The Daughters of The Utah Pioneers, Rock Trail Camp, held a monument rededication ceremony in Orangeville Utah for the Old Social Hall monument located in the northwest corner of the Orangeville LDS Church parking lot.
Cynthia Grant opened the meeting and thanked all those that donated to the repair of the DUP Rock Canyon Trail Camp, Social Hall Monument.
Grant said, Rodney Cox did the recent cement work that repaired the monument also Pat and Lori Jones, Talma Peacock and Cynthia Grant did some of the clean up around the monument in preparation for this rededication.
The large group of people that came for the rededication of this monument met in a classroom of the LDS Church to view photos, hear the history and memories they had of the Old Social Hall. They adjourned to the monument for the dedication ceremony. Many of those attending were members of other DUP Camps in Emery County.
Cottonwood Creek Elementary School fourth grade students and their teachers were also in attendance for this historic event.
After a prayer and Pledge of Allegiance the following statement was read by Vicki Sharp from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “In the life to come the pioneers will be far more concerned not about what they did but about what we did as a result of their sacrifices.”
The group then sang the song “Salute to Our Utah Pioneers”
“We salute our Utah Pioneers, may their name be ever praised. For the heritage they left, we’re proud to be their daughters raised. Church and school in each community, learning held in high esteem. Music, dance, and culture balanced. With service helped fulfill their dream. We must build on their foundation. Firmly rooted let us stay, with vision, faith and understanding. We can forge a brighter day. Oh, we salute our Utah Pioneers, may their name be ever praised for the heritage they left, we’re proud to be their daughters raised.”
When the large group had gathered around the Daughters of The Utah Pioneers Monument in the LDS Church parking lot for the rededication ceremony, Clyde Luke was asked to offer the rededication prayer. After which the Daughters of The Utah Pioneers officers and Clyde Luke were assembled for a memorial photo. Those in the memorial photo were Gwen Peacock, Talma Peacock, Lauraly Jones, Dixie Swasey, Kristine Story, Cynthia Grant, Francis Swasey, Julie Oakeson, Clyde Luke, Murleen Bean, Helen Fox, Karen Cox, Loraine Frandsen, Julie Huntington and Vickie Sharp.
Talma Peacock related a history of the old Social Hall that resided on the property where the Orangeville LDS First and Second Ward Chapel now stands. She stated, as soon as our pioneer ancestors arrived one of the first things they did was to build a one room school house. In those days many of the pioneers were living in rough underground dugouts and only a few log houses had been built. The school was a block west of this property. The first school was built in 1880. The building was used as a school and as a Social Hall. Then in 1888 the pioneers built a Social Hall. The Social Hall was not built by the LDS church. A group of men got together, some with finances, other men and boys, went up on the mountain to get lumber for the building of a Social Hall. There were several sawmills in the mountains to the west of Orangeville at that time and everyone helped in building the Social Hall.
The building of the Social Hall began in September 1888 with men and boys hauling lumber and materials to make the hall ready for the Christmas of 1888. That Christmas the pioneers were dancing on the rough wood floors. The windows had no glass but canvas was stretched over them to keep the wind out and the room warmer. The company was formed with purchased shares. Next the hall was rented out for events. The LDS church later purchased the Social Hall building when Jasper N. Robertson was the bishop. Brig Higgs was one of the first carpenters working on the Social Hall. Gavin Jack was assigned to decorate the building and painted the first stage curtain with a picture of Ben Hur with the Chariot Race.
Charles Oliphant purchased a bell for the building in 1889. The bell was rung by men and boys who pulled the rope tied to the bell in the belfry for funerals, fires, time and the 9 PM curfew. The bell was also rung for Sunday school and sacrament meetings. Amasa Scoville, Sr. was the Social Hall building janitor for many years. The Social Hall was then torn down in 1952. The Social Hall was used for school, theater, dances, old folks parties, skating on the wood floors, movies and church until 1934.
From the tour guide collected by Karen Tuttle around 2001 comes the following: Church was first held in “The Bowery” (outdoors) then in the first school building and later in the Old Social Hall. The first bishop was Jasper Robertson who served for 23 years. The next was Henry Reid who served for 16 years. John Taylor was sustained in 1921. During this time a new church building was dedicated in 1929. The new church building was made of red brick and had three floors. It contained a chapel with a bishop’s office on the main floor. The classrooms were upstairs and downstairs. The baptistery was also downstairs.
