Built in 1935, the Scipio Town Hall is one of over 230 public works buildings constructed in Utah under various New Deal programs during the Depression years of the 1930’s and 40’s. The types of buildings constructed included schools, county courthouses, libraries, National Guard Armories and a variety of others. The Scipio Town Hall was intended for use both as a town hall and as a meeting place for all civic and political functions in the community. Two Scipio men Will and Lew Critchley were the brick and stone masons on the building. Several years after construction, probably in the late 1940’s, the brick vestibule on the front was added. This building is a good example of the stylized classicism associated with the PWA Moderne architectural style in Utah. The building was renovated in 1986 with funds raised principally by the Round Valley Camp of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers to be used as a museum for the D.U.P. and as a Senior Citizens Center.
Located at approximately 49 North State Street in Scipio, Utah and added to the National Register of Historic Places (#88002999) on December 22, 1988.
Built in 1935, the Scipio Town Hall is part of the Public Works Buildings Thematic Resource nomination and is significant because it helps document the impact of New Deal programs in Utah, which was one of the states that the Great Depression of the 1930s most severely affected. In 1933 Utah had an unemployment rate of 36 percent, the fourth highest in the country, and for the period 1932-1940 Utah’s unemployment rate averaged 25 percent. Because the depression hit Utah so hard, federal programs were extensive in the state. Overall, per capita federal spending in Utah during the 1930s was 9th among the 48 states, and the percentage of workers on federal work projects was far above the national average. Building programs were of great importance. During the 1930s virtually every public building constructed in Utah, including county courthouses, city halls, fire stations, national guard armories, public school buildings, and a variety of others, were built under federal programs by one of several agencies, including the Civil Works Administration (CWA), the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), the National Youth Administration (NYA), the Works Progress Administration (WPA), or the Public Works Administration (PWA), and almost without exception none of the buildings would have been built when they were without the assistance of the federal government.
The Scipio Town Hall is one 233 public works buildings identified in Utah that were built during the 1930s and early 1940s. Only 130 of those 233 buildings are known to remain today and retain their historic integrity. Twenty-two city halls were built; this is one of 17 that remain. In Millard County 10 buildings were constructed, of which only 6 remain.
The Scipio Town Hall was constructed as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project and was intended for use both as a town hall and as a meeting place for all civic and political functions in the community. Two Scipio men, Will and Lew Critchley, were the brick and stone masons on the building. Several years after the building was constructed, the town board decided to add a sloping floor and put in some theatre seats so the townsfolk could enjoy a movie every Friday and Saturday night. Also at that time the brick vestibule on the front was added. The town board continued to hold their meetings in the basement of the building for a number of years after that. The building was vacant for several years until being renovated as a senior citizen center in 1985-86.
The Princess Recreation Hall/Lynndyl LDS Meetinghouse is locally significant in the areas of entertainment/recreation and religion. Lynndyl Town was established during the railroad expansion era and the Princess Recreation Hall was built to meet the needs of the citizens for a social gathering center. Originally constructed in 1914 as a social and recreation place for the community, is was used for sporting events, dances, public meetings, a school house, a movie theater, and even a hospital during the influenza epidemic of 1917-1918. During its time as a recreation hall, the building also concurrently served as the meetinghouse for the LDS Lynndyl Ward from 1915-1985. It its 100 year history the Princess has never been empty and has remained a community center for social gathering from the beginning. It has been used as the Lynndyl Town Hall since 1982.
From the National Register nomination form: Located within the town of Lynndyl, the Princess Recreation Hall/Lynndyl LDS Meetinghouse is a one-story wood frame and stucco building with minimal detail, located at 98 East Center Street. It is situated in the north-east corner of the community park, with a sports court to the west and a grass sports field to the south and west. The original 1914 building was a recreation hall constructed of wood frame and wood siding, with a basketball court and stage. In 1936-38, an addition was constructed to the west of the building for classrooms and other meeting space to accommodate the needs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints’ membership in the town. The structure now took on an “L” shape, with projecting entryways. The original building and the new addition were finished with a more modern stucco appearance, although it maintained a vernacular classical appearance. In 1983, a fire station was added to the south of the building, creating a “T” shape. And, although the outside was finished to match the 1936 stucco exterior, the inside of the new section was modern. However, the interior of the 1914/1936 church remodel was not altered. As of 2014, the interior still retains this layout and architectural detail, such as stained wood molding and interior wood doors. The structure has very simplistic features such as the wood decorative eaves and the original wood frame six over six double hung windows, which helps the structure to retain its historic integrity.
