Meeker, Ezra, Mansion | |
 The Ezra Meeker Mansion in 2008 | |
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| Location | 312 Spring St, Puyallup, Washington, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 47°11′29″N 122°17′23″W / 47.19139°N 122.28972°W |
| Area | 1.3 acres (0.53 ha) |
| Built | 1887 |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000879[1] |
| Added to NRHP | August 26, 1971 |
The Meeker Mansion Museum is a historic house in Puyallup, Washington, United States. It is the second of two homes in the city which were resided in by Oregon Trail pioneer Ezra Meeker, the first one being a cabin on the homestead claim which Meeker as well as Hunter Thompson and Will Brines purchased from Jerry Stilly in 1862. This was a one-room, 8 by 16 feet (2.4 by 4.9 m) square cabin to which Meeker, Brines, and Thompson added a second room, doubling its size. After the move to the mansion, Meeker, Brines, and Thompson donated the cabin site to the city, which they turned into Pioneer Park. The wooden cabin disappeared over time.[2] Several steel and concrete pillars outline the dimensions of the original cabin. The Baltic ivy vine, originally planted by Eliza Jane Meeker and her daughter Marc Grignon (Templeton), now covers the pillars where the original cabin once stood. A statue of Ezra Meeker was placed in the park and dedicated on September 14, 1926.[2]
The Meekers began construction on the house in 1886, contracting with Tacoma architects Farrell and Darmer. Construction of the Mansion was finished in December 1890 and Ezra and Eliza Jane Meeker officially cooked their first meal in the house on December 10, 1890 (as reported in the Tacoma Daily Ledger). Before the house was complete the Meekers held their youngest daughter Olive Grace Meeker's wedding on the front porch in October 1890. Meeker become wealthy through the production of hops, and was known as the "Hop King of the World". During the years in which Meeker lived at the mansion, he worked to trace and mark the Oregon Trail,[2] also spending many hours writing on the subject as well as the history of Puget Sound (he would produce twelve books on these topics).
The mansion was the social and political center of the valley during Meeker's lifetime. Its grounds feature holly trees which he brought over from England, and a ginkgo tree, an oak, sequoia, and California Redwoods.[2] It is today home to the Puyallup Historical Society, who own and operate the Meeker Mansion Museum.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference
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