Civil War Vet House, built c. 1905 by Kate and William Smethers; photo c. 1921.

Civil War Vet House, 189 W 2nd St, is part of the Oldest Neighborhood in Ogden; photo 2021.

Perhaps the original house looked like the sketch on the right, and the porch was added later.

Kate Barritt (1851-1935) and William (1845-1936) Smethers

The house at 189 W 2nd Street is nick-named “The Civil War Vet House” as both original owners were members of Weber’s Grand Army of the Republic. William was a Civil War veteran who fought with General Sherman in decisive battles on his march to the sea, and Kate’s father was an army surgeon in the Civil War.

Both Kate and William came from Indiana and were school teachers. They moved to Ogden later in their lives and built this house in about 1905 with a field stone foundation and relieving arched window heads of the Victorian Eclectic style on five acres of land. William served as principal one year at the Five Points School and one year at the Pingree School. Kate specialized in kindergarten work and wrote papers concerning this subject. Kate was proud to be the niece to Sarah T. Bolton, poet-laureate of Indiana, who wrote “Paddle Your Own Canoe”, and many other popular poems of that day.

William also served as commander of the Utah department of the Grand Army of the Republic and commander of Dix Logan post No. 2, Ogden. He was made a master Mason nearly 50 years ago and held membership in George Washington lodge No. 24 F. & A. M.

Kate was a member and matron of Queen Esther chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, and a past president of Dix-Logan post, auxiliary to the G. A. R. The Grand Army of the Republic was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army who served in the American Civil War.

Until their deaths Mr. and Mrs. Smethers were the last living G. A. R. couple in Weber County. They lived at 189 West 2nd Street for 30 years. Kate died in December 1935 and William died April 1936 at the United States Veterans Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. They had one daughter, Gertrude Mae Smethers Hutton, who continued living in the house at 189 W 2nd Street and passed it on in 1957 to her son, Harold Hutton. [1]

The Smethers’ great granddaughter, Lorraine Mae Hutton (rear), in front of house at 189 W 2nd St. in 1942.

[1] - Standard Examiner obituary Dec. 1935; Standard Examiner obituary April 1936; Abstract of Title 4014.