The original one-and-one-half-story stone portion of this house was built about 1862–66 by Charles Duncan, a skilled Scottish stonemason known for building rock structures throughout Centerville and Farmington, and Thomas Whitaker, who did the carpentry work. Thomas, born in England in 1816, married Elizabeth Mills, who was born in England in 1839, in 1858 by Mormon leader Brigham Young. In 1869 Thomas married Hannah Waddups in keeping with the Mormon polygamous practices of the time; she lived here for three years before Thomas built her a house two blocks east, and they had eight children. Thomas was a carpenter, cabinetmaker, engraver, carver, tenor singer, violin player, and nurseryman, and he also spoke several languages. Thomas and Elizabeth are believed to have been among the first families in Utah to raise silkworms, and Elizabeth spun the silk and made scarfs, neckties, vests, and socks. Elizabeth also had talents in gardening, cooking, rug making, straw hat making, nursing, and midwifery, and she had twelve children. Thomas died at age 70 in 1886, and Elizabeth died at age 98 in 1937. The home was purchased in 1994 by the city and now serves as the Centerville Museum and Cultural Center.