Tragedy at King Corner, 300 South and 600 East

Thomas G. Wimmer house at 601 E 300 S, Salt Lake City. An inverted photoshopped view to make it look more spooky. 601 E 300 S.

One of the creepy old houses I was able to explore recently was this large house at 601 East 300 South, Salt Lake City.  This post is primarily on the basement experience, which is super creepy. 

There are lots of ghost stories and unexplained events that have occurred here, one of which is the ghostly presence of an angry solitary man, sometimes inhabiting the basement. Recent happenings include burst lightbulbs and generally cold and confined feelings of people who visit the basement.

I don’t know how ghosts work; but, when researching the history of this house I came across a history of a solitary man with an unfortunate ending.

The house is formally known as the Thomas G Wimmer house (built about 1900) but that story comes later. Before the house was built it was property owned by the Charles H. and Louisa King family.

1898 Sanborn map showing King Corner
600 East and 300 South, Salt Lake City

1911 Sanborn map showing King Corner
600 East and 300 South, Salt Lake City

Modern aerial image showing King Corner
600 East and 300 South, Salt Lake City

Charles was a Mormon convert from England who crossed the plains in a wagon train and arrived in SLC in October 1852 at the age of 35. When Charles was 40 he married 18-year-old Louisa, also from England, and they immediately started their family, of which William Charles King was the 3rd of 8 kids.

William (who also went by Charles W) lived his entire life in the small adobe family home on a large corner lot on the NE side of the corner of 600 E and 300 S, known as King Corner.

He seemed to be a responsible and studious individual and was in regular employment by George M. Scott & Co (a store primarily for mining items) since he was a boy.

By the time William was 26 he was working as an accounts collector and was in high standing with his employer, his accounts were in good order. He was unmarried, which was unusual at his age but nothing too concerning. Unfortunately, William suffered from depression and his family indicated he had been despondent for many years.

After returning home in the early morning hours of Wed, Oct 8, 1890, William shot himself in the head above his right ear. His mother found his stiff body a few yards away from the family’s home as she gathered the morning paper, around 7am. William’s father recalled hearing something like a gunshot around 2am but paid no attention to it.

The coroner officially stated his cause of death was a pistol shot wound in the head inflicted by his own hand during a spell of despondency.

William Charles King (Feb 8 1864 to Oct 8 1890). Born and died in Salt Lake City on his family's plot of land, 267 South 600 East. He is buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery. 

Stairs to the basement at 601 E 300 S 

Storage shelf in the basement which was the primary area of ghostly encounters when I visited in Oct 2022. 601 E 300 S.

Closed off coal shaft in the basement,
with wallpapered plaster remnants,601 E 300 S.

Wallpaper in the basement, 601 E 300 S.

Spooky window, 601 E 300 S

Normal view of Thomas G. Wimmer house at 601 E 300 S. Salt Lake City. viewed from 300 South.

 

Sources:

• Records on ancestry.com
• Salt Lake Tribune, March 30 1890
• Deseret News, Oct 8 1890
• Salt Lake Herald, Oct 10 1890
• Salt Lake Times, Oct 8 1890
• Salt Lake Herald, May 9 1899

Some historic buildings that were saved from demolition in 2021

These are some of the historic buildings that were saved from demolition in 2021! Visit @demolishedsaltlakepodcast for some buildings that were lost this year.

 

Descriptions clockwise from the upper left corner:

1. Hyland Exchange, 847 S 800 E SLC. It will be converted to housing. But, 2 Victorian homes were demolished.

2. The Annex Apts, 150 E South Temple SLC. A project plans to rehab the Annex but it also demolished the Carlton Hotel next door.

3. Elks Block, 139 E South Temple SLC. Most buildings will be preserved, the Elks building will be renovated, the Elks tunnel entrance will be partially preserved.

4. House at 235 S 600 E SLC. The owner plans to add an addition to the back of the house and start repairs and rehab of the rest of the house.

