134 West 2nd Street
Thomas Irvine was a well-known pitcher for Ogden baseball teams at the turn of the Twentieth Century. On one occasion, the Ogden area was informed that a semi-professional team would be coming through Ogden, and they wanted to have a team lined up to practice with before going on to California for a game. Thomas was selected as the pitcher for that game which was played on Tabernacle Square in Ogden. In the game, he fanned (struck out) 21 of 27 men. One batter, when struck out, walked behind the pitcher and said, “Who in the hell is that man?” He stood behind the catcher and watched several pitches. The final score was 9 to 1 in favor of Ogden. Thomas thought it was the best game he ever pitched. Semi-professional teams started checking on Thomas, but he declined their offers.
In 1907 he married Julia Sherner, and they built the house at 136 2nd Street on land given them by Julia’s father. Thomas had many jobs, including working for the Scoville Broom Company, the First Security Bank, and the northern Utah Welfare Program. He liked to ride a bicycle to work. He also served as a member of the Ogden Tabernacle Board and the Dee Hospital Board.
In 1934, ever curious, Thomas raised 3 lemon trees in the warm air of the kitchen and harvested some lemons which were noted in the local newspaper as superior quality to California lemons. [1]
Thomas served for 21 years in the N Weber Stake presidency, eight years as the stake president. In the 1950s he helped build the church at 133 Childs Ave, donating 1390 hours of labor. Thomas and Julia had three children. Julia died in 1932 and Thomas in 1969.
[1] - Standard Examiner, September 17, 1934.