| Show old tithing house is one of last thelast historic landmarks by ellis foole foote of interest to many vernal residents and visitors the old rock tithing house standing isolated and rugged on the west of vernal avenue across the street t from the express office looms out of the receding past into the hurrying present small rectangular and with ly thick walls it persists against the onslaught of time and quaintly validates the past it stands as a monument to steady hands and sturdy hopes a testimonial to the fertility of the land about it and to the communal valor which first surmised then broke open and settled upon the good land we pay therefore a tribute of respect for the little homely stone house that once drew a more material tribute of meat butter grain potatoes and hay from a devout and grateful comro unity it was built in the spring of 1887 nearly 63 years ago at the request of president samuel JR bennion first president of the uintah stake of zion a and nd until 1909 served as an office for the tithing clerk produce was vas stored in the half basement under the building it vas was built I 1 by harley mowrey they called him birn father Mow clowrey reya resa a kind man with rough hands everyone says that loved to work with writh rock and it to mens needs the rugged neatness remains after 62 years of earthly vicissitudes and weathering father mowrey an early convert to the church was an expert stone in mason vison he is said to have worked for three years on the nauvoo temple staying with the prophet joseph smith meanwhile among those still living who remember how and when and under what circumstances the rock tithing house was used are Willi william arn arh H and horace W woolley when we asked these those gentlemen what the they y remembered and could tell us about the tithing house hose we found thern them glad to talk and reminisce about it came to valley in lago 1890 mr ion lon long time worker in the church and pre president sl of the vintah state nank bank began 1 icamen I came come to vernal in april 1890 from salt lake at the he age of 21 1 I had kno rno knod knon char ley carter S and some TO othen other othi boys ya hat that had yot come out the tho y year be fore they liked the country and had recommended it to me ine I 1 b bought ought eight eighty y acres d down 0 wn on ashley creek at 2500 2500 on an acre which was quite a bit to pay but it wat was excellent ground part of it was already broken up and I 1 broke up the rest the next year i went into the sawmill business on taylor mounta there was no cash in the country in those days it was all trade it was wag pretty hard scratch ing for a few years no one had any money we traded whatever we haci for whatever we W wanted anted when n we could the only people who had any a n y rr money toney were the sheep men and there many of them I 1 decided about that urne time to pio fio into the sheep business myself and I 1 got hold of a few old ewes that the sheep men figured would die a anyway erway it was pretty slow but butt I 1 eventually kot rot ot a herd of sheep in fact 1 I later got to be u one ne of the biggest sheep men on Dia dla diamond mountain there is just one other old original rial sheep man left in the country today besides myself george ff southam all the others are dead though in mos most teases eases cases their sons gons are still carr carrying vir vig on it makes me feel icel a a little old when I 1 think about it I 1 still have the ranch that I 1 first bought when corrI comine coming kinst to ashley valley vailey besides several other ranches that ive bought since sinco then local organized asked about what or whom he had been helped by host bost most during his life lir air ir Sindo way answer cd ed 1 I 1 think president S R 13 bennion ennion ivas vas the best help I 1 1 ever had he ile always rent kent me I 1 busy doing sor something mostly organizing I 1 was in the high council for tor about twenty years with S R bennion behind me I 1 had some mighty good backing and was able to do a lot both for the corn community and for myself I 1 helped organize the vernal express I 1 also helped organize the nank dank of vernal the uintah state bank the vernal mill livestock company utah power alight light the vogue theatre and other commercial enterprises I 1 had a lot to do with building the uintah high school and the original central grade school as well as the stake academy and tabernacle we were eight years building the tabernacle mostly donation work woric president bennion had been the head and instigator of all our community enterprises he was a real financed fin ancer and a great asset to this country I 1 do not know v what we would have cone eone without him lle tic K had wonderful judgment energy and tion president wm H smart followed bennion he was also 1 i I good organizer these two men more than anyone were responsible for ver Vcr nals tradition of forward looking c civic 1 v i c e enten enter prise on the subject of the tithing house mr remembered the people pay any money mony go so the tithing house had to take in produce produce hay was a drag for a long lon ion time I 1 remember they so sold d I 1 t for a ton to ret get pet rid r id of it but or rain a in was abw always ays good mr NV woolley Woo bolley ilcy llcy who was the stake clerk at that time lime was a wonderful stacker and he put the hay a y up so it would could last indefinitely sometimes the hay would stand viand in the stack for four or five years solution for welfare 1 11 I knew the man that built the rock tithing jg house clowrey ile he was a fine fina old gentleman ot english descent deacent I 1 beleve believe they rot got the 1111 10 just north of by the hills everyone was wag willing to work those days they often donated their time but sometimes they were wore paid out of the tithing stores whatever was on oil hand the tithing produce was all used locally to balance good years and bad its cash eat catt was always sent in ino to the presiding bishop in salt lake we have any cuare clarc welfare a agencies e ices or unemployed tom rom among ong us and we had a lot of them so some le w winters it wasn gasn t esy to get started for the new people who ho came armong us and some times between t tho the h e tithing house the fast offerings and the relief society sisters we saved many manx rany families from real distress we were a long ways wary from outside help and we had to take care of ourselves and others who were deserving the tithing ott office ice wa was the hu hub b of this endeavor it was our 0 u relief agency and une M 1 y ment bureau th the e wheel wheel to which our practical religion wo was geared Be ared firt first siak slake clerk clerks when asked about his ideas and reminiscences regarding arding tha tho old tithing house mr woolley for many years a director of uintah state bank and on tho the board of several other ash ley valley businesses a former farmer r and stockman tt sa aid ald idi 1 come came from Grants grantsville ville was born and raised there to ash ley vailey valley valli Y in the tho fall of 1800 logo and was immediately made ma stake clerk under president I 1 was the third stake clerk C C bartlett was first f then came E G defriez I 1 had much experience at clerical work but had hod handled a lot of produce and had studied a little bookkeeping in school there thene was a lot of hay stacked almost everywhere which ich I 1 sold at a ton to get rid of it we then stacked the ho lle ble n a more orderly manner where he the new now hospital Is now located we r buu buo had sometimes as much elul ll as eighteen lands of hay a day come in and I 1 had to 6 weigh and then put I 1 it t in the stuck stack it wag was a backbreaking back breaking job most of the time there too much nuch muc it un employment the people were mostly self supporting wo we ed quite a little from the tithing house in real cases of need the way it worked was chist the bishops would request the stake I 1 president to give us an order to give such nn such a an fn family m 11 1 what produce they needed dy I 1 then they paid us when they I 1 could or else worked it out most direct help for the poor aad needy was waa handled through the tho fast offering oaring funds control led by bishops oops themselves president bennion was one of the ablest leaders we ever had ile he looked after the affairs of the church just like he after his own bushler bushier ho he laid the foundation my mr 7 nolley celebrated his asin asih birthday anniversary on I 1 De december comber 0 at the home of of mrs howard woolley he ife has ha 0 liv ing children 26 20 grandchildren and 0 6 grent great grandchildren ai at 1 his birth hirth birthiar birthday dai dar party darty they h had ad a 0 1 big cake w with t h 85 candies candles cm on it played games and had a 4 fine program ile he plans to spend tha tho winter in mesa arizona where I 1 I 1 he will work in the Te tenpie leaving in a tev few days while there he will live with his hia daught daughter cr mrs george leigh |
