History of 816 Lincoln Street – Walla Walla, WA

Legal Description

Lots 4 and 5, Block 9 of Reed’s First Addition to the City of Walla Walla, as follows: beginning at a point in the South line of Lincoln Street which is 110 feet East, measured along said South line, from the point of intersection thereof with the East line of Madison Street in the City of Walla Walla, Washington, and running thence South, parallel to the said East line of Madison Street, a distance of 144.0 feet; thence East, parallel to the South line of Lincoln Street, a distance of 70 feet; thence North, parallel to the East line of Madison Street, a distance of 144 feet to the South line of Lincoln Street; thence West, along said South line of Lincoln Street, a distance of 70 feet to the point of beginning.  Also, a strip of land five feet in width and 70 feet in length adjoining said described tract on the North side thereof and being a part of the vacated portion of Lincoln Street as vacated by the City of Walla Walla under Ordinance no. A-420.

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). The original plat was lost, probably in the fire of 1865. Thus, the earliest plat on file is one made by W. W. Johnson, City Surveyor, in July 1865 that claims to have made corrections to Case’s survey. Johnson’s survey was made the official plat of the City of Walla Walla on September 25, 1866, was filed and recorded July 5, 1867.

To this original area, additional parcels were annexed from time to time, usually with the name of the land owner of record at the time the additions were made.  Isaac Reed had Reed’s Addition platted in October 1878.  It was presented by Thomas H. Brentz, attorney for Isaac and Cynthia Reed and recorded 11/2/1878 in Book A, Pages 55 and 56.

No record of the Reeds residing in the city of Walla Walla or Walla Walla County could be located in a perusal of numerous city directories.  The only reference to Isaac Reed’s possibly residing here was in The Statues of California 1875-76, published in San Francisco in 1876, in which he was listed as Commissioner of Deeds for Washington Territory, to which he had been appointed on 11/25/1872, with residence listed as Walla Walla.

Census records and Cook County, Illinois death records note that Isaac N. Reed was born in Delaware County, Ohio in 1837.  He married Cynthia Jane Hungate (b. 1842 in Illinois) in 1863.  The Reeds had two boys, Calvin (b. 1865) and Howard (b. 1878).

Isaac Reed was listed variously as a traveling book agent and a publisher.  Travel he did, with residences (in addition to the above-referenced questionable one in Walla Walla), in Laramie, WY, St. Louis, MO and Los Angeles, CA.  He died in 1905, at which time he was residing at 1429 Michigan Avenue in Chicago.

8/10/1876, Right of Way Deed, Isaac N. and Cynthia J. Reed, grantors; Sewall Truax, grantee, a right to lay 1½” pipe across the southwest one-quarter of the southwest one-quarter of Section 21, Township 7-North, Range 36-East and take water from unnamed stream, now Lincoln Creek, $1.  Major Sewell Truax arrived at Fort Walla Walla, then located near Wallula, where he served as commander for a time before assuming the same position at Fort Lapwai, Idaho Territory.  He returned to Walla Walla in 1870 and worked as an engineer, for two years superintending construction of the Walla Walla & Columbia River Railroad from Wallula to Walla Walla.

5/2/1884, Right of Way, Sewall and Sarah E. Truax, grantors; City Water Company, a corporation, grantee, same as described in above Right of Way Deed, $100.

1/6/1892, Warranty Deed, Isaac N. and Cynthia N. Reed, by their attorney John F. Boyer, grantors; Alexander W. McKee, grantee, Lots 4 and 5, Block 9 as follows: “commencing at a point on the South side of Lincoln St distant 60 feet East from the N.W. Corner of Block 9 of Reed’s Addition to the City of Walla Walla, Washington according to the recorded plat thereof on file in the office of the Auditor of the aforesaid County.  Running thence East 120 feet.  Thence at right angles South 144 feet.  Thence at right angles West 120 feet.  Thence North at right angles 144 feet to the place of beginning corresponding to Lots 4 and 5 of said Block 9,” $600.  Alexander McKee was listed in the 1900 City Directory as a farmer residing at “504 Lincoln (should be 804).”  804 Lincoln is on the southeast corner of Lincoln and Madison Streets.

4/22/1899, Indenture, Alexander and Philena McKee, grantors, A. E. McKee, grantee, Lot 7, Block 9, to operate a hydraulic ram to furnish water, presumably from Lincoln Creek, $300.

7/31/1903, Quit Claim Deed, George Washington McKee, James Williamson McKee, Martha Manerva Bowles, Alexander Wesley McKee and Alvah Edward McKee, the children of, and Esther McRae Smith, John A. McRae, Frank McRae, Edwin McRae and Bessie Jean McRae, the grandchildren of A. E. McKee, and they all, both children and grandchildren, being of lawful age and all the heirs at law and all the devisees named or referred to in the Last Will and Testament of Alexander Williamson McKee, deceased, excepting Philena McKee, and the widow of the said Alexander Williamson McKee, deceased, and hereinafter mentioned as the party of the second part, grantors: Philena McKee, grantee, Lots 4, 5 and 6 in Block 9 of Reed’s Addition, $1 and other good and valuable consideration.

