OCR Text |
Show tdJ oumal JUNE 23. 1987 Farmington... Mvstoiy est out doorstep By CHERIE HUBER This year as we celebrate the bicentennial of the Constitution, interest in the history of the growth and settlement of the United States is at a new high. Its not necessary to take a trip back East to study it. History was also made here in Davis County. Our county seat, Farmington, has not only hud a rich and interesting past, but many of the landmarks of the past are still standing and still in use. The old rock mill, now the Heidelberg, is said to be the oldest building in Utah still in use. The mill was built by Willard Richards in It was the first grist mill to serve the community. Rock and lumber to build the mill came from the nearby canyons. Two men who worked on the mill were James Leithead and Reuben Broadbent. Later the mill passed to Franklin D. Richards. The mill has also served as a power station and an ice house. The old water wheel still ran up to about 1970, when the mill was bought by Garth Naylor to be refurbished as the Heidelberg Restaurant. Today the restaurant 1849-185- 0. houses many other interesting bits of Utahs history. The Van Fleet Hotel at 88 East State is still used by the Utah Title Company. The hotel was buitl in 1850 as a private home. It became a hotel in 1907 when it was purchased by Hyrum Van Fleet. The hotel was popular with because of its location next to the courthouse. The Union Hotel at 208 North Main, now a private residence, was built in 1857. It was a natural stopping place for travelers heading north as it was then one days travel from Salt Lake. Also on Main Street next to the city offices are a Pioneer Cannon and the Academy bell. The cannon was brought across the plains by the pioneers. It has been used in Nauvoo, Illinois by the Nauvoo Legion. When the Saints were driven across the Mississippi River, this was one of the cannons taken with them from Nauvoo. The cannon was later used in the Morri-sit- e Battle at Uintah at the mouth of the Weber Canyon in 1862. It has been fired in many Farmington celebrations. The Academy Bell was purchased from the Silver Brothers Foundry in Salt Lake. It was instal honey-moone- rs led in the old Academy at 1st West and State Street in 1891. The bell was used as a school bell, curfew bell, fire bell and was sounded to celebrate the end of three wars. Also on Main Street behind the Rock Chapel is the Penrose cabin, built for Charles Penrose by his friends. The cabin is typical of the construction of early homes. The cabin was moved log by log to the Courthouse site and dedicated in 1926 as a Daughter of the Utah Pioneers Relic Hall. It was moved back to its original site in 1956. Another once popular stop in Farmington was the old bakery at 433 South and 200 East. The bakery closed ten years ago but the memory of that popular stop between Bountiful and points north remains with many people. President Joseph Fielding Smith and his wife often stopped at the bakery on their drives out through Farm- ington. The Farmington Ninth Ward Relief Society recently put together a booklet called Oral History Tour. That booklet pinpoints many of the other interesting and historic points of Farmington. My Farmington by Margaret Hess, published in 1976, also is an excellent guide to Farmington history. The inside story on the pictures 1. The pioneer cannon was brought to Farmington from Nauvoo. 2. The old bakery, dosed since 1977, was once a popular place for cheese cake and other treats. 3. The rock mill, now, the Heidelberg Restaurant was built in 1849-185- 4. The Penrose Cabin, once moved to the Courthouse property has been returned to its original site. This photo of the interior shows how it might have been furnished. 5. The Academy Bell announced the end of three wars to the citizens of Farmington. 6. Farmington City Fire Station. 3 4 |