This cobblestone building was built as a house about 1920 by long-time Chloride resident Austin Crawford, who determined a heavy-duty structure would protect him in the expected event that God should display His angry wrath in the form of a hailstone storm. Mr. Crawford, a stone mason, moved to Chloride in about 1880 and built several of the buildings that are still standing today, including the Monte Cristo Saloon and Dance Hall, and also the first home he built for himself in Chloride. He constructed the home by himself, carrying the stones from the creek and placing each stone into place personally. As he was not a young man when he accomplished this, and in such a harsh environment, this is indeed impressive.
But still more impressive is the unique floor plan he used in constructing this unique cobblestone building; it originally boasted four rooms on the main floor, all of them independent of the others, that is, there were no passages between the rooms, rather, it was necessary to exit the dwelling and enter the next room from a different exterior door. There are presently three of these independent rooms remaining. The main room, the largest, has both an upstairs level and a walkout basement, both connected by steep and very narrow stairways. The three smaller rooms each had their own basement level rooms also. The roof is unusually steep construction for this area.
Mr. Crawford's history indicates that in addition to being a stonemason, in his younger years he was also involved in the Monte Cristo Saloon, gambling and some mining scams. Perhaps this is what moved him to religion later in life, and presented him with the image of a wrathful God who would rain down a devastating hail storm on Chloride, to a depth of four feet deep, prompting him to build this sactuary for his family to live in. Town records show that by 1923, Crawford had taken up residence in the state psychiatric hospital in Las Vegas, N.M., and he remained there until his death.
Gratefully, the hail event did not materialize, and the dwelling was diverted to other use; Cassie Hobbs, another Chloride resident, took the opportunity to utilize the sturdy structure in her pursuit of creating home made, handcrafted furniture.
This cobblestone structure is listed on the NM Registered Cultural Property as #1688
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