First Tabernacle

Provo's first tabernacle spoke to the town through its bell. The three-story adobe hall, begun in 1863 on ground set apart in 1856, rose on a rock foundation seven feet thick, with a belfry eighty feet up. From that tower a bell did triple duty: it called people to worship, rang the alarm when danger came, and tolled the nightly curfew. John Taylor dedicated the finished building in 1867, and it served the Utah Stake until a grander tabernacle replaced it in 1883. Used for special occasions after that, the old hall was torn down in 1919.

What the plaque says

In 1856 this ground was dedicated as a site for Utah Stake Tabernacle. Construction commenced in 1863. Edifice was three stories high, 81 feet long, 47 feet wide, belfry 80 feet. Built of adobe with rock foundation 7 feet at base, 4 feet at top. A bell in the belfry called the people to church, sounded alarms, and curfew for many years. The building was dedicated by President John Taylor September 1867. It served Utah Stake until 1883 when a new Tabernacle was erected. Thereafter is was used for special occasions until 1919 when it was razed.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Bridal Veil Falls — 7.6 mi
  A dramatic double waterfall cascading 607 feet into Provo Canyon
• Sundance Mountain Resort — 11 mi
  Robert Redford's intimate, arts-minded ski resort on the slopes of Mount Timpanogos, in the North Fork of Provo Canyon.
• Aspen Grove — 12 mi
  The mountain-base trailhead for Mount Timpanogos and Stewart Falls
• Alpine Loop Summit — 12 mi
  The 8,000-foot high point of the Alpine Loop, face to face with Mount Timpanogos

More markers nearby

• Settlement of Provo — steps away
• George A. Smith Provo Pioneer Village- Living in the Frontier 1849 to 1872 in Utah County — steps away
• Utah Lake Fishing Industry — steps away
• Brigham Young Statue — 0.5 mi