Born in Illinois in 1835, William Roberts moved with his family to Provo when he was a teenager. There, he joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS Church) and completed missions in California and Great Britain. For the rest of his life, Roberts was heavily involved in the LDS Church. In Provo, Roberts engaged in a number of business as well as civic pursuits. Roberts was among a number of men commissioned by a federal marshal to apprehend Chief Tintic and his men, who were engaged in a campaign of harassment against settlers in the area. They pursued Tintic and his men into the Rush Valley but were unable to capture them. Roberts was also involved in the rescue of some of the pioneers who were a part of the Mormon handcart tragedy. From 1856 to 1860, thousands of Mormon pioneers from the North and the Midwest pulling their belongings and their families in handcarts. It was a long and difficult journey under the best of circumstances, but in October of 1856, some of the pioneers became trapped by snow in Wyoming. Roberts was in the party which brought out the last of the survivors.&nbsp; Roberts engaged in numerous business and civic pursuits in Provo. He built two brick homes in the city, one of which was his home and another which functioned as a hotel. He was successful in mining as well as in the lumber business. He owned numerous orchards and vineyards.&nbsp; From 1878 to 1881, Roberts served on the city council, then as alderman. He was also the first postmaster for the state of Utah. Apparently a man of many interests and talents, Roberts was a member of Utah County's first brass band.

The William D. Roberts home was built in Provo in 1875. Roberts was a prominent businessman as well as a leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS). His home is considered one of the best-preserved examples of a Greek Revival home in the city. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

William D. Roberts House 

Experience the history of Provo and the area through a walking tour of the Victorian homes of some of the area's most influential families. This walking tour includes a number of historic homes and covers a distance of about two miles. 

This Gothic Revival-style home was completed in 1885 and faced possible demolition in in recent years but was completely restored by Habitat for Humanity. Hundreds of volunteers made the restoration of the home possible and the 2014 ceremony for the new home owner was attended by descendants&nbsp;of George Taylor.&nbsp;

This historic home was built in 1885 by George Taylor, Jr. Taylor's father, Taylor, Sr., arrived in Provo with his family as part of the migration of Mormon handcart pioneers in 1863. The Taylor family established the Taylor Furniture Store, the city's first furniture store, in 1886. The home changed owners numerous times over the years and was recently restored by Habitat for Humanity.

George Taylor, Jr., House 

Joseph Frisby was an English
immigrant who settled in Provo in about 1903. The exact date of the home’s
construction is not known, but it’s likely that it was built shortly after
Frisby purchased the property in 1905. The home was built in the Victorian
Eclectic style, a style that was not commonly used in Utah but was more popular
in Utah County, particularly among middle- and upper-class residents.&nbsp;

Frisby became involved in
business and local politics soon after arriving in Provo. He operated a
mercantile business for several years and served as mayor from 1906-1907. Though
Frisby’s tenure as mayor was short, it was eventful. There were plans to build
a new train depot in the city, and residents and both the east and west sides
of the city were determined to get the depot in their respective part of town.
Frisby, who lived on the west side, was elected because of support from
westsiders, who expected that he would ensure that the depot was built in their
part of the city. But Frisby won by a small margin and because of that, he was
reluctant to take a stand on the issue. When his term as mayor ended, the issue
still had not been resolved. It was not until 1909 that the city got its depot—on
the west side of town&nbsp;

At the time of Frisby’s death in
1915, he was serving as justice of the peace. At that time, he was living in a
house just down the street, having sold his original home to Charles Hopkins.
Hopkins was also a prominent citizen in Provo. In addition to being a
businessman, he also served on the city commission and as postmaster.&nbsp;

The Frisby home is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places.&nbsp;

The Frisby House was built in approximately 1906 and was the home of Joseph Frisby, who served as both justice of the peace and mayor of Provo. He was also a Provo businessman. Following his death, the home was sold to Charles Hopkins, who was also involved in Provo business and civic affairs. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Joseph H. Frisby House 

