Designated Landmarks
J.W. Turrell House
201 Bowen Street
Landmark Designation: 1986
Construction Date: 1880's
Architectural Style: Vernacular
Wood Frame
The Turrell House originally faced Terry Street when built. Mr. Turrell was
owner of the first drug store in Longmont. He and his wife, Mary Tiffany,
settled in "Old Burlington" in 1866, traveling via stagecoach from
Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Mr. Turrell's first drugstore was established in Burlington in the fall of
1866. He also ran a store in Cheyenne for a short time but soon returned to
Burlington. When Longmont was founded in 1871, he moved there and opened,
with Rienzi Streeter, the firm of Streeter and Turrell on the east side of
Main Street. The store carried drugs, meat and groceries. It burned down in
the fire of 1879, and, at that time, Streeter retired. Turrell stocked drugs
and jewelry in the new store with bicycles as a sideline.
Mary Turrell was a talented singer and active in the cultural life of the
community. She was a charter member of the Mutual Improvement Club and the
Longs Peak D.A.R.
The history of the Turrell House does not end with the Turrell family nor
with its original Terry Street address. It has been moved from its original
location twice. Serving as parsonage for the Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran
Church the house was moved to 812 Terry Street. Over the years the property
changed hands, and when Thomas O. Murphy III and Mary Jo Murphy purchased
the house it was moved to its current location and replatted as Murphy Subdivision.
Reference
HPC 1986-1