The Mix House

The beautiful Mix House with its strong arches and columns has stood through the years - some years harder on the old house than others. One such year was when the property was nearly lost as a result of the owner being slain in the Civil War and the widow having no means to satisfy the taxes. A kindly neighbor, H.G. Ferris, paid the tax bill of .90 cents for the portion of the house setting in Nauvoo Township and the $1.98 tax for that portion of the house in Sonora Township. To this day, the property receives two tax bills.

The Mix house remained in the Baxter family for several generations. Eventually Emil's granddaughter Lillian used the home for an Icarian museum and had beautiful work done to restore it. The museum opened in 1990 and remained until her passing in 2000. In 2011, nearly 130 years after Emil Baxter purchased the property, Lon and Nancy Simpson (the current owners) acquired the Mix House and completed another major restoration of the home.

Lon is a master woodworker who was able to bring much needed restoration using woodworking skills that have been a lost art for over a century. The hard work and remarkable effort has allowed the home to be modernized in ways that make it comfortable without taking away from the history and craftsmanship of the old pioneer era. The beautiful Nauvoo Mix House stands on Parley street in Nauvoo among quiet farms and fields. You'll love the entire experience of Nauvoo from the historic setting of one of Nauvoo's early treasured homes.