Spinner/Gaensslen house

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Introduction

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Listen to a narration of this entry's description by Aidan Brady.

Text-to-speech Audio

This property was platted in 1877 under the Original Plat Green River. Local historian Jim June refers to it as the “Spinner House,” after the builder but it is also known as the Gaensslen house, referring to the long-time residents. According to histories that include this house, it was built in 1880 by Karl Spinner. It is reported that Spinner built the house to appease his wife, but they ultimately moved to Salt Lake City. Spinner sold the house and brewery to Hugo Gaensslen in 1891.

Images

Gaensslen House ca. 1920

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

This land was platted in 1877 under the Original Plat of Green River. It is known as the "Spinner House" for it's original builder, or the "Gaensslen house" after the famous long time residents. Founding dates differ, with some reporting it as 1880, the date listed in the Museum's files, while the Sweetwater County Assessor's office reports a date of 1900.

Spinner operate the Sweetwater Brewery for 10 years after moving to Green River in 1873. It is then reported he married a much younger woman and built a house in the hope it would keep her interested in Green River. If so it did not work and the two left for Salt Lake City, with Spinner working in real estate, until his death in 1920. Spinner sold the house and brewery to Hugo Gaensslen in 1891. Hugo Gaensslen, his wife and three daughters, lived in this house where they could oversee the 1900 building of the grand brewery, part of which still stands today. Gaensslen was active in the civics of early Green River, serving as mayor.