Saturday, June 4, 2005

Historic Buildings of Socorro, New Mexico Part 2

Andrew Miller

    This is the second in a series of articles on Socorro's history written by students at New Mexico Tech. Inspired by the March 5 "Relatos del Pasado" on Socorro's Historical Landmarks, three students of Dr. Julie Ford's Technical Writing Class researched some of Socorro's old buildings for their project. The resulting terms papers are excellent — well researched and worth sharing with the people of Socorro. The students are Louise Gallegos, Andrew Miller and Wendi Otero.

    This second paper, on some of Socorro's historical buildings, was researched and written by New Mexico Tech student Andrew Miller — Paul Harden

    Socorro Presbyterian Church

    The Rev. John Milton Shaw (who later became a judge after the Baptist Church recalled all ministers at the start of the Civil War) established a Baptist mission church in Socorro in 1858, and the Rev. Dr. Thomas Harwood had established a Methodist mission.

    The first Presbyterian presence was established in 1869 by the Rev. J.Y. Perea when he founded a Presbyterian Day School, which operated until 1906. The First Presbyterian Church of Socorro was originated by the Rev. S.D. Fulton on his arrival in Socorro by the newly completed railroad in August 1880.

    The Presbyterian Church officially organized Oct. 13, 1880, with 14 charter members, notably A.M Conklin as Ruling Elder. Conklin was a prominent citizen, who was also the editor of the Socorro Chieftain newspaper. The early parishioners met in the Methodist building on A Street (later Center Street), which was deeded to Fulton on Nov. 26, 1880, by Judge Shaw for $300.

    The church had a long, difficult time with money, membership, attendance and consistency with regard to ministers, elders and officials. In 1932, Joseph E. Smith deeded land abutting the church to the east to the Board of Trustees and, in the same year, the church received a new pastor, the Rev. Paul M. Joy. One of Rev. Joy's first proposals was to construct a new building. Although the economy was in shambles due to the Depression, he saw that the new federal make-work projects would (in fact, had already begun to) attract new residents to the town, and that the church would need to be ready to receive them as new members and attendees. The project was eventually approved, although several years would pass before its completion. Notably, in 1935, the Board of Trustees included Mrs. Anna Baldwin, George Keith, Jennie Cook, Mrs. John Weir and Mrs. Holm Bursum (wife of then Mayor Holm Bursum Jr.).

    The church moved, on completion of the new building Feb. 9, 1936, to the south side of McCutcheon Avenue, where it has been since, with some new additions included. The original Presbyterian Church building no longer stands.

    Methodist Churches

    The Methodist denomination has the distinction of being the first Protestant church to operate in Socorro. Benigno Cardenas, a converted Roman Catholic priest, preached in the Plaza on Nov. 17-18, 1854. Baptists also operated in the area until the outbreak of the Civil War, when all Baptist ministers were recalled to the east. Although the local representative, Rev. J.M. Shaw, did not heed the recall, his flock more or less evaporated.

    Many of these people later joined the Methodist congregation, at Rev. Shaw's urging, when it was organized in October 1873, at the old Mission building on Church Street. This group got their first resident pastor, the Rev. M. Mathieson, around December of that year. He acquired two assistants, local Hispanics, named Blas Gutierres and Marcos Barella, who were licensed to preach for the Methodist Church in 1875. They are significant against the backdrop of a heavily Catholic, Hispanic population. Stories abound of people from this culture converting to the Protestant denominations only to be disowned by their families and shut out from their own people.

    Rev. Mathieson was followed by the Rev. Thomas Harwood, who, in 1893, served as the first president of the Board of Trustees to the New Mexico School of Mines. Throughout the late 1880s, the English services of the Methodist church declined and eventually disappeared, although the Spanish work continued and became the Harwood Methodist Church, which still exists in Socorro as the Iglesia Metodista Unida Harwood.

    The previous pastors to Socorro had been of the Northern Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1881, the Denver Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South appointed the Rev. Joseph Tardy to Socorro. On April 10, 1882, meeting at his residence, the congregation organized a Sunday school of 16 people and a building committee to construct a new Mission Chapel.

    The new chapel was completed in 1882, and still stands on Church Street. It is now a warehouse, but has every appearance of having been built and used as a church.