Located within Millard County, in the small town of Lynndyl, Utah, The Princess Recreation Hall/Lynndyl LDS Meetinghouse is currently being used for the town hall. In spite of a 1983 addition, the structure has kept its historic integrity by retaining much of the original work from 1914 and the 1936-38 addition. The building was constructed on the corner of Center Street and 100 East, in the north east corner of the public community park. Ball fields can be found south of the building and a sports court is found to the west, divided by a row of several large deciduous trees separating the building from the sports court. Other vegetation around the building includes shrubs and grass. A concrete sidewalk is found along the road on the north and east sides of the building, with unmarked gravel parking adjacent to the concrete sidewalk.
The building was originally constructed in 1914 as a rectangular plan recreation hall with gymnasium and auditorium. The original structure was built on a concrete slab with wood framing and covered with wood siding. The vernacular building was constructed with simplistic detail that was functional rather than decorative. In 1936, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints responded to the demand for a larger place of worship by constructing an addition to the west portion of the building. The new structure used a concrete block foundation which raised the main level of the addition up one-half story and allowed for a full basement. This basement had a coal furnace and coal storage room along with classrooms. The new addition was built using wood framing. It did not keep to the original exposed wood siding of the original, but was finished with stucco. The exterior of the original recreation hall was also finished with stucco to match the new exterior. Other simple details were added to the wide eaves to give the building a slightly more formal appearance, with an understated Classical feeling. When completed in 1938, the new Lynndyl LDS church building had an L-shape plan and increased space for meetings and classes, yet the social hall remained open as a community gathering area with wood floors and plaster covered walls. When completed the finished space was approximately 3,620 square feet.
From the primary entrance on the north side of the 1936-38 wing, one enters a vestibule then proceeds to the interior of this section. The interior of the addition was designed in a split level format with a full set of stairs to the basement and a half flight to the upper level. The basement below this section has rooms for storage, classrooms a coal furnace and a coal room.
The upper level of the addition has a large room on the west side that was originally used as chapel for church services. Another room to the east of this is divided off by an accordion wall and served as a classroom. There is a small window on the south elevation that provided light to this room. However, this was covered on the exterior when the fire station was added. To the east of this room, and separated by another accordion wall is the back stage area from the gymnasium. The east wall of this area has large built-in cupboards and a single window. A doorway at the northeast corner, next to the stage curtains, provides access to a small stairway leading down north to the gymnasium floor. The gymnasium is to the north of this area and is a large open hall with maple flooring. A basketball hoop is on the north end. The ceiling is coved and has fairly old acoustic tile. The gym has a separate exterior entrance through the projecting vestibule on the west side described above. Another doorway at the southwest corner of the gymnasium provides access to an interior stairway leading up to the hall/landing area and a small kitchen. All of the original plaster walls, doors, wood trim and finishes are retained in the 1914-1938 part of the building and very little has been changed or updated except for carpeting on the floors, accordion doors, and light fixtures.
The building remained in this plan until 1983 when Lynndyl Town moved into the building creating a new use as the town hall. Although no structural changes took place within the existing building, a fire station was constructed at the south end as an extension of the gymnasium/auditorium section and was built using wood frame construction and covered with stucco to match the rest of the structure.
The 1983 fire station addition is accessed from the interior by a doorway from the classroom section of the 1936-38 addition. The door leads to a landing with stairs (behind a door) that go up to the second story of the addition, and a half-flight of stairs that leads to the ground-level hall and rooms of the addition. Two restrooms at the north end of the addition are separated from the garage/vehicle storage area of the fire station by an east/west running hallway. At either end of the hall are exterior exits. At the west end of the hall are located the stairs to the second floor and a second stairwell to the basement rooms. The fire station garage area is a single large, open area with room for two vehicles and equipment.
The building has undergone two building campaigns since the original construction that have seen two major sections added to the building. The first one, 1936-38, made major alterations to the original structure in both form and use. The second, in 1983, added a new use and major addition while making little alteration to the overall appearance. In spite of the non-historic addition, the building still retains historical integrity of the 1930s appearance and is a contributing historic building in the small town of Lynndyl.
