United Order Woolen Mill

Orderville dressed itself from this building. Under the United Order, the woolen factory was where the town's cloth came from. Built in 1882 and run on waterpower, it carded, spun, and wove the community's own wool — plain all-wool cloth for the men's suits, and linsey, part wool and part cotton, for the women. Most of the wedding dresses worn during the Order years were cut from bolts woven here. The loom floor doubled as the town's hall: pull the warping bars aside, and it held the dances.

What the plaque says

Built in the spring of 1882, the woolen factory was in operation until 1890. It was built under the direction of the United Order Board. Thomas Chamberlain, Bishop and President of the Board. The machinery was run by waterpower. Yarn, batting and cloth were made with the best wool selected for the yarn. More yarn was made than cloth. Three thousand one hundred and sixty-four yards of cloth were woven during 1889. The women's clothes were made mostly of linsey, which is part wool and part cotton. Most of the women's wedding dresses during the Order were made of cloth woven in the factory. The men's suits were made of all wool. Very little cotton cloth was made here. On the lower floor were four looms along the south side with warping bars in the northwest corner. This left a large space for meetings and dances. On the second floor were carding machines along the south side, spinners along the north and four or five looms for making sheets. The third floor held the picker, called the devil, which picked the wool to pieces. The original building was located 300 feet northeast of this marker.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Mount Carmel Junction — 9.0 mi
  The crossroads where the road to Zion meets the highway to Bryce
• Checkerboard Mesa — 17 mi
  A 900-foot dome of Navajo sandstone scored into a natural grid, near Zion's east entrance
• Best Friends Animal Sanctuary — 20 mi
  The largest no-kill animal sanctuary in the United States
• Canyon Overlook Trail — 20 mi
  A short, exposed hike just east of the tunnel to a thousand-foot view down into Zion Canyon

More markers nearby

• The Berry Family — 1.7 mi
• Glendale — 1.9 mi
• Orderville Bell — 4.9 