The Pine Valley Chapel and Tithing Office, the chapel sometimes being referred to as the Pine Valley Ward Chapel, are historic 19th-century buildings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Pine Valley, Washington County, Utah, that are jointly listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This site holds tours daily during summer months.[1]
Description[]
Built in 1868, the Pine Valley Chapel is known for being the oldest meetinghouse in continuous use of the LDS Church. Both the chapel and adjacent tithing office were listed together on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on November 20, 1970.
Chapel architecture[]
The Pine Valley Chapel in 1968
The Pine Valley Chapel was designed by a Scottish shipbuilder and LDS convert, Ebenezer Bryce (who Bryce Canyon is named after). The construction of the chapel was built using techniques adopted from shipbuilding, and is basically an upside-down ship. the building consists of two levels built on a basement. The architectural style is reminiscent of New England churches, which was done in honor of LDS church leader Erastus Snow. The church was built with nearby Ponderosa pines, from the same area where pines were shipped to Salt Lake City for the famous Salt Lake Tabernacle. A scaled-down replica of the Pine Valley Chapel was built at This Is the Place Heritage Park.
Tithing Office[]
East of the chapel is the well-preserved red-brick Tithing Office that was built in the 1880s. Tithing to the church in 19th century Utah was often paid in-kind with farmed goods that were then redistributed to those in need, thus the 19th century tithing house is a 16' x 27' warehouse to accommodate tithes. The building has also, at different times, been used as a family residence, the Pine Valley Post Office, and a meeting room for the Pine Valley Chapel.
Pine Valley Ward Bishops[]
- Harrison Burgess (1814-1883) - Early Bishop of Pine Valley Ward, LDS General Authority and Veteran of Zion's Camp (1834).
- William Gardner (1846-1932) - Early Bishop of Pine Valley Ward, he spent 10 years as a missionary to the Maori peoples in New Zealand.
See Also[]
- Pine Valley Chapel- Official Church Website.
- History of St. George Stake
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County, Utah
References[]
- ↑ [National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.]