraid the furnace would blow up!

1904 - House was sold to L.M. Olsen local mercantile shop keeper. Mr. Olsen had one of the largest private book collections in Ephraim. He opened the collection to the public on occasion so the house was the first library in Ephraim. When he died all of his books were donated to start a public library.

1918 - House was sold to Dr. A.J. Nielsen, physician. He used the house as Ephraim's first hospital and surgery. Grade school children had their tonsils taken out and their appendix removed there. One of the upstairs bedrooms was used as the recovery room.

1936 - Sold to Francis Gurney and was used for many years as the home for the President of Snow College.

1957 - Sold to Leon Olsen who lived and raised his family there for twenty years.

1984 - Sold to Gary Phelps who started the restoration and began the research of the history of the house for the National Historic Register.

1985 - Used as a female dormitory for students going to Snow College.

1990 - Sold to Mark and Susie Nilsson who finished the restoration of the house and the grounds.

2005 - Sold to Paul and Jacquelyn Richardson.