The Princess Recreation Hall/Lynndyl LDS Meetinghouse is locally significant under Criterion A in the areas of Entertainment/Recreation and Religion, as well as Criteria Consideration A for its historical use as a religious meeting place. Lynndyl Town was established during the railroad expansion era and the Princess Recreation Hall was built to meet the needs of the citizens for a social gathering center. Originally constructed in 1914 as a social and recreation place for the community, it was used for sporting events, dances, public meetings, a school house, a movie theater, and even a hospital during the influenza of 1917-18. During its time as a recreation hall it also concurrently served as the meetinghouse for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Lynndyl Ward from 1915-1982. Therefore, it is significant in relation to its contribution to the social and religious aspects of Lynndyl. Within the 1914-1964 period of significance, the building had two distinct construction periods: 1914, when the original wood framed building housing the gymnasium and stage was built, and 1936-38, when the meetinghouse expansion was completed. In its one hundred-year history the Princess has never been empty and has remained a community center for social gathering from the beginning. It is currently being used as the Lynndyl Town Hall, and has been since 1982 when the Lynndyl LDS Ward was disbanded. In 1983 a section was added to the rear of the building to house the town fire station. In spite of the new construction, the historic portion of the building retains its historical integrity and remains a contributing historic building in the small town of Lynndyl.
The Princess Recreation Hall is significant in the area of Entertainment/Recreation as it was the center of all social life for the community. In 1914 the town’s people desired a social hall to be constructed for their gatherings and events. F.L. Copenham, Walter Johnson and other community members helped construct the hall. Prior to completion, the first ball was held and was recorded as being a “grand affair”. The hall was used for a variety of social and sporting purposes and events. These included a movie theater, a dance hall, and a sporting events center which included a basketball court and collapsible boxing and wrestling ring. According to the Polk and Co.’s Utah Gazetteer, the Princess had several recorded managers, Elmer A. Jacob (1918-1919), GW Sudbury (1924-1925) and Elmer Banks (1927-1928).
The Princess truly served as multi-functional building in this small town. During the day it was used as the school house and at night a dance hall with music provided by a piano, fiddle and banjo, and later, the Lynndyl Town Band. The building was mostly used as a gymnasium where a collapsible platform could be set up for boxing and wrestling. According to a poem written by Lynndyl resident, Roberta Dutson, boxer Jack Dempsey and wrestler Ira Dern, visited the Princess for an exhibition.
Along with the role as a dance hall and gymnasium, the building also served as the local movie theater. According to local historian, Mary Greathouse: “The first picture show was run by Elmer Jacobs. Sometimes the film would break and the audience sat in the dark until Elmer climbed down [to] find a woman who would loan him a hairpin to make repairs. At other times, the film would catch fire and Mr. Jacobs would toss it down from the projecting booth for someone to stamp out. The film would be sliced and the show would go on.”
The building was heated by two large stoves, located in opposite corners of the gym. Prior to 1928, when electric power infrastructure was brought to Lynndyl, the power for lights and the projector was provided by a generator powered by an “old Ford motor”
During the influenza pandemic of 1918, the population of Lynndyl was devastated. Because of the population size and isolation of the town, there was no hospital to serve the health needs of the community. In order to deal with the many sick who required increased observation the Princess was put into use as a makeshift hospital. The building’s use as a hospital was short-lived, as was its former use as a place of education. When the flu threat was over a new school was constructed adjacent to the hall and opened for students in 1919.
The Princess Recreation Hall/Lynndyl LDS Ward Building is significant in the area of Religion under Criteria Consideration A because of the dual role of the building as the primary social and religious-use space in the community. Although there were some informal Sunday schools being held in different homes, there were no other formally established religious organizations in Lynndyl other than the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (which was typical of most communities in Utah). The Lynndyl LDS Ward, which met in The Princess, was the only ward (parish) found in the area.
In 1915, not long after the recreation hall was completed and put into use, the LDS Church purchased the building to use as a meetinghouse. This did not end its use as a recreation hall, however. Even though the ward used the space as a meetinghouse, the structure remained significant in regard to the social aspect of the community as a whole. From its inception, the LDS Church championed recreational activity in all the communities it settled in Utah and the surrounding region. Particularly after the turn of the twentieth century, when the Church’s building program became more formalized, it was common to construct “cultural halls” near its meetinghouses which had functions similar to the Princess Recreation Hall, with a basketball court and stage area. Perhaps because of the small population of Lynndyl, the LDS Church deemed it more feasible to purchase the existing hall and make it a multiple-use building.
