History of 121 Locust Street – Walla Walla, WA

Legal Description

Foster’s Addition to the City of Walla Walla, Lot 3, Block F

Foster’s Addition was formerly Singleton’s Second Addition to the City of Walla Walla, Lot 3, Block 1, platted by John and Jane Singleton 7/7/1883, filed and recorded 7/13/1883.) Foster’s Addition was platted by Maud S. Foster, Zeno K. and May I. Straight on 5/8/1905 and filed 5/31/1905. It consists of Lots 1 through 5 on Block M and Lots 1 through 15 on Block F. Block F is bound by Locust Street, Catherine Street, Thorne Avenue and South 1^st Street; The 5 lots on Block M and located along the northeast corner of Catherine and Thorne.

Title and Occupant History

Washington Territory was created in 1853.  In 1854, the new territorial legislature created Walla Walla County, which stretched from the crest of the Cascade Mountains to the crest of the Rocky Mountains in the present states of Washington, Idaho and Montana.  In 1855, Isaac Stevens, governor of Washington Territory, held a council on the banks of Mill Creek at the present site of Walla Walla with representatives of regional Indian tribes to purchase land from them.  The Yakamas, Cayuses and Walla Wallas were dissatisfied with the treaties and the intrusion by whites into their lands before the treaties’ ratification, and war followed.  Missionaries, former French-Canadian employees of the Hudson Bay Company trading post at Wallula, and soldiers at the military Fort Walla Walla were the primary European occupants of the area prior to 1859, when the treaties were finally ratified and the land was opened for settlement.  The transfer of ownership occurred by virtue of a treaty signed on June 9, 1855 in Walla Walla and ratified on March 8, 1859 by President James Buchanan, in which all of the land in the Walla Walla area was acquired from the Cayuse and Walla Walla Indian tribes.

The town of Walla Walla was originally laid out by County Surveyor Hamet Hubbard Case in 1859, prior to its formal incorporation as a city in 1862, as a one-quarter mile square with its eastern side centered on the point where Main Street crossed Mill Creek (at roughly the point where it does now).  Case’s plan was filed and recorded July 5, 1867 in Book A of Plats, Page 1. The City of Walla Walla received a Trustee Town site from the U. S. Government that consisted of 80 acres, issued on July 20, 1869 by the Vancouver, W. T. District Land Office.

As noted under Legal Description, the parcel that eventually became Foster’s Lot 3, Block 2 originally was a portion of Singleton’s Second Addition. Frank and Maud Foster purchased Lots 1, 2 and 3 of Block 1 from Mrs. Harriett Young on 11/15/1897. On 10/25/1902, the property was transferred by Executor’s Deed from Frank Foster, deceased, to his widow, who had it platted as Foster’s Addition to the City of Walla Walla on 5/8/1905.

12/27/1890, Agreement for Warranty Deed, John and Jane Singleton, grantors: Mrs. Harriett Young, grantee, Lots 1, 2 and 3, Block 1, Singleton’s Second Addition, “3½ acres more or less” at 10% interest per annum. Harriett Young was a “teacher Whitman Coll.”

2/27/1891, Warranty Deed, John and Jane Singleton, grantors; Harriett Young, grantee, Lots 1, 2 and 3, Block 1, $4,200.

11/15/1897, Indenture, Mrs. Harriett Young (widow), grantor; Frank Foster, grantee, Lots 1, 2 and 3, Block 1, $1,200. Frank Foster was co-owner of Kyger & Foster at 3 E. Main Street, a general merchandise mercantile that could trace its beginnings to Kyger & Reese Mercantile of 1861 that occupied Walla Walla’s first brick building on the northeast corner of 2^nd and Main Streets. The Fosters resided at 636 Catherine Street. Frank Foster died 1/1/1900 and is buried in Mountain View Cemetery.

10/25/1902, Executor’s Deed, Z. K. Straight et al, executors of the will of Frank Foster, deceased, grantor; Maud S. Foster, widow of the deceased, grantee, Lots 1, 2 and 3, Block 1, and other properties in Walla Walla and Umatilla Counties.

3/2/1907, Warranty Deed, Maud S. Foster, a widow, grantor; William Sauer, all of Lot 3, Block F, Foster’s Addition, $650. This is the first sale of Lot 3 exclusively, and carried the proviso that “…the party of the second part shall build on said premises… a dwelling house at an actual cost of not less than $1,500… and failure to comply… said premises shall revert to the party of the first part…” This was the first sale of Lot 3 exclusively. City directories listed Sauer as a carpenter, residing at 326 Malcolm Street in 1907; his first listing at 121 Locust Street was in the 1908 directory.

3/14/1908, Affidavit, Frank Singleton to the Public, to certify he is the son of John and Jane Singleton and has been acquainted with Harriett Young since 1890, a widow who had never remarried, and that she did convey property purchased from John and Jane Singleton.

11/5/1920, Warranty Deed, William and Mollie Sauer, grantors; Andrew B. Maxwell, grantee, $10 and other valuable considerations. Andrew Maxwell’s first listing was in the 1921-22 edition of the city directory, with an address of 121 Locust Street.

