one Sa modeled in 1944. in 1883 and. re-| Church lead-| ers suggest that if public sub-| scriptions could be raised to! maintain the tabernacle it might be saved. The possibility of presenting the building to a government subdivision was discussed. f |, In F ONY Peterson, the Porterville Ward. Using native brick — probably from Thomas Brough’s kiln, work was begun in 1897 on TL : aise President Joseph F. Smith. BELOVED LANDMARK A beloved landmark, the building still stands, not far from a more modern brick building where church meetings are held, A painting of the old church hangs in the Historical Society Building in Salt Lake City, the work of -Clark- Wright, .art-in- structor at Morgan High School. The stately old church is one of 12 historically and architec1864, Thomas turally significant buildings and sites in the Golden Spike Em4 pire nominated for placement on the State Register of Historic NOS25id STIEVAOWWI 2AHLSESOL SAW SO Laos sites by the Junior. League of ONIHLSWOS 2mA0 dn a: Ogden, ATIW=21 HLO& A drawing of it appears in a *( S2,ASHL NSHM ) Pp rized historical calendar pub- lished by the league for 1971. arene = aes a new church but it wasn’t until 1908 that it was dedicated’ by il | Utah}' Charles 1877 were combined to make up JOINED PIONEERS Historical Society director, said he believes the loss of the tab-) ernacle “would deprive us of) one of the finest views of Latter-day Saints as stalwart town builders. “Tt saddens me,” he said, | Dr. Later, the East and West wards were organized and in ee and historical values. erected By ROBIN TIBBETS For two years, the men cut PORTERVILLE — Green and sawed lumber, hauling it to with stands of virgin timber, Centerville on a car pulled by its length split by the grace- four yokes of oxen. ful shining arcs of a murmuring But the more the brothers saw river, the narrow valley nestled of the little valley, the better snugly against the heels of the they liked it. Eventually, they Wasatch Front Range. convinced their father, Sanford Two men, each wearing the Porter Sr., that here would be rough pioneer garb of the 1850s, a beautiful and secluded spot rested on the mountain peaks to live. that towered above the Valley It was in 1861 or 1862 that the of the Great Salt Lake and gaz- father, along with three brothed upon the scene below. ers, left Centerville and moved What must have passed their families into Morgan Valthrough the minds of Chauncy ley, there to make their home. Using the still-plentiful supWarriner Porter and his brother, Sanford Porter Jr., as they "ea of timber, log houses were looked into the small valley at uilf and the frontier village named Porterville, in honor of their feet? Whether. they thought of it its first settlers. first as a place to settle, or a prolific source of much needed Branch. ~W ET Founda- OT It was the Stately Porterville Church ~ Retlects Skill of Pioneers RS preserving the tabernacle for its) aesthetic characterizing +>. nile@ Heritage Mor- tion to preserve the tabernacle mon achievement as founders with its Gothic roof adorned by a central tower and 13 other of towns are being torn down.” turrets. Stained glass windows The tabernacle, he added, is are known for their beauty. one of the few remaining strucFIFTH PRESIDENT tures which tells ‘“‘how our parents and grandparents lived and Lorenzo Snow, the fifth Pres-| worshipped at the home: town ident of the LDS Church, dedilevels.” ‘cated the tabernacle, which took The Summit Stake building 20 years to build. was named to the State HistorAccording to records, Presiical Register and nominated to dent Snow expressed gratitude the National Register by the) for the building ‘‘from foundaA new stake center would be Governor’s Historic and Cultur- ‘tion to top”. and asked that “‘it built on the site eventually at al Sites Review Committee. ‘may he preserved until the Son, an estimated cost of $500,000. A motion is before the board ‘of Man will come.” Consideration was given to, tures western Be de COALVILLE—The First Pres-; “‘that so many of the fine struc-;of the Utah idency of the LDS Church ap-; proved the razing of the Summit Stake Tabernacle at a special priesthood meeting in Coal‘ville recently. The decision, church leaders explained, was made by General \uthorities, the stake presiden'y and the bishoprics of two Coalville wards following a 10month study. STAKE CENTER eee a Of Summit Stake Tabernacle eee Gut DS Church Okays Demolition ON HISTORICAL REGISTER a HISTORIC Summit Stake Tabernacle in Coalville, built in 1883, may be razed to make way for a modern building, LDS Church leaders have announced. a ee tn Stree A LANDMARK at Porterville, in Morgan County, is the old LDS Church meeting house built of native clay brick in 1898. It is now the home of the Thomas Bergmans.—Drawing by Dale W. Bryner, Weber State College Department of oa Art, courtesy of the Junior League of Ogden. Bud See ee