    The Methodist congregation went the way of the town. In 1883, a new pastor, J.D. Bush, was appointed to serve the circuit between Socorro and San Marcial. Only 20 members were on the register for Socorro by 1885. C.H. Govett was appointed as pastor in 1891, with 27 members. In 1895, as the boom times wound down, Thomas Hodgson preached in both Socorro and Magdalena on that circuit. 1896 saw the smelters close down and soon only one family was left at the Socorro church. The church was shut down, and the furniture and paraphernalia were taken to the town of Kelly.

    From 1897 to 1940, there was no English language Methodist work in Socorro. Then, on July 21, 1940, 11 charter members organized the St. Paul United Methodist Church. There was no longer any division between the Northern and Southern Conferences as the two had reunited the previous year. The organizing minister was the Rev. R.L. Wheeler, a resident of Magdalena, who then preached on the Socorro-Magdalena circuit.

    Services were held, initially, in the old "Red School House" on California Street (where the present day La Villa Shopping Center stands). From there the congregation moved to the old Episcopal Church on Fisher, across from the firehouse, but the Episcopalians soon wanted to move back into the other building, so the Methodists moved again, this time to the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Garfield. This was a workable location because the Adventists met on Saturdays.

    The present day building was built in 1950 on Goad Hill, donated by Cecil and Elsie Goad. At that time, there was no Neel Street and the building was somewhat isolated from the town, but it proved to be an excellent location. Most of the planning and construction was done under the Rev. J.C. Sprouls, although later additions have been constructed.

    The Zengerle House

    The Zengerle House, located at 215 Bernard St., was built in 1871 by Manuel Abeyta, and still stands today on the west side of the street between the J.J. Baca House and the Catholic Church. It was originally a 1-1/2 story adobe with a gabled (triangular building decoration) roof. In the 1880s or '90s, brick facing was added to the north and east sides. The north and south sides had distinctive porches, with a unique staircase which started at the porch on the south side and wrapped around to reach the ground on the west side. This stairway was removed around 1900, although there are some remains of the upper portion. The house also had a balcony, two square supporting columns and a small guarding fence. The balcony roof was pitched and gabled on the east side, and sloped on the west.

    An interesting note regarding this house comes from the oral history of one Anastacio Sedillo, cited by historical author John Conron. Sedillo indicated that the house had an internal water well so that the residents' water supply would not be cut off in case of an Indian attack.

    Following the recent death of owner Jake Zengerle, in 2004, the family has been extensively renovating the home to tastefully preserve the unique combination of adobe and early Victorian styles.

    The Eaton House

    The original late-1800s construction date is not pinned down, although a remodeling project undertaken by Col. E.W. Eaton was completed in 1908. He refitted the adobe house with connecting rods to prevent additional damage following the 1906-1907 earthquakes. The rods were run through the walls, and then through vertical load distribution boards on the outside surfaces. The boards were secured on the inside with regular bolts, and to the outside by star washers. The washers are still visible today on the Eaton House.

    Ethan W. Eaton was born Oct. 10, 1827, in New York, and lived in Schoharei County for his first 15 years of life. His father was a merchant and Ethan learned to clerk in his father's store, until the age of 15, when his father was killed in an accident. Ethan then went to New York City, where he clerked in another store for about a year, then moved to Connecticut and learned to draw fine wire.

    Eaton then returned to New York and worked at a wire factory in Annsville, becoming the factory foreman. He later moved to Canojaharie to be nearer his mother, and to save some money. This money he invested, with a partner, in a canal boat when freight prices went up. He spent a summer running the boat on the Erie Canal, having "... quite a rough experience and some exciting times, as on the canal and at its terminal points had congregated the toughest element of the country."

    In 1849, when gold was found in California, Eaton left with nine others on the overland route. One of the nine was a boat builder by trade and, in Cincinnati, they built a boat and started down the Ohio River to the Mississippi. They took the Arkansas River up to Fort Smith, where they bought ox teams and started across the land. Along the Canadian River (in present day Oklahoma) they found a buffalo hunters' trail and followed it until they reached the Pecos River in present day New Mexico.

    They had not seen another settlement since Little Rock. In fact, they had traveled through the winter grounds of several large Indian tribes, but the tribes had been north for the summer and Eaton's group had not seen any people other than themselves for three months. Eaton and another man decided it was too late in the year to make California before winter, but seven others continued on and were never heard from again.

    Eaton went to Santa Fe and worked as a clerk in a mining camp while prospecting some on the side. In the spring, he was sent to a small farming town to establish a grain-trading store and, in the following year, he bought out his employer. He married and bought almost 200,000 acres, which he indicates was known as the "Eaton Land Grant" near San Cristobal. There he lived and worked (farming and raising stock) until 1861, when he joined the army as captain of a volunteer company.