11/5/1920, Warranty Deed, William and Mollie Sauer, grantors; Andrew B. Maxwell, grantee, $10 and other valuable considerations. Andrew Maxwell’s first listing was in the 1921-22 edition of the city directory, with an address of 121 Locust Street.

1/2/1934, Quit Claim Deed, Ada C. Maxwell, a widow, Lee R., Jay W. and Theodora Maxwell, Eva M. Vincent, Lora M. Ringhoffer and Edna Hatley, grantors; The First National Bank of Pullman, Washington, a corporation, $10, apparently a mortgage.

8/28/1940, Quit Claim Deed, Edna Hatley, who owns all interest in Lot 3, Block F, grantor; The First National Bank of Pullman, Washington, a corporation, $10, apparently a sale or relinquishment of title to the bank after mortgage default.

8/28/1940, Quit Claim Deed, Lee R. and Jay W. Maxwell, Eva M. Vincent and Lora Ringhoffer, grantors; The first National Bank of Pullman, Washington, a corporation, $10. See above.

11/6/1941, Waiver, Maud S. Foster, a widow, to The First National Bank of Pullman, Washington, to clear title to Lot 3, Block F from forfeiture as set forth in the Warranty Deed of 3/2/1907 if William Sauer had failed to comply with stipulations of that transaction. See above.

8/17/1945, Warranty Deed, James W. and Gretchen Stevens and The First National Bank of Pullman, Washington grantors; Lee W. and Frances E. Banks, grantees, $10. Mr. and Mrs. Banks did not reside at 121 Locust.

3/26/1947, Warranty Deed, Lee W. and Frances E. Banks, grantors; J. W. and Marnette Yeargin, grantees, $10. The Yeargins also did not reside at 121 Locust.

3/28/1947, Warranty Deed, John W. and Marnette Yeargin, grantors; Pearl E. Doctor, a widow, grantee, $7,500. Pearl Doctor was the widow of Robert Doctor. The 1946 city directory lists her address as 121 Locust Street. During World War II, city directories were not published consistently, and there are no directories for 1942 through 1945. The 1941 directory does not list either Pearl or Robert Doctor.

6/29/1950, Administrative Deed, Estate of Pearl Ellen Doctor, deceased, grantor; Donald G. Kilbourn et ux, grantee. Kilbourn was listed as station agent for United Air Lines.

6/30/1959, Statutory Warranty Deed, Donald G. and E. Lois Kilbourn, grantors; Harvey L. and Rosemary T. Peacock, grantees, $10. Harvey Peacock was manager of the advertising department for the Union-Bulletin.

9/8/2017, Statutory Warranty Deed, Harvey L. and Rosemary T. Peacock, grantors; Kevin Davis, grantee, $150,000.

9/8/2017, Quit Claim Deed, Renae L. Davis, grantor; Kevin Davis, grantee.

11/1/2018, Statutory Warranty Deed, Kevin Davis, grantor; Robert and Janie Hansen, grantees.

Construction of Building

The Assessor’s construction date for 121 Locust Street is 1905. These dates are often estimates based on the appearance of the structure. The Sanborn Fire Map of 1905 shows just one residence on the northwest corner of Locust and South 1^st. The first revision to the 1905 Sanborn map shows the footprint of 121 Locust Street pasted over the formerly vacant lot. It has been determined that the widow Foster and her late husband resided at 636 Catherine Street, that the widow Foster sold Lot 3 to William Sauer in March 1907 when Sauer lived on Malcolm Street; in the 1908 city directory Sauer was listed as residing at 121 Locust Street. Building permits for the City of Walla Walla are only preserved as far back as 9/16/1907, and no building permit for this house could be located. Therefore, Sauer apparently obtained a building permit between 3/2/1907 and 9/15/1907, leading to a conclusion that the house was built in 1907, apparently after the directory for that year was published.

The house is a large, two-story structure with a main fore-and-aft gable punctuated by two large side gables with projecting bays on both sides of the house. The second floor extends over a full width recessed front porch, supported by four simple square posts.

The original appearance of the house is unknown, as at some point what appears in an undated Assessor’s photo to have been possibly asbestos siding was applied, eliminating any craftsman appearance it may have had when built. The current owners report that when they discovered the house in 2017 the former owner, Kevin Davis, had already undertaken a restoration of the house to a more craftsman appearance, and they contracted with Mr. Davis to complete this. The effect of Davis’ craftsmanship is striking. From the street, it is obvious is that the front door was moved to the far left side of the porch, enabling installation of larger windows to the right. The house is clad variably in clapboards and both simple and fishscale shingles.

Resources

• Pioneer/Columbia Title
• Whitman Archives,
• Susan Monahan, Walla Walla historian
• Sanborn Fire Map, 1905 and first revision
• Mountain View Cemetery records
• Standard Atlas of Walla Walla County, Washington, George A. Ogle, Chicago, 1909
• Walla Walla County Auditor
• Walla Walla Union-Bulletin