When Bishop Hal M. Cox was sustained in 1937, he started a building fund for building an addition to the church building. When Raymond Sitterud was made bishop in 1947 a new entrance, foyer, gym and stage were added. A kitchen was built on the east end. Later a new Junior Sunday School Room and a Relief Society Room with its own kitchen was built on the West end of the building. Bishop Sitterud was bishop until 1957. He was replaced by Clem Gordon in 1957. Dee Humphrey replaced Bishop Gordon in 1960. Bishop Humphrey was killed in a mining accident and Blaine Tuttle was then called to be the Bishop. Blaine Tuttle was the bishop for 13 years. Rue P. Ware was bishop until 1978 when the Orangeville Ward had grown to the point that it needed to be divided into two wards. A few years later the wards were divided and became three wards. The red brick church was condemned in 1973 and was replaced in 1975 and that building is still being used today.
Donna Sitterud wrote of her memories of the Old Social Hall. Until 1934, all church services were held there. For the Sunday school classes, they would divide the hall into separate areas and some of the classes would go over to the old school building. Even after the chapel was built they still held funeral viewings in the old Social Hall and all the recreational activities were held there.
Donna saw her first movies in the Social Hall. They were silent films. They sent piano music with the film and Helen Fox would play the piano loud or soft or slow or fast during the movie according to the instructions. There were many dances and a lot of plays put on, and it seemed like the whole town would come out to see them.
They had old folks parties in the hall and would really decorate the tables and the hall for them. They would eat and have a program. There were two potbelly stoles. One stove was toward the back of the hall and the other one was on the stage. They rang the bell on top of the old Hall for Sunday school and sacrament meeting and it was rung every night at 9 o’clock for curfew when everyone was to be off the streets they also rang it whenever there was a fire.
During the war Pres. Roosevelt started programs to stimulate the economy. Malone Jewkes was over the programs in Emery County. Mother was chosen to go to Salt Lake and learned three dances so she could teach them. She taught dance in the old Hall.
During the polio epidemic all the children were taken down to the old Hall and lined up to receive gamma globulin shots. One by one they would be taken behind the screen and Dr. Truman would administer the shot. The shots were given to try and strengthen the immune system hoping that would help fight off the polio.
Every Christmas Eve afternoon there was a children’s dance. All the little girls would be dressed up in their new Christmas dresses.
Here are some Memories of the old Social Hall by Murleen Ockey Bean:
When I was growing up, we went to the movies at the old Hall. The primary would always have popcorn to sell there. There was a big potbelly stove on the north side of the room, so we kept warm in there. There was a curtain that dropped down on the stage, and a scene was painted on this curtain. There was a stairway on the north side of the old Hall, outside, where the man who ran the movie projector would use it get to the projection room. His name was Bill Webb. We used to play on those old steps. I don’t know if the social Hall was attached to the church building are not. We always went in through the door on the west or north. There was a door on the east that entered on to the stage area. This door was the closest to the church building.
I remember the day Japan surrendered at the end of World War II. We heard it on the radio, and went down to the church to ring the bell located on the roof of the old Hall. We went into the room where later the primary room was located. The rope to the bell was in that room.
Lyman Curtis and his son Jack purchased roller skates that were made for wooden floors, so we were able to have skating parties in the old Hall.
The old folks party was held each year in the old Hall. My mother and dad were on the old folks committee for years, and I remember they had to scrub the building down for the party each year. The reason I remember this, is us kids were invited down after the party to eat the leftover food from the party. Dad said they had these parties until he was old enough to be an old folk, then they stopped having the parties. My brother Keith said he would not go as a guest as he felt he was not that old.
One year there was a circus that came into town and they put up a tent on the lot west of the old Hall where the parking lot is now. The ground was dirt and alkali dust, and ground bees had nests in the dirt. This was a real problem for those who went to the circus.
I don’t remember going to the old Hall for Christmas parties to see Santa Claus. These gatherings were held in the auditorium at the schoolhouse, also MIA Gold and Green Balls.
The year I was a junior or senior in high school there was a building addition constructed on the east side of the church building. This addition had a recreation hall a large stage on the south side a kitchen, restrooms and a foyer with steps going into the chapel. The stairs on the north side of the chapel were closed off and this new entrance to the chapel was then used.
Former Mayor Bart Cox gave a brief history about the bell that now resides in a bell tower atop Orangeville City Hall. When Vaughn Reid was a teenager and when they tore the old building down. He climbed into the bell tower with a wrecking bar and tore the bell loose and dropped it through into the basement. The bell was then taken to the junk pile by the Blue Ridge. DeLeon Olson saw the bell there and was told he could have it. He took the bell to the Olson ranch by Joe’s Valley. He had a cousin from over the mountain whose last name was Johansson that had a smaller bell. They traded bells.
Bart Cox later found the original bell in an old pioneer building with yoks and harness and junk. Rue Ware located the people that owned the property where the bell was and made a deal with them to return the bell to Orangeville. The bell was then installed in a bell tower over Orangeville City Hall. The Hinkins family provided the electronics for the ringing of the bell.
Orangeville social hall rededication of marker
Monument re-dedication in Orangeville.