For many years the simple gymnasium and stage was used as the chapel and classrooms, with curtains hung on wires to divide up the space. As the population of the community increased, more space was needed for the expanding Lynndyl Ward. In 1936, approval was granted by the school board for the ward to meet in the school building while Princess Hall was enlarged to include a formal chapel and classrooms. In 1938, construction was completed and on Saturday, September 10, a celebration was held that included sporting events followed by a banquet and program. Some 700 people were in attendance for the events which ended with a dance in the hall. On Sunday, the building was dedicated by LDS Church President Heber J. Grant. At this time the membership for the Lynndyl Ward was 248 people.
The town continued with stable population for a few years longer, but as steam locomotives switched to diesel, the railroad no longer found it necessary to stop in Lynndyl. As a result jobs decreased and with it, the population. Although population declined over the decades, the building continued in shared public and religious use for several decades.
On Sunday, November 22, 1981, the LDS Stake President announced the Lynndyl Ward would most likely be abandoned at the beginning of 1982. This was a shock to many of the members and devastating to think of their community without a place to worship and meet with friends and neighbors. The ward continued on for another eleven months and on October 20, 1982, the last meetings were held in the Lynndyl Ward Meetinghouse. Alpha Nielson, who wrote the history of the Relief Society2 in Lyndyll, stated the following: “No more Lynndyl. No more meeting place. No more cultural hall or public building. A little town with no identity. No heart or soul”.
Although the Lynndyl Ward no longer met in the building, it did not remain empty for long. Soon after the ward moved out, Lynndyl Town set up offices in the building. Along with the new use, the town established a local fire department and constructed permanent quarters for their emergency vehicles in 1983. Along with Town functions, the building continues to be used as a public meeting space for the community, with the gymnasium and stage put in use at various times of the year.
When the nearby IPP power plant finally opened, the population saw a small increase; however it has always remained below 150 residents. In 1990 C.B. Tolbert became mayor and pushed for a beautification of the community. He had the town hall repainted and placed letters on the outside that stated once again “The Princess” (Greathouse 207). Being the town hall, it has remained a community gather place. Public meetings continue to be held at the building along with recreational activities, dances, pancake breakfasts, holiday turkey dinners, bingo games, basketball and other recreational activities. The Princess Hall has remained throughout Lynndyl’s history the most significant and prominent structure within the community, and remains a contributing historic resource.
Kaysville Municipal Building / Old Kaysville City Hall / Old Kaysville Library Built in 1940, located at 44 North Main Street in Kaysville, Utah and added to the National Historic Register (#100004476) September 30, 2019.
Constructed in 1909 at a cost of about $7000, this building originally housed the city fire department on the main floor and city offices on the second floor. It also had a jail cell in the southeast corner and “hobo apartments” in the basement. This was the first city hall built in Brigham City, the city offices having been previously located in the adjacent county courthouse. In 1935 the fire department moved out, and the fire-truck bay on the façade was replaced with the existing brick façade to better accommodate city office use of the main floor. The building continued to serve as the city hall until 1974. Designed by local architect Andrew Funk, this building is the only example of the Spanish Colonial style in Brigham City.
Located at 6 North Main Street in Brigham City, Utah
Constructed in 1909 and remodeled in 1935, the Brigham City Fire Station-City Hall is historically significant as the first fire station and city hall constructed in the town and as the center of municipal government and services for over twenty-five years. It originally housed the fire department and city offices, the latter having been previously located in the adjacent Box Elder County Courthouse. Community growth and commensurate expansion of city services led to the removal of the fire department to new facilities and the remodeling of this building for enlarged city offices in 1935. It continued to serve as the city hall until 1974. The building is also architecturally significant as the only example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style in Brigham City.
In the January 3, 1907, edition of The Box Elder News, a persuasive article supported the idea of constructing a city hall-fire station and made a case for it to be located north of the county courthouse so that the government offices would be centrally located. Two years later, in May 1909, the proposal won approval from the city council, which gave the go ahead for construction on a site just north of the courthouse. A frame library building that was on the site had to be moved back off Main Street (east) to accommodate the new fire station.
The following description of the proposed building was given in the local newspaper.
