The Nielsen House recently opened in Ferron as a bed and breakfast. They are listed on Airbnb®. The Nielsen House is owned by Merlin and Melody Weber of Ferron.
The house has an interesting history, which Merlin provided. The home was built by Peter Hansen, who was called by Brigham Young in 1878 to settle the Castle Valley. He homesteaded land in Castle Dale, but traded it the next year for some land and a dugout in Ferron. Joe Ralphs another early settler to the Castle Valley came to the valley in 1878 as well. He brought his two teenage sons, John and Parley with him. He homesteaded 160 acres of land in the meadows below Ferron. Hansen had two daughters, Eda and Hannah Marie. In the fall of 1883, the Ralphs brothers and the Hansen sisters were dating and getting serious about marriage. Hansen offered to build a framed rock house for the first daughter to be married.
Parley and Hannah had set a wedding date for Jan. 18, 1884. On Jan. 1, Parley told Hannah they were going to Ferron for a wedding dance. Hannah tried to think of who the wedding dance was for and Parley wouldn’t tell her. When they arrived it turned out to be a wedding for Eda and John.
Hansen kept his promise to his daughter and built the house for Eda and John. In spite of the initial competition for the Rock House, Eda and Hannah lived in harmony next to each other for the rest of their lives. The two homes still stand today facing each other on the north and south side of Ferron’s Main Street. Information from the Life Sketch of Hannah Ralphs; p 8-12 in: Parley Pratt Ralphs Family History, 1991.
The Nielsen House has been remodeled to offer modern amenities with an old style charm. The wooden floors in the house are original. Melody makes homemade lemon poppy seed bread for the guests.
The Nielsen House has nightly rates. You can reserve the loft room, the main house or the whole house. The loft room is completely private and can accomodate up to four guests. It has a bed, sleeper sofa and a private bathroom. The main house sleeps up to six and includes two beds, one bathroom and use of the full kitchen and laundry facilities. The whole house accomodates up to 10 guests, includes three beds, sleeper sofa, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, full kitchen and laundry facilities. TV and high speed Wifi are included.
The Nielsen House has already had guests from all over the world, the Netherlands, Holland, Australia, Japan and China. The Nielsen House isn’t just for tourists, many who stay are from Utah. “We hope locals will use it as well,” said Merlin. You can call and get a reservation for your friends and family members who are in town.
The Nielsen House is located at 90 West Main Street in Ferron. You can visit their website thenielsenhouse. com to make a reservation and to see pictures of the house. The phone number is 435-749-6096.
Nielsen House Bed and Breakfast open for business
"The Nielsen House is located at 90 West Main Street in Ferron."