Filed Under Butte

Bryant House

Butte Historic District

Thomas and Ellen P. Bryant commissioned this exuberant Queen Anne style house in 1897. Thomas was a foreman at the Original and Steward mines nearby and in 1898, became superintendent for all of copper magnate W. A. Clark’s Butte mines. The home’s gracious wraparound front porch, imposing tower clad with fish-scale shingles, and stained-glass windows were stylistic hallmarks as well as symbols of the Bryants’ wealth and status. Thomas was well respected for his many efforts to increase safety in the mines. He invented a bucket crosshead, which was installed in all of Butte’s mines to protect workers below from being hit by falling ore buckets. Widow Annie Agoa bought the home in 1904 and operated a boardinghouse. In 1911, St. Mary's Catholic Church acquired the property for use as a rectory. Two priests lived in the house, and a housekeeper lived in the basement apartment. She cooked their meals downstairs and then carried them up to the dining room. Beloved priest Father Sarsfield O'Sullivan—the last to serve at St. Mary's Church—lived here on and off until 1986.

Images

Bryant House, Butte, MT
Bryant House, Butte, MT View of facade Source: Nancy Woodruff Creator: Owner photo Date: 2020
Bryant House, Butte, MT
Bryant House, Butte, MT View of facade Source: Owner submitted from Smithers Collection, Butte Silver Bow Public Archives. Creator: C. Owen Smithers, photographer. Date: ca. 1960
Bryant House, Butte, MT
Bryant House, Butte, MT View of facade Source: Owner submitted. Creator: Steven Cordes, photographer. Date: ca. 2020

Documents

NameInfoActions
Research Files.pdfpdf / 2.61 MBDownload

Location

625 North Main Street, Butte, MT | private

Metadata

Montana Historical Society, “Bryant House,” Historic Montana, accessed April 24, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/3371.