Basement containing store rooms for electrical and water works supplies, under the main floor. In the east end will be built a cement room for the accommodation of tramps and other undesirable citizens who wish to lodge with the city. At the northeast end of the basement will be the hose tower which will rise to a height of seventy feet. In the top of the tower will be a belfry. The ground floor will be given over to the Firemen for truck stalls, excepting a corner of the southeast end, where a jail cell will be put in. This cell will not connect in any way with the “hobo” apartments underneath, but will be used for the more respectable “drunks, etc.” The stairway leads up from the main entrance on the west end and the upstairs will be divided into five rooms viz: a large assembly room for the city council and the public, two city offices, fireman’s library and lavatories. The building will be constructed of reinforced cement and pressed brick, with a Spanish metal tile roof, in all to cost approximately $7,000.
In the July 22, 1909, edition of the paper, it was reported that architect Andrew Funk and Supervisor M.L. Nichols staked off the ground for the erection of the fire station, which was “16 feet east of the east Main street walk line, and 16 feet south of the north side walk line of the avenue running east and west.” Contractor Lars Hansen was to begin the work as soon as the excavation was completed. 5 The concrete foundation was underway by August 5, 1909 6 , and the completion of the building was celebrated by a Fire Department Social and Ball which was held in the large dancing hall of the Opera House and reported in the March 10 [17], 1910 newspaper.
By 1934 the Fire Department was looking for more room to house their equipment, and in early 1935, the city purchased the Glover property at First West and Forest to build a new facility. The old fire station was to be remodeled to house the expanding city offices. Plans for this remodeling were drawn up by Salt Lake City architect Carson B. Wells (formerly of Brigham City), and they included a new front with a Main Street entrance, and the main floor would be converted into office rooms.
In June of 1935, the fire department moved out of the old fire station, and the remodeling of this structure began. The remodeling was finished by mid-September 193510 at a cost of around $6500. The Box Elder News gave a detailed report of its new appearance.
The new front is of red pressed brick, with black rodded joints and the rest of the building and tower have been painted to match the front. The main entrance is at the front of the building and the doors and windows are surrounded with ornamental white granite. At the entrance is an eight-foot terrace decorated with ornamental white granite, with an imitation red tiled floor. In the two front corners of the Terrance are large sixteen-inch flood lights to illuminate the front of the building. In the peak of the front of the building has been placed a neat Neon lighting effect by LeRoy Campion. The office space in the building has been doubled, the vault enlarged, and provision made for rest rooms and lavatories. The main room has a plaster Paris cornice where the walls meet the ceiling and a beautiful arch spans the center of the room. A large oak counter will separate the lobby from the offices. In the lobby is a fine drinking fountain and the floor will be covered with imitation tiled inlaid linoleum. The floor in the office space will be covered with imitation tiled green linoleum. The council chamber and rooms on the second floor have been renovated and redecorated and a cornice has been placed where the walls and ceiling meet in the chamber . . . . Local workmen have been employed on the job. Amos Larsen assisted in painting the brick; Alma Thompson and Edgar Rasmussen painted the roof and exterior; among the carpenters on the job were John J. Johnson, Fred Kelly, Alf Jorgensen and others; Joseph Earl did the plastering and cornice work, and the pressed granite work was done by Hans Pella. The electric wiring and lighting was done by Deverell Petersen, under supervision of City Electrician Orion Eskelsen. Architect Carson F. Wells of Salt Lake City drew the plans, and Councilman A.M. Hansen supervised the construction in behalf of the city. A sixty-foot steel flag pole was erected on the city hall grounds yesterday at the top of which a beautiful American flag was unfurled to the breeze.
In 1965 an annual report called “Progress-1965” published by Brigham City Corporation documents the use of the building: The main floor office under the direction of City Recorder Tolman Burke handled all business affairs of the city including maintaining all official records, water, sewer, and miscellaneous charges. There were seven employees under Mr. Burke in this office. Upstairs was the large southeast room for the Circuit Court which also doubled as the city council chambers. The judge’s office was in a small northwest corner room. The Police Department occupied the two other upstairs rooms with the dispatch office in the southwest corner and the Chief of Police’s office in the northeast corner room with a restroom located between the judge’s office and Chief of Police’s office on the north side of the building. In the basement of the building were rooms for the public works department, the inspection department and the civil defense headquarters.
In August of 1966, the police department moved out of the upstairs of this city building and into a remodeled facility which has since been torn down, but was located northwest of the First Security Bank building on Main Street.
