The Peter P. and Martina Thompson Sorensen Home

The Peter P. and Martina Thompson Sorensen Home. . A popular and busy home in its day, the Sorensen home is again attracting visitors now as a museum and gathering place. This gift of restoration, provided by many donors and volunteers, honors our community, the Sorensen family and all who settled early Draper. , , Peter and Martina were children when they emigrated from Denmark with their families. They met in Draper, married in 1880 and by 1882 moved into the first room of their home built of adobe bricks formed as a family project. The red brick section was added in 1890 and features Eastlake inspired interior woodwork, dogtooth brickwork and corbelled arches. This wing of the home was relocated from its former site, 957 E. 12400 S., in May of 2002. The 1882 section and a later addition could not be relocated and were replicated at this site. , , Martina loved baseball, flowers, current events and dancing. She and Peter hosted numerous dance parties, Danish language LDS church meetings and visiting dignitaries. Many in town received a start or bouquet from her beautiful flower garden. Peter worked as a railroad track repair foreman for most of his life. He played the violin by ear, ran his own coal company and helped found the Draper M&M store. Peter's untimely death at age 57, the result of a work accident in 1914, left Martina to support the family by the continued labor of her hands. Before her death in 1954, at the age of 95, Martina was revered as the last pioneer in Draper. Peter and Martina were the parents of 10 children 8 of whom lived to adulthood. , , This project, celebrating the spirit of Draper's past and the strength of Draper's future, would not have been possible without the support of Dr. Randall Steadman, Dr. John Newton, the mayor, City Council and City staff, the advocacy and guidance of the Draper Historic Preservation commission and the help of many, many volunteers and donors.