History of 347 South Fourth Avenue, Walla Walla, WA

Legal Description: provided by owner:

S. 49′ of Lot 2 and N. 14′ of Lot 3, Stahl and Cambern Addition.

 Title and Occupant History:

August 30, 1865–John& Margaret Sparks sold land, including the property, for $1500 to Henrietta & J. W. Hunter. (Deed Book 77, Page 100)

March 21, 1871–J. W.& Henrietta E. Hunter sold property to Sarah A. Martin for $500. (Deed Book “H:’ Page 141)

Sarah A. Martin was born in Mansfield, Ohio, in 1828 and came to Walla Walla in 1861. She was an orchardist who owned 5 acres in town. (Frank T Gilbert. Historic Sketches of Walla Walla. Whitman, Columbia. and Garfield Counties. Washington Territory, Portland: A.G. Walling, 1882, p. 43 of appendix)

October 17, 1878–Sarah A. Martin sold 312′ x 150¹ square of property to J. H. Lamona for $600. (Deed Book “Q� Page 380)

July 21, 1887–Sarah A. Martin sold property to Joseph Irish for $4500. (Deed Book 38, Page 313; hereinafter 38/313)

Joseph Irish is listed in The Spectator�s city directory for 1892 as residing at 300 4th; he is not in city directories for 1881-82, 1883-84, 1889 or 1898.

October 19, 1887–J. H.& Hessa Lamona sold 312′ x 150′ square of property to Joseph Irish for $575. (39/46)

February 9, 1888–Joseph Irish leased land to Moon Long and Gee One, but reserved from the lease a two-story house and several fruit trees. (39/409)

April 19, 1895–Joseph Irish sold 580’x l50′ square, N. of Stahl with the 580′ along 4th Street, to Minnie L. Meilicke Cambern, trustee for Vinnie May Meilicke. (58/509)

April 21, 1896–Minnie L. M. Cambern; trustee of Vinnie May Meilicke, Vinnie May Meilicke & Joseph Irish; and Catherine E. Stahl platted the Stahl and Cam bern Addition to the City of Walla Walla (lot 3 had 14′ cut off it on the original plat). (Auditor’s Office, Plat Book C, Page 7)

April 21, 1896–Catherine Stahl deeded parts of lots I, 2, and 3 of Stahl and Cambern’s Addition to Minnie L. M. Cambern. (61/288)

March 2, 1898–Minnie L. M. Cambern quit claim deeded the property as described in the legal description to W. P. McKean. (67/13)

The 1900-01 Polk’s Walla Walla City & County Directory lists W. P.

McKean as owner of W. P. McKean & Co., �dry goods, clothing, shoes, gents furnishing goods,” and as residing at 347 S. 4th.

Construction of the house: from the records examined above the construction could be dated in 1898 or 1899 by W. P. McKean. However, the panoramic views of the city of Walla Walla taken in 1884 & 1889 (see Robert Bennett’s Walla Walla: Portrait of a Western Town. 1804-1899, pp. 127-128 & 145-146, or the larger versions of these maps in the Whitman College Archives, Penrose Library, Whitman College), shows several structures in the area (before 4th S. Street was continued south of Birch St.), show several structures in the general area of the future 300 block of S. 4th 51.

April 27, 1946–Executors of the will of Mary E. McKean (wife of W. P. McKean) sold the property to Walter Russell for $6000. (Deed #292622)

November 13, 1946–Walter A. & Grace A. Russell sold the property to Ada F. Hay, widow, and Norma M. Warnock, a divorced woman, for $9250. (#397593)

Polk^‘s l948 city directory lists Norma Warnock residing at 347 4th Ave. S. and Ada F. Hay as a cook at the Emerald Tavern and residing at 527 1/2 1st Ave. 5.

July 26, 1948–Ada Hay and Norma Warnock sold the property to Robert M. Graves. (#397594)

June 22, 1949–Robert M. Graves sold the property to Percy Lee Perry. (#397595)

Polk’s 1949-50 directory lists Myron A . Perry, husband of Percy Lee Perry, as an electrician residing at 347 4th.

June 21, 1957 –Myron& Percy Lee Perry sold the property to Robert L. & Virginia M. Baumgart for $8000. (#457042)

Polk’s 1958 directory lists Robert L. Baumgart as a sheet metal worker at W. R. O’Rourke Co.

September 28, 1976–Robert & Virginia Baumgart sold the property to Harold Dean Scruggs. (#558267)

Hart’s 1977 Walla Walla Residents & Business Registrations list Harold Scruggs as an employee of Superior Roofing.

August 18, 1978–Harold& Carolyn Scruggs sold the property to Richard M. Martin. (#7807416)

Hart’s 1979 directory lists Richard Martin as an employee of Boise Cascade.

November 21, 1983–Richard M. Martin sold the property to Mary Helen Carroll. (#8308357)

 

prepared by Michael W. Smith, 12/94