Carbon Tabernacle/Price River Valley

For nearly half a century, the Carbon Tabernacle was the biggest room in Price. Designed by the young Salt Lake architect Miles Miller and finished in 1914 at a cost of about $35,000, the two-story brick building — a hundred and fifteen feet long, with a corner tower — served the Latter-day Saint stake as its center. But in a coal county of many faiths it was more than that: graduations, concerts, political rallies, and civic meetings filled it until its last service in 1961. The tabernacle is gone now; this marker holds its place.

What the plaque says

On this site was located the Carbon Tabernacle, a landmark and center place of worship from 1914 to 1961 for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For 47 years the Tabernacle served as the Carbon and North Carbon Stake Center, the ward meetinghouse for Price First and Second Wards and the scene of many civic, political, graduations and recreational programs. With the completion of the basement on March 14, 1914, the quarterly two-day conference for Carbon Stake was held. The last meeting was held June 4, 1961. Designed by Miles E. Miller, a young Salt Lake City architect, at an estimated cost of $35,000. Ground breaking for the Tabernacle took place August 28, 1911. The dimensions of the two-story structure were a hundred-fifteen feet long, sixty-six feet wide and thirty-two feet high, with a tower at the northwest corner. The foundation was of reinforced concrete, the walls were of white enamel pressed cement bricks layed with black mortar and trimmed with white stone. On the main floor was a large auditorium furnished with oak pews to seat a thousand persons. It housed one of the largest and best toned pipe organs in the state. At the north of the auditorium was a large Relief Society room with adjoining classrooms. On the second floor was a balcony that oversaw the main meeting hall, five classrooms and two other classrooms in the tower. In the basement was a large amusement hall, dance floor, stage, dressing rooms and baptismal font. After twelve years of construction, and at a final cost of $100,046.62, the building was dedicated July 1, 1923, a tribute to the contributions of labor and dollars of the L.D.S. people and their friends of Carbon County.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Prehistoric Museum at USU Eastern — steps away
  A small-town museum punching way above its weight in dinosaur science
• Price — steps away
  A gritty coal mining town with a surprisingly excellent dinosaur museum
• Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry — 20 mi
  The densest concentration of Jurassic-era dinosaur bones ever found

More markers nearby

• The Price of Freedom World War I Memorial — steps away
• Coal Miner — steps away
• Immigrant Monument — steps away
• Price Municipal Building — steps away