Jesse Perkins Home

The Jesse Perkins Home is associated with Jesse Nelson Perkins (1819–1883), one of the earliest Mormon pioneer settlers of the Silver Creek Valley. Jesse was born in Jackson County, Tennessee, and after converting to the LDS faith, traveled westward to Salt Lake City by October 1849.

In 1878–1879, Jesse resettled in Arizona at the request of church leadership. He built a home with two halves — one for his family and the other for his sister-in-law, Maria Tuttle, the widow of his younger brother. The home remains in the possession of his descendants to this day.

Jesse died on March 3, 1883, from smallpox contracted while caring for his dying son. His headstone in the Taylor Cemetery was carved by his son Reuben, featuring a design of an ox team yoke to symbolize the tremendous effort of Jesse and his wife Rhoda in settling Arizona.