After this move, $5,000 of remodeling to this upstairs part of the building was underway by October 1966. A new coat of paint was applied throughout, and the Circuit Court room received new drapes. A new city clerk’s office replaced the police dispatcher’s office in the northwest corner, and a mayor’s office replaced the Chief of Police’s office in the northeast corner
The city offices were becoming more and more cramped for space, so the city council decided to erect a new city government building. In January of 1973, groundbreaking for a new city hall building began. The new structure was built just north of this old city hall building on Main Street. The architect was Ralph Edwards, and the contractor was Reid Oyler. The cost of the new structure was around $560,000.18 The new city hall was completed mid-December of 1973, and the city officials and employees vacated their offices in the old building to move into the more modern one on December 29, 1973.
Two months later in February 1974 the Brigham City Chamber of Commerce was negotiating with Harold Felt and the city council to lease the main level of the old city hall. Although Mayor Felt would have preferred tearing the building down and building another for the Chamber of Commerce,21 a negotiation was finally reached and a lease was signed around the first of March 1974 with Mayor Felt and Boyd Newman, president of the Chamber of Commerce, for the Chamber’s use of the bulding.
Renovation of the main level was accomplished by the Chamber of Commerce for around $6500 by late spring of 197423 while the upstairs part of the building was used by the Alcohol Counseling and Information Service.24 The second floor, however, was not taken good care of and soon ran into a state of disrepair. Around 1980, the Knights of Columbus Fraternal organization took over the upstairs part of the building with the understanding that they would do maintenance and custodial care.
This historic building was built as Pleasant Grove City Hall as one of the many New Deal Funded projects in Utah between 1938 and 1940. It had the jail downstairs and is now a sign company.
During the late 1800s, this property was used as an LDS tithing lot for hay, grain, and produce. At that time, all of Davis County was one LDS Stake. The president of the Davis Stake was Joseph Hyrum Grant, who resided in Woods Cross, making him inaccessible to most church members. The LDS leadership ordered a Stake President’s Office to be located near the center of the Stake’s population, and here it was built in 1907. The building’s construction was supervised by James H. Robinson, bishop of the Farmington Ward. After the North Davis and South Davis Stakes were formed in 1915, the South Davis Stake Presidency moved its headquarters to Bountiful, and the Farmington office was put up for sale. Farmington City purchased the property and moved its offices from the top floor of the County Courthouse, turning this building into the Farmington City Hall in the fall of 1917. Part of the building was converted into a library, and the Volunteer Fire Department used the east bay for storage of fire-fighting equipment. In August of 1970, Farmington City moved its offices into a new building to the north. The Farmington Lions Club leased the old City Hall until 2001, when the city regained ownership and renovated it into a museum. The Farmington City Historical Museum opened on July 9, 2004.
The American Fork City Hall is significant as the seat of city government from 1903 to the present. Moreover, it is located on the site where civic offices have been concentrated since 1861. The building also represents an important change in government in American Fork after the turn of the century. Civic and ecclesiastical functions that had been combined in multi-use buildings were physically and symbolically separated. The American Fork City Hall was the first of the town’s four municipal buildings to be used exclusively for governmental purposes.
This building was designed by local architect/builder James H. Pulley and constructed in 1903. Its Victorian Romanesque Revival style is characterized by round arched openings and a rough stone foundation. The room is topped with a small central deck which was once adorned with a wooden belfry (removed in 1959).
Located at 31 North Church Street in American Fork, Utah and added to the National Register of Historic Places (#94000298) on April 7th, 1994.
The building to your left was originally built as a schoolhouse in 1880 in nearby Silver Reef. It also served in the mining boomtown as a place for community dances and other gatherings.
Soon after the schoolhouse was built, Silver Reef began to decline in population, and by the early 1900s the building was no longer in use. At that time, the building was divided into two parts and moved on logs pulled by horses along the road, 2 miles from Silver Reef to its present site in Leeds. For more than five decades, until 1956, it served as the Leeds Schoolhouse. During most of that time, its two classrooms housed students in eight different grades.
After the school closed, the building was leased to and used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a recreation center. Eventually it was remodeled and turned into a town hall and community gathering place for Leeds. The old school was reroofed and the small porch on the original building was expanded across the full length of the new town hall’s front.
LEEDS PEACHES: DID YOU KNOW? In the 30s, 40s, and 50s when the peach farming was booming in Leeds, peaches from the community were shipped throughout the West via rail from Cedar City. The local people working in the orchards and packing the bushel baskets with ripening peaches became curious about the cost consumer’s were paying for their peaches. So they began writing notes in the bottom of the baskets asking for people to write them back and let them know what they were paying. It was common to receive replies from as far away as Texas and Michigan. Compliments about how good the peaches tasted were often included with the replies.