    Eaton was in command of Fort Craig during the Val Verde battle, and was ordered to take command of Fort Garland, in Colorado, after the Texas forces had been driven out. After about a year at Ft. Garland, he was ordered back to New Mexico. He was then ordered to Fort Wingate for two years, where his instructions were to subdue the Indians, who had been attacking the fort since its construction. He reports that "... the Navajos were subjected, taken prisoners and sent to Fort Sumner, on the Pecos River." During this time he made Lieutenant Colonel, but resigned on news of the surrender of the Confederate armies under Gen. Lee in Virginia, in April 1865.

    Eaton then returned to his ranch, where he farmed and raised sheep until 1880, when he purchased a mine and began smelting silver ores in the Socorro area. This was the start of his mining and smelting career. He also became involved in the cattle business.

    Masonic Lodge No. 9

    In December 1881, Masons in Socorro wrote to the Grand Lodge of the New Mexico Territory to request a charter to work in Socorro. On March 30, 1882, they formed Socorro Lodge No. 9, A.F. & A.M. The first meeting was held in the upstairs hall of Rio Grande Lodge No. 3 of the Knights of Pythias, at 116 Manzanares.

    On Dec. 1, 1882, the Masonic Lodge rented the "Abatia" (sic) hall on the southwest corner of California and Manzanares from Don Antonio Abeyta as the Knights of Pythias' rent was deemed too high. On the 15th of that month, D.N. Blackwell was elected Master of the Lodge and later became Grand Master of the Territory for the period of 1886-1887.

    On April 13, 1886, a building committee was appointed to examine the possibility of purchasing or constructing a new building, and it was determined that this was not feasible at that time. On Feb. 11, 1890, the lodge moved back into the "Castle Hall," which they shared with the Knights of Pythias and the Odd Fellows.

    On Sept. 1, 1891, the lodge moved out of the Castle Hall and into another, which was rented from Melquaides Armijo. In November 1898, the Lodge moved again, to the upstairs banquet room of the Grand Central Hotel at 141 S. California.

    On Jan. 8, 1901, the Lodge purchased a property from Ramon C. Montoya at 139 S. Court for $600. In 1903, the Lodge purchased a plot from the Socorro Cemetery Association and built a fence around it to keep grazing livestock from eating the flowers. In 1904, another plot was purchased to add to the original, and the whole was surveyed, platted and posted into lots.

    A major earthquake struck Socorro in November 1906, severely damaging the Grand Central Hotel. The second-story meeting room used by the Lodge was rendered unsafe for use. In February 1907, the Knights of Pythias offered their hall for use until the Lodge could obtain another meeting place, and the offer was accepted. Soon the Lodge began negotiations to purchase the whole Abeyta block (on the northeast corner of the present day Plaza) and this was purchased for $6,000 on June 11, 1907.

    This property had two two-story buildings, one on the northwest corner of California and Manzanares with two stores and several offices, and another on the northeast side of the Plaza along with a single-story building on the east, and some vacant land to the north, bounded by Towle Alley. What was left of the building on Court Street was sold for $600.

    A fire March 24, 1908, started under the stairs of the east end of the block, spread upstairs and, from there, throughout the building. The Socorro Hose Company and some School of Mines students put out the fire within 90 minutes. Total damages were about $1,000, and the building was repaired by insurance money. This building, along with a piece of land to the north, was sold to J.J. Leeson for $750.

    On May 23, 1961, an offer from Eugene Torres to purchase the Lodge's property for $42,500 was accepted and, on June 13, a contract for the new building, at 912 Leroy Place, was signed for $61,600. This is where the Lodge has met ever since.

    Some of the references used in this article:

    "Socorro, A Historic Survey," by John Conron; "A Centennial History of the First Presbyterian Church of Socorro (1880-1890)," by John McKee; "Socorro Historical Landmarks," by Paul Harden, El Defensor Chieftain, March 5; "Publications in History," by Paige Christiansen, Socorro Historical Society; "History of Socorro Lodge No. 9, A.F. & A.M.," by James Reeves; "A True Account of the Socorro Vigilantes," by Bob L'Aloge; and photographs and personal interviews with Paul Harden, historian.

    Next month's "Relatos del Pasado" will commemorate the 60th anniversary (July 16, 1945-2005) of the Trinity Test and its Socorro connection.

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