3/21/1904, Deed, Alvah Edward McKee et al, grantor; J. W. Harbert, grantee, Alvah Edward McKee and George Washington McKee as executors of the Last Will and Testament of Philena McKee, deceased, sell and convey Lots 4, 5 and 6 of Block 9, $3,250.  J. W. Harbert was born in Indiana in 1835.  He determined to move west in 1859, driving an ox team to Walla Walla County in exchange for free transportation of his personal provisions.  For eight years he freighted between Wallula and Umatilla Landing on the Columbia to the Idaho mines.  This venture ended with the opening of the railroad, and Harbert acquired 1,400 acres of prime farmland to which he turned his attention.  Harbert married in 1861 and he and Emma Harbert had six children.  The 1909 Atlas of Walla Walla County appears to indicate that Harbert owned all of Block 9 at that time.  In October 1909, Permit 1035 was granted to him to move a building from Lincoln and Madison at a cost of $100.  On 5/5/1919, Harbert was granted Permit 2916 for an addition to his house at 804 Lincoln Street, to cost $250.  A Mr. Oakes was listed as contractor.  The following year, on 10/9/1920, Mrs. J. W. Harbert of 804 Lincoln Street was granted Permit 3134 to construct a garage on the property to cost $250.  William Maher was listed as contractor.

6/29/1920, Warranty Deed, Lizzie C. Harbert, Beulah King, Ruth Connick, Wilbur Harbert, Mildred Harbert, Ida H. Payne, Floy Holman, Liberty Jensen, Clifford G. Harbert and Hazel H. Harbert, grantors; Alexander Taylor, grantee, Lots 4 and 5, Block 9, $452.38.  Alexander Taylor was a master bricklayer and stone worker.  (See Construction of Building.)

6/29/1920, Guardian’s Deed, Anna J. Rundell, guardian of Alice L. Harbert, a minor, grantor; Alexander Taylor, grantee, same as above Warranty Deed, $47.62.

7/21/1922, Lis Pendens, Alexander Taylor and Louise Taylor, his wife, and Lizzie C. Harbert, a widow, plaintiffs; Alexander Wesley McKee, George Washington McKee, James Williamson McKee, Martha Minerva Bowles and John Doe Bowles, her husband, Alvah Edward McKee, Esther McRae Smith and John Doe Smith, her husband, John A. McRae, Frank McRae, Edwin McRae, Bessie Jean McRae, Philena McKee and any and all heirs and devisees, if any thereof, of the foregoing defendants, if deceased, and also all other persons unknown claiming any right, title, estate, lien or interest in the real property, the object of this action, defendants, “to remove a cloud from and to quiet and put at rest the title to certain lands in Walla Walla County, described as follows:” (see legal description of 1/6/1892 Warranty Deed).

5/7/1932, Quick Claim Deed, Alexander and Louise Taylor, grantors; Union Bank & Trust Company of Walla Walla, same legal description of 1/6/1892 Warranty Deed, $10.

4/24/1933, Quit Claim Deed, Howard H. Hansen, Banking Supervisor, Union Bank & Trust Company of Walla Walla, grantor; Henrietta W. Emigh, grantee, $1.  In the 1931-32 City Directory, John A. and Henrietta Emigh were listed as living at 335 Grove Street.  John was the son of Ward Emigh who began operating Shady Lawn Creamery on the corner of East Sumach and North Rose Streets in 1897.  Mary Emigh, mother of current owner Dave Emigh, churned the last batch of Shady Lawn Creamery butter and retired in 1992.  The former dairy building currently is owned by Dave and Jill Emigh.  Dave is the great-grandson of Ward Emigh.  He and Jill operate Shady Lawn Antiques in the creamery building, that has been closed for several months following an arson fire in 2022.

5/24/1944, Warranty Deed, John A. and Henrietta W. Emigh, grantors; Eleanor A. and H. A. Haynes, grantees, same legal plus a strip of land 5 feet by 60 feet on the north side of Lincoln Street that was vacated by he City of Walla Walla, $10.  Mr. Haynes was an account clerk for the Washington State Patrol.

8/31/1951, Warranty Deed, Eleanor A. and H. A. Haynes, grantors; Murray E. and Mary Alice J. Taggart, same legal as the above Warranty Deed, $10 and other valuable consideration.  Murray Taggart was an attorney with office at 304 Denny Building.

11/10/1955, Quit Claim Deed, Murray E. Taggart, grantor; Mary Alice J. Taggart, grantee, same legal at above two Warranty Deeds, “for love and affection.”

6/8/1967, Statutory Warranty Deed, Murray E. and Mary Alice J. Taggart, grantors; James W. and Karen S. McAlpine, grantees, $1 and other valuable consideration.  James McAlpine was an AC service technician for Washington Natural Gas Company.