The exact date of the
construction of the Clark-Taylor House is unknown, but the property is
mentioned in a consecration deed by Edward W. Clark in 1855. Any home standing
at that point would necessarily have been among the oldest in the city, and was
likely built within in the first few years after Provo’s initial settlement.
The home is also among the best-preserved of the city’s pioneer structures.&nbsp;

The home belonged to Edward
Clark, an English immigrant who arrived in Provo in 1852. Clark served as the
bishop of the Provo Third Ward. The second owner of the home was John H.
Carter, who was a Blacksmith and a leader in the LDS Church. Carter added a
second story to the house in 1863. The home changed hands again before it was
purchased by Thomas N. Taylor in 1898.&nbsp;

Taylor was one of the leading
businessmen of Provo at the turn of the century. His success came largely from
a furniture business that his father, George Taylor, began in 1866. The Taylor
Brothers furniture business was among the city’s first department stores.
Taylor was also involved in banking and had several other business interests.&nbsp;

In 1915, Taylor gave the home to
his son, T. Sterling, as a wedding gift. The home was added to the National Register
of Historic Places in 1975.

&nbsp;

The Clark-Taylor house is one of the oldest in the city of Provo. It was built within the first six years of the initial settlement of Provo, although the exact date of the home’s construction is unknown. It was the home of Edward Clark, and English immigrant who became bishop of the Provo Third Ward, and later of John H. Carter, who added a second story in 1863. In the early 1900s, T.N. Taylor, a prominent Provo businessman, purchased the home. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Clark-Taylor House 

Simon Eggertsen, Sr., a Danish
immigrant, arrived in the United States in 1857, the same year that he and
hundreds of other Mormons migrated to Utah, their belongings piled onto
handcarts. Known as the “handcart pioneers,” many of these devout Mormons
traveled more than 1,000 miles while pulling two-wheeled carts.&nbsp;

Eggertsen married Johanne Thomson
in 1858, shortly after his arrival in Salt Lake City. The same year, he was
involved in the “Utah War,” a bloodless conflict between federal authorities
and Mormons in Utah. During the conflict, Brigham Young ordered the evacuation
of many of Salt Lake City’s residents to Provo, and Johanne Eggertsen was among
them. Eventually her husband followed and the couple settled there.&nbsp;

The family lived in a one-room
log house for a number of years. During that time, Eggertsen became a
successful farmer and businessman and eventually built the 2.5 story brick
house that bears his name. Eggertsen constructed the home with help from
several of his Danish friends on land for which he traded a coat and vest upon
his arrival in Provo.&nbsp;

The Eggertsen home was added to
the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

The home of Simon Eggerstsen, Sr., was constructed in 1876. Eggertsen was a Danish immigrant who came to Utah in 1857 as part of the handcart migration. Eggertsen eventually became wealthy as a farmer and freighter, and at the time of its construction, his home was one of Provo’s largest. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Simon Eggertsen House 

Although Provo began as primarily
an agricultural center, within a number of years mining became more important
to the region. Even then, few Mormons became engaged in mining; it was largely
an industry that attracted non-Mormons. Jesse Knight was an exception to that
rule—he was not only wildly successful in the mining industry, but a devout
member of the LDS Church.&nbsp;

Knight began his career in
ranching but in the 1870s he began prospecting near Tintic. He discovered the
Humbug Mine in 1886. That discovery would eventually lay the foundation for
Knight’s fortune. With the success of the Humbug Mine, he purchased other
mines, including the Uncle Sam, Beck Tunnel, Iron Blossom, and Colorado.&nbsp;

Knight’s mining camps reflected
his Mormon faith. Nineteenth century mining camps were often notoriously
lawless places where every manner of vice flourished. Knight’s, on the other
hand, were shaped around the teachings of the church. Alcohol and prostitution were
forbidden in his mines, a rarity for the time. Knight was also known for
treating his men fairly, paying them a higher wage than those at other
mines, and taking steps to avoid workplace accidents.