5. Utah Pickle and Hide buildings at 737-741 S 400 W SLC. Some selective demolition has occurred but the main buildings are planned to be rehabbed.

6. Central Warehouse at 520 W 200 S SLC. The back half of the building has been demolished; the remaining front is to be integrated into a multi-use development.

7. These 5 houses on 200 East were subject to a rezone application which would result in their demolition. The rezone was not approved, and the houses are now being repaired.

8. 15th Ward Chapel at 915 W 100 S SLC was listed for sale which could have resulted in demolition; it was purchased by the Utah Arts Alliance and is now known as the Utah Art Castle.

9. Redwood Drive-In and Swap Meet at 3688 S Redwood WVC was proposed for demolition for a large housing project. Largely due to the backlash from the swap meet community the prospective owner decided to cancel the sale and development.

10. University of Utah’s Einar Nielsen Fieldhouse has undergone a seismic retrofit and will be converted to a theater.

11. Apt complex at 230 West 300 North SLC will be preserved while the area behind it will become additional multi-family housing.

It is important to note that only 2 of these projects had local historic preservation requirements for the property. All the others were only preserved because the owners desired it.

A big thanks to the owners, architects, engineers, and builders who all worked to keep some of Utah’s history standing.

History of Sacred Light of Christ Church at 823 S 600 East

Sacred Light of Christ Church at 823 S 600 East SLC, June 2021.

This church at 823 S 600 East has served various small, but devoted, congregations.

It was designed by architect William J Camomile and built in 1913 as the First Swedish Baptist Church.

As the church is located just north of Liberty Park and outside the main downtown area, most people used the streetcar lines to attend services and the Sugar House line had a convenient stop at 900 South and 600 East (hence the lack of designated parking).

Most Swedish immigrants in Salt Lake were members of the LDS Church so the Swedish Baptist Church remained a small congregation and struggled to attract new members. The church held services in both Swedish and English until 1929 when it abandoned its efforts as a separate Swedish congregation.

In 1930 the Second Christian Church (the First Christian Church being in Ogden) took over use of the church; in 1931 they purchased the property and renovated and enlarged it. 

In 1934 the church morphed into the nondenominational Church of Christ. The church’s Elder, Mr. D. L. Thomson, sold the church in 1939 against the wishes of its 35 church members.

The new owner of the building ca.1940 was the Pillar of Fire church which actively used the building until about 1980. The Pillar of Fire was founded in Colorado by Alma White, who is known for being the first woman ordained as a Bishop in the US. Alma was a short-time resident of SLC in the 1880s where she taught at the SLC Methodist Seminary.

In 1983 the building was briefly leased from the Pillar of Fire for use by the Salt Lake Children’s Choir.

The current owner and occupant of the building, the Metropolitan Community Church, started using the building in 1987. The MCC had previously bounced around various church buildings in SLC before finding its home here.

In the early 1970s the MCC met at 740 S 700 E (now Masjid Al-Noor/Islamic Society of SLC), then moved to 870 W 400 South (which was the Tongan United Methodist church until it burned down/demolished in 2000).

In 1977 the MCC attempted to purchase the building at 870 W 400 South but their bank, the Bank of Utah at 70 E South Temple, refused a loan to the MCC after it became well known for serving the Gay and Lesbian community of SLC when the Lt Governor rescinded permission to use the State Capitol for a dance (more on that later!).

The MCC then held services at the Unitarian Church at 568 S 1300 East through most of the 1980s.

In 1987 the MCC moved here (823 S 600 East) where it is now known as Sacred Light of Christ and serves SLC’s LGBTIQ+ community.

Sources: SL Telegram 1912-03-05; SL Telegram 1914-03-21; SL Trib 1931-06-12; SL Trib 1940-03-27; Daily Utah Chronicle 1973-10-30; Rocky Mountain Open Door 1977-11-01;SL Trib 1983-02-27; SL Trib 1987-07-16  

Portion of a postcard for the Pillar of Fire church, front.

Portion of a postcard for the Pillar of Fire church, back.