PICTURES TELL THE PAYSON STORY: T. G. WIMMER HOME – PAYSON HOTEL

The old T. G. Wimmer home stands near the southwest corner of Old Fort Payson, Today, this is known as 144 West Utah Avenue.

The home was originally built in 1875. T.G. Wimmer had hired Jesse M. Boyle to build an adobe house on the property. It was originally a private two story residence. It was later improved when siding was added and it appeared much as it does today.

Tom Wimmer married Elizabeth A. Simons, who was a daughter of Orrawell Simons. Mr. Simons and Mr. Wimmer both later became some of the richest men in Payson.

There was a closet on the second floor where the family would hide during conflicts in the late 1870s and early 1880s. This closet later became a bathroom and was one of the first in Payson to have running water installed inside the house. The water was piped from springs in the area south of the present-day Memorial Park where the Park View School stands today.

It was one of the nicest homes in Payson at that time. Someone told Mr. Wimmer that he was too rich to live in Payson since he could afford such a fine home.

Mr. Wimmer and his family later moved from Payson and he sold the home to Ray Knight, the son of mining magnet Jesse Knight. Mr. Knight later sold the home to J. W. McIntosh. He kept bulls, which he bought and sold, in a large barn that stood on the west side of the home.

In 1920, Mr. and Mrs. Byron Jensen bought the home and made many improvements. They then opened a boarding house for school teachers. They remained in business for about ten years. They then sold the home to Anna Butterworth who continued to operate it as a boarding house.

Bill and Donna Edwards bought the house in 1942. They changed the sixteen-room house into a hotel. They named it the Payson Hotel. They had seven rooms available to rent to hotel guests. Most of the rooms had two double beds and all had running water and a wash bowl in each. There was a common bathroom that could be shared by the hotel guests.

In 1947, Mrs. Edwards' sister, Bertie Smith and her husband Merrill purchased the hotel. They made many changes to the exterior and interior of the original home. They operated the hotel for many years.

The hotel was later sold and it became a private residence once again. It was occupied by various families for a number of years. It stood vacant for a time until it was once again sold and was utilized as a single family home.

Submitted by the Payson Historical Society

Originally published in The Payson Chronicle