Jacob Hamblin House

The Jacob Hamblin House is a historic residence and museum located in Santa Clara, Utah, United States. Jacob Hamblin was a Mormon pioneer and missionary who founded Santa Clara in 1854. After a flood destroyed the town, a group of missionaries constructed a new home for him on a hillside. It is now open as a museum.

History
Jacob Hamblin was born in 1819 in Ashtabula, Ohio. His family moved to Wisconsin in 1836, and got married three years later. In February 1842, Hamblin met a group of preachers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Church); only days later, he officially joined the Church. Church officials immediately recognized his leadership gifts and offered Hamblin the chance to join them in Nauvoo, Illinois. In 1844, the residents of Nauvoo were split over the issue of plural marriage, leading to the arrest of Joseph Smith, Jr. Hamblin's first wife left him when he wanted to go west with the saints. He married Rachel Judd in 1848. Hamblin did not take a plural wife until 1857. A mob of men assassinated Smith while he was in jail, resulting in the succession crisis. Hamblin supported Brigham Young, the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, as President of the Church. Following growing anti-Mormon sentiment around Nauvoo, Hamblin migrated west with Young on the Mormon Trail.

Hamblin first settled in Tooele, Utah Territory, where he befriended several local Native Americans. His amicable relations with the natives did not go unnoticed—Brigham Young commissioned Hamblin to serve a mission to the Paiutes (believed by the Church members to be Lamanites).]]. Hamblin moved to the southern reaches of the territory and founded the settlement of Santa Clara in 1854. After taking a group of Paiute to Salt Lake City (and taking another wife, Priscilla Leavitt), he encountered John D. Lee, who had just organized the Mountain Meadows massacre of the Baker-Fancher party. Horrified by the slaughter, Hamblin recovered all of the surviving children from the party and brought them back to Santa Clara." She also saw white men disguised as Indians washing paint off their faces (Fort Smith, Ark., Elevator, August 20, 1897). Rebecca Dunlap was 6 at the time and returned to Arkansas. A flood inundated the entire settlement of Santa Clara and forced the residents to construct new homes. A group of missionaries were sent to the town to provide housing and care for his family. The Jacob Hamblin home was completed later that year. Sandrock was quarried from hills near the home and was assembled by stone masons from Cedar City. The two-story residence was built on a hillside, allowing access to the second floor from atop the hill. A porch on each floor stretches across the front (south end) of the house. Identical rooms were constructed on opposite ends of the house, to accommodate Hamblin's two wives, each with a fireplace and staircase to the second floor. Hamblin's wife Rachel died in 1865, he then married Louisa Bonelli, a convert from Switzerland. Hamblin was then called to serve the Kanab region in 1871, and leased the house to a Mr. Bauman.

The Utah State Parks and Recreation Division obtained the house in 1959 and converted it to a museum. The LDS church then obtaibed the home in 1975 and did a full restoration.1860s replica furniture was provided for the house. Although Santa Clara features several early Mormon houses, the Jacob Hamblin House is the only one open to the public. Church missionaries provide free tours through the property.