Old Tabernacle Lintel Stone

The lintel dates itself: A.D. MDCCCLXI, 1861, carved above "Praise ye the Lord" for the front door of Provo's first meetinghouse, the Old Tabernacle, begun in 1856 to Truman O. Angell's design and dedicated in 1867. It stayed in use beside the larger Utah Stake Tabernacle, finished next door in 1898, until it was razed in 1919; the Daughters and Sons of Utah Pioneers kept this stone. It stood in Sowiette Park from 1954 and now rests on the temple block, beside the building its successor became after the 2010 fire.

What the plaque says

Erected. A.D. MDCCCLXI "Praise ye the Lord" A Place of Gathering The meetinghouse (left) and the Utah Stake Tabernacle (right) as they appeared circa 1885. The baptistry is located in front of the meetinghouse. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have gathered on this block since the 1850s to worship and make sacred covenants. The transformation of the Utah Stake Tabernacle into the Provo City Center Temple continues this sacred heritage. After President Brigham Young selected the site, construction began on a meetinghouse in 1856. It was designed by Church architect Truman O. Angell, and Church members worshipped in this building until it was razed in 1919. Members of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers and the Sons of Utah Pioneers preserved the lintel stone (adjacent to this marker) from the original meetinghouse. In the late 1870s, a baptistry was built to the west of the meetinghouse. Uncovered during an archaeological dig in 2012, the font reveals this site as a place where Latter-day Saints historically made sacred covenants with the Lord. As the community outgrew the capacity of the meetinghouse, Church leaders commissioned William H. Folsom to design a new, larger structure. Initiated in 1883, construction of the Utah Stake Tabernacle ended in 1898. For more than one-hundred years the tabernacle housed worship services, community gatherings, and cultural events. Early in the morning of December 17, 2010, a fire consumed all but the outer shell of the building. Ten months later, President Thomas S. Monson announced that the building would be restored and used as a temple. Today Church members continue to gather to this historic place. They, like their predecessors, make sacred covenants with God through the ordinances offered in the House of the Lord. Placed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2014

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Bridal Veil Falls — 8.0 mi
  A dramatic double waterfall cascading 607 feet into Provo Canyon
• Sundance Mountain Resort — 12 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 — 13 mi
  The 8,000-foot high point of the Alpine Loop, face to face with Mount Timpanogos

More markers nearby

• The American Family — steps away
• The Knight Block — steps away
• Escalante Trail — steps away
• Provo Woolen Mills — steps away