History of 1015 Pleasant Street, Walla Walla, WA
Title and Occupant History:
July 6, 1892–J. C. Isaacs told 10 acres in the N.E. quarter of the N.W. quarter of the N.E. quarter of Section 28, Township 7 N., Range 36 E.W.M., including the property, to Mrs. C. J. Ritz for $3050. (Deed Book 52, Page 173, hereinafter 52/173)
Mrs. C. J. Ritz was the wife of Phillip Ritz a farmer and nurseryman who came to Walla Walla County in 1862 and who owned 10,000 acres of land. (Frank 1: Gilbert, Historic Sketches of Walla Walla. Whitman, Columbia& Garfield Counties. Washington Territory, Portland, Oregon, 1882, p. 44 of the appendix) Mrs. Ritz is listed in The Spectator’s 1892 Walla Walla City directory, Volume 2, as owner of a nursery 1 1/2 miles south of the city.
July 6, 1892–Mrs. C. J. Ritz sold the 10 acres to J. G. Madland. (57/326)
August 24, 1892–J. G. Madland claimed water rights. (52/255)
September 24, 1895–J. G.& Cristina A. Madland sold the 10 acres to Mrs. C. J. Ritz. (60/113)
Construction of the House: the Walla Walla County Assessor lists the date of construction as 1906. In the 1902 & 1904 editions of Polk’s Walla Walla City & County, Andrew Taylor in listed as a farmer, road supervisor residing on the north side of Pleasant 6 east of Division, east of city limits. This seems to indicate the existence of an unrecorded real estate contract predating the 1908 transfer of property below, and that the house was built in 1901 or 1902 (Andrew Taylor is not listed in the 1900-01 or 1898 city & county directories on Pleasant).
March 16, 1908–Mrs. C. J. Ritz sold the property to Mollie C. Taylor. (109/531)
Mollie C. Taylor was the wife of Andy Taylor. Andy Taylor is listed in the 1908 Polk’s Walla Walla City & County Directory as a farmer with a home at Pleasant S1, near McKinley (the 800 block) and in the 1909-11 directories at Pleasant, N.W. corner of McKinley. The house is shown on the N.W. corner of Pleasant & McKinley on the 1909 Standard Plat Map of Walla Walla County (available in the Whitman Archives).
May 14, 1913–Andy & Mollie C. Taylor sold Blocks 2 & 3 of Taylor’s Addition to the City of Walla Walla to Iowa C. Shell, Thomas C. Shell and Oscar ‘Shell. (131/221)
Oscar Shell and Thomas C. Shell were unmarried farmers and Iowa C. Shell was the wife of Lewis Shell. All were listed in the 1914-15 directories as living at the residence of Lewis Shell, a farmer. The residence was listed as the south side of Pleasant, one block east of Fern Avenue, R.D. 6.
August 11, 1915–Thomas C. Shell and Oscar D. Shell, unmarried, and Lillie N. Shell and Ava A. Shell, spinsters, sold Blocks 2 & 3 of Taylor’s Addition to Charles H. Davis for $4000. (136/227)
November 26, 1915–Charles H. Davis, bachelor, sold Blocks 2 & 3 of Taylor’s Addition to A. J. Kimball for $7000. (137/451)
Polk’s 1920 directory lists A. J. Kimball as a farmer with a home on Pleasant Ave. near Taylor, A.D. 6.
July 2, 1943–A. J. & Esther M. Kimball sold Blocks 2 & 3 of Taylor’s Addition to Otto & Grace Krause. (Deed #273766)
Polk’s 1946 and 1948 directories list Otto Krause as a plumber residing at 1155 Pleasant.
July 15, 1954–0tto & Grace Krause sold the property in the legal description to Lewis & Therese E. Case. (#372006)
Polk’s 1954-55 directory lists Lewis Case as a recap per employed by Spence Tire Service residing at 1015 Pleasant.
February 15, 1956–Lewis A. & Therese E. Case sold the property to Theodore A. & Dorothy Bacon. (#385373)
Theodore A. Bacon is listed in Polk’s 1957 and 1958 directories as working for the chief personnel branch of the Army Engineers.
February 2, 1957–Theodore R. & Dorothy Bacon sold the property to Robert C. & Bonnie M. Schmaltz. (#393008)
prepared by Michael W. Smith, 12/94
