History of 817 South Palouse Street, Walla Walla, WA
Property Description:
The North half of Lots 10 and 11 of Block 1 of Elliott’s Addition to the City of Walla Walla, Washington, according to the Official Plat thereof of record in the Office of the Auditor of said County of Walla Walla, in Book C of Plats at Page 34.
Title History:
Walla Walla was originally laid out by surveyor H.H. Chase in 1859, even before its formal incorporation as a city in 1862, as a one-quarter mile square oriented N-S, E-W and with its eastern side centered on the point where Main Street crossed Mill Creek. To this original area, additional parcels were annexed from time to time, usually named after the land owner of record at the time the additions were made.
All of the land in this area was acquired from the Cayuse and Walla Walla Indian tribes by the U.S. Government in a treaty signed on June 9, 1855 in Walla Walla and ratified on March 8, 1859 by President James Buchanan. On May 2, 1870 John Singleton, a farmer, perfected a claim for 160 acres under the May 20, 1862 Homestead Act, an area approximately bordered by Third Street on the west, Howard Street on the east, Thorn Street on the north, and Cherokee on the south. This included the property in question. John Singleton earlier was a soldier of Irish extraction stationed at Fort Walla Walla who fought in the battle of Steptoe Butte. His wife Jane followed him to Walla Walla, and they bought the homestead claim of Captain E. D. Pierce, who lead the party that discovered gold in the Oro Fino district, setting off the Idaho gold rush in 1861 that made Walla Walla a boom town. John and Jane Singleton’s residence was in the middle of their claim near Maple Street. Following John’s death, Jane Singleton gave a warranty deed to Anna B. Elliott on November 18, 1903 for $1000. On May 15, 1904 a plat was filed for Elliot’s Addition, with 53 lots bounded by Park, Juniper, Palouse and half a block south of Chestnut Street. Anna was a daughter of Dorsey Baker and the wife of Thompson Coit Elliot. In 1904 Mrs. T. C. Elliott was listed in the city directory as a student at Whitman College. T. C. Elliott came to Walla Walla in 1869 to work for the Washington Loan and Trust Company. He was treasurer of Whitman College from 1895 to 1900. He is remembered as a historian and scholar, as well as a tireless worker for the establishment of the Carnegie Library. He donated the land on which the library was constructed. The Elliotts lived at 314 East Poplar.
Anna B. and T. C. Elliott sold Elliott’s Addition including this property to M. C. Moore and Sons on December 12, 1906 for $1000. Miles C. Moore came to Walla Walla in 1863, became the Walla Walla postmaster and a partner in a book store in 1866, opened a general store with the Paine brothers in 1869 and married Mary E. Baker, another daughter of Dorsey Baker, in 1873. He was appointed the last Washington Territory governor in 1889 and lived at the south end of Division Street. He became president of Baker Boyer Bank in 1889 following the deaths of Dorsey Baker and John F. Boyer. On December 7, 1908 M.C. Moore and Sons signed an Agreement for Deed with A. F. Casper for $800 for this lot (North 1/2 of Lots 10 and 11, block 1, Elliott’s Addition) which stipulated that a house valued at at least $1800 would be built or the property would be forfeited. On February 14, 1912 an Indenture between M. C. Moore and Sons and A. F. Casper raised the minimum house value to $2000. Arthur F. Casper was a bookbinder who worked at the Washington Press and Book Manufacturing Co. at 115 East Alder. He and his wife lived at 419 Catherine prior to moving to 610 South First in 1911. On February 23, 1912 Arthur F. and Carolyn Casper sold this property for a stated amount of $1 to John D. Ankeny. Mr. Ankeny and his wife Mary R. lived at 343 Park Street. He was president of Washington Press and Book Manufacturing Co. as well as an assistant cashier at the First National Bank in 1912 ( Levi Ankeny, president).
On December 20, 1918 John D. and Mary R. Ankeny sold the property now cited as 817 South Palouse to Thomas D. and Elva M. Malloy for $4000. They were the first people who could be located in the city directory at this address (in 1920). Thomas Malloy was listed as a salesman. William S. Malloy, a farmer, also lived at this address in 1920. By 1921 William had moved to 527 Washington Street and Thomas’s occupation was then listed as a farmer. On February 7, 1923 the Malloys sold the house and property to Jerry E. Vanderpool, a single man, for $6000. The 1923-24 city directory lists Jerry E. and Jane I. Vanderpool as living at this address. He was a physician with an office in the Baker Building. Jane was a librarian at the high school. In 1930 Dr. Vanderpool was the County-City Health Officer and Jane was the librarian at the U.S. Veterans’ Hospital. In 1935 Jerry still lived at this address, but Jane lived at 433 Washington Street. On December 4, 1936 Jerry E. Vanderpool, single, sold this property to Robert and Nellie M. Mackie. Robert Mackie worked for Walla Walla Finance Company and lived at 825 Newell Street in 1937. The 1937 city directory lists Willard Dunn as living at the South Palouse house. He worked at Marcy’s Service at the corner of Alder and Colville Streets. On April 3, 1939 the Mackies sold the property to Willard B. and Helen L. Dunn for “$10.” At this time, Dunn was a salesman for Washington Machine and Supply Co. and Helen worked at The Avenue Press. Willard B. Dunn died December 1, 1942 and Helen was executrix for his estate. The 1946-1950 city directories listed Willard H. and Vivian Dunn as living in this house. On June 3, 1950 Helen Dunn sold this property to Ed L. and Betty J. Fiedler for $10,000. The 1951 city directory listed them as living in this house. Ed was an employee of the U.S. Corps of Engineers and Betty was a teacher at Green Park school. From 1954 to 1964 both Fiedlers worked for Bonser-Fiedler which sold office machines at 305 Colville Street. In 1965 Betty was teaching and Ed was selling insurance. Both had retired by 1995. On June 29, 2000 they sold their home of 50 years to Daniel J. and Jane Jones Kaminsky for $202,095.
Construction of the House:
On March 16, 1914 John Ankeny, owner of this property, obtained building permit #1710 for a 5 room dwelling on “South Palouse Street” costing $2000. G. Johnson was the builder. That matched the minimum value set by M. C. Moore and Sons for a house to be built on the property. No other building permits for this vicinity were issues to the Ankenys during their ownership of the property. It seems reasonable that this permit refers to this address. The first owners of this property to be listed in the city directory as living at this address were Thomas D. Malloy and his wife Elva who purchased it for $4000 in 1918. Since the property sold in 1908 for $800, it is apparent that by the time the Malloys purchased it, a house had been built on the property. The County Assessor lists 1914 as the build date which appears to be accurate and should be used of this property.
References:
Andres, Penny, Walla Walla Her Historic Homes, 1991.
Bennett, Robert A., Walla Walla Portrait of a Western Town 1804-1899, Pioneer Press, Walla Walla, 1980.
Bennett, Robert A., Walla Walla A Town Built to be a City 1900-1919, Pioneer Press, Walla Walla, 1982.
Building Permits: Whitman College Penrose Library Archives.
Lyman, Professor W.D., An Illustrated History of Walla Walla County 1901.
Ogle’s Standard Atlas of Walla Walla County, 1909
Sanborn Fire Maps: 1884-1905 (with updates until 1950).
Walla Walla City Directories: 1880-present (various publishers–not all years).
Whitman College Archives,
Mary E. Meeker Walla Walla 2020 Research Service PO Box 1222, Walla Walla WA 99362 August, 2004