5/25/1979, Purchaser’s Assignment of Real Estate Contract and Deed, Murray E. and Mary Alice J. Taggart, grantors; James W. and Karen S. McAlpine, grantees, $2,673.06.

12/28/2022, Lack of Probate Affidavit, Estate of Karen S. McAlpine, deceased, grantor; James W. McAlpine, grantee.

12/28/2022, Statutory Warranty Deed, James W. McAlpine, grantor; Mark and Laurel Hendricks, grantees.

Construction of Building

It is difficult to determine precisely when the house at 816 Lincoln Street was constructed.  It has been reported – and this goes back a couple of generations – that the house was moved onto the property.  In researching the property, nothing could be located to substantiate this.  It is possible that an earlier building constructed on the property was moved south set further back from Lincoln Street and reconfigured into an earlier version of the current house.   The first edition of the 1905 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map shows a structure on the southeast corner of Lincoln and Madison Streets marked with a “D” that defines it as a dwelling and noted as number 804.  The next lot to the east contains a large structure abutting Lincoln Street that is not a dwelling and is noted as number 804½.  That structure is no longer there, and it was located some distance west of 816 Lincoln Street; however, it is conceivable that it might have been moved east and set farther back from Lincoln Street and reconfigured into 816 Lincoln Street in an earlier design than the current house.  The first update to the 1905 Sanborn map was made in July 1909, by which time not only is the first version of 816 apparent, but the house on the corner, 804, owned by J. W. Harbert, was much enlarged from the one shown on the first edition of the 1905 Sanborn map.  It is larger and sits considerably more to the east in 1909 than that depicted on the first edition.

The Assessor dates 816 Lincoln Street to 1910.  Were that the case there should be a building permit available, as city building permits are preserved as far back as September 1907, and a double check of all permits by both address and owner’s name failed to locate one for this house.  The only building permit located was no. 3590 dated 7/27/1923, granted to Alexander Taylor to “repair” the house he had purchased in June 1920.  The estimate for the repair was $3,000, a considerable amount for 1923.  No contractor was listed, as no doubt Mr. Taylor himself intended to do the work.  Thus, the best estimate for the date that the original structure at 816 was built is ca. 1906-07.

Alexander Taylor was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1870.  His father was a stone mason and artist, and the family’s move to the United States in 1882 was funded in part by the sale of the father’s paintings.  First settling in Milwaukee, they moved on to Portland in 1888 where Alexander apprenticed to a bricklayer, following which he moved around the country considerably, marrying Louise Riddeough in Indianapolis; Louise was from Manchester, England.  Alexander and Louise continued a peripatetic lifestyle for some time until returning to Portland in 1907.

The large sandstone block house on the northeast corner of Rose and Tukanon Streets, built in 1899 for Dr. James and Ida Hungate Cropp, was what first brought Taylor to Walla Walla.  Seeing that masonry work was plentiful in booming Walla Walla, the Taylors decided to move to the city.  Over the next decades until 1944 the number of buildings and residences he constructed is far too numerous to include in this report.  A very few highlights include St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, the Drumheller Building, the George Ludwigs residence on Newell Street, Green Park School, the old Carnegie Library, the former Gardner Department Store building at 3^rd and West Main, First Presbyterian Church, the Federal Building/Post Office, the Liberty Theatre the A. M. Jensen Department Store (recently Macy’s, now awaiting development), Clinton Court Apartments, Pantorium Building, Dixie School, First Congregational Church Parish House and First Congregational Church, old Walla Walla High School gymnasium (now YMCA), and the Pacific Telephone Building at 1^st and Alder.

In 1920, the house at 816 Lincoln Street was completely of frame construction.  Alexander Taylor did all of the exterior brickwork, notably the polychromatic porch supports.  He added a brick fireplace.  In all likelihood, he built the twin garages on the east side of the house with their beautiful multi-pane windows.  No garage is apparent in the 1909 update to the 1905 Sanborn map, and an attached double garage would be unusual even in 1923 when Taylor obtained the permit to “repair” the house.  Ornamental brickwork on a craftsman house is uncommon and, to use the vernacular of too many current designers, it makes this house “pop” and sets it apart as an unusually handsome addition to this classic Walla Walla neighborhood.

References

• TitleOne Title and Escrow (formerly Pioneer Title)
• Whitman Archives
• Walla Walla Public Library
• Walla Walla City Directories, various years
• Walla Walla County Assessor
• Standard Atlas of Walla Walla County, Washington, Including a Plat Book of Villages, Cities and Township of the County, George A. Ogle & Company, Chicago, 1909 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, various years
• Taylor, Roger Bordeaux, monograph on his grandfather Alexander Taylor
• Taylor, Roger Bordeaux, The Building Legacy of Alexander Taylor in the Pacific Northwest, 1899-1944, self-published, 2020
• Lyman, William Dennison, Lyman’s History of Old Walla Walla County Embracing Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin Counties, Vol. 2, S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, Chicago, 1918