As his mines prospered, Knight
began to purchase the auxiliary facilities necessary for mining. He founded a
company to manufacture the tools and railroad track needed in the mines. His
Consolidated Power Company supplied electric power to the mines. He also
invested in railroads, agriculture, and real estate. At one time, Knight was
possibly the wealthiest man in Provo.&nbsp;

As Knight’s fortune grew, he
became a committed benefactor of Brigham Young University. “Uncle Jesse,” as he
was known, contributed more than $500,000 to the university between 1898 and
his death in 1921. He was also active in the administration of the university,
serving numerous positions in the governance of BYU.&nbsp;

The Knight Mansion was built in
1905. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

&nbsp;

Jesse Knight was born in Nauvoo, Illinois, and migrated to Utah with his family in 1857 at the age of twelve. Knight eventually became wealthy through his mining enterprises in Eureka. Knight parlayed his wealth into other mines, banking, and real estate. It’s likely that Knight was the wealthiest man in Provo in his lifetime.  The home Knight built is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Jesse Knight House 

Reed Smoot was a member of one of Utah's leading Mormon families. He was a member of the first graduating class of Brigham Young University (then Academy).&nbsp;Along with the important position of Senator, Smoot also was an&nbsp;advisor to five US presidents, the Dean of the U.S. Senate, and an apostle in the LDS Church. Smoot is credited with being one of the major players that changed public opinion of Mormons in an era of intense prejudice against members of the faith. According to his biographer Milton R. Merrill, Smoot became "known as the watchdog of the Treasury" during the 1920s because of his demand for reduced Federal spending and lower taxes.He was also a key participant in the passage of the&nbsp;Hawley-Smoot Tariff, which had the unintended consequence of causing foreign nations to raise tariffs on American exports in retaliation for the law's raising of tariffs on foreign goods. Given the very different political climate of the Great Depression, when most Americans supported federal spending, Smoot was defeated in his final election attempt. During Smoot's term, his son took over the home. Smoot didn't return home after his defeat, and the home has stayed in the family ever since.&nbsp;The house still contains many of the original furnishing, including the family china, a collection of pitchers, and a collection of paintings by Lee Greene Richards.

Considered to offer one of the best examples of Victorian home construction in this section of the country, the Reed Smoot House was home to Senator Reed Smoot from 1892 to his death in 1941. Smoot is best known for advocacy of protectionism and the ill-fated Hawley-Smoot Tariff in the early years of the Great Depression. 

Reed O. Smoot House

The Knight-Allen House was built
in 1899 in the Victorian Eclectic style. The home is one of the most
recognizable in Provo because of its Moorish tin scalloped roof and Italianate
turret.&nbsp;

The home was the residence of
Inez Knight Allen and her husband, Robert Eugene Allen. Inez Allen was the
daughter of Jesse Knight, one of the most important businessmen in the early
years of Provo. Knight became wealthy through mining in the Eureka area. He
then parlayed his mining fortune into banking, real estate, agriculture, and
other businesses. Knight was also a devoted member of the LDS Church and left
much of his fortune to Brigham Young University.&nbsp;

Inez Knight was&nbsp; respected figure in her own right. In 1898,
she became one of the first two single women in the LDS Church to serve as
missionaries. Knight, along with Jennie Brimhall, served as missionaries in
England for a&nbsp; year, and because of their
unique positions, traveled throughout Europe as speakers.&nbsp;

Following her marriage to Robert
Eugene Allen, a banker and developer, Inez continued to be active in the LDS
Church and community. For the last ten years of her life, she served on the
Relief Society’s general board. She was also heavily involved with her alma
mater, Brigham Young Academy, serving as a matron of the school for two
years.&nbsp; She was also active in politics
through the Democratic Party.&nbsp;

The Knight-Allen home was added
to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

The Knight-Allen house is one of Provo’s most distinctive residences. The home, distinguished by its Moorish tin roof, was the home of Inez Knight Allen and her husband. Allen was the daughter of Jesse Knight, one of the most important early businessmen in the city and a major benefactor of Brigham Young University. The home was built in 1899 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.



Historic Homes of Provo Walking Tour

William D. Roberts House

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources