This is the Hersey House. Isn’t it just gorgeous? It was built for the Reverend Milton J. Hersey and his family. According to the Carson City Assessor’s Office, the house was built 1930 – 1934.
At one time, it was thought that the house was built by the Wungnema Family. However, the Wungnema Family did not move to Nevada until after construction was completed.
While the Wungnemas did not build the Hersey House, they are thought to have built the landscape design elements in the garden (the fence, the fence posts and the wishing well), approximately 7 – 10 years after the house was completed. We know of at least two other wishing wells completed by the Native American stonemasons. One is in Sparks, while the other has been demolished.
Rather, the trade students at the Stewart Indian School (SIS) build the house. The SIS is located south of Carson City. The trades included electrical, plumbing, carpentry, blacksmithing and masonry. These students built a number of homes in the area.
The reverend was one of the chaplains at SIS where he struck up a friendship with Fredrick Snyder, the superintendent at SIS. The two men were known to walk the high desert outside of Carson City looking for stones. These found stones and quarried stones were used at Stewart and in the Hershey House.
When built, the house was on the western edge of Carson City. Today, it sits in the middle of Carson City’s historical district. The house is also within walking distance of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church where Reverend Hersey served as rector from May 1925 through August 1934. For additional information on the reverend’s time at SIS and his missionary work, see: http://usgenwebsites.org/UTGenWeb/Uintah/biosgl.html and http://usgenwebsites.org/UTGenWeb/Uintah/native.html,
The house is almost a century old and is in remarkable condition. If you have a chance, drive or walk by this piece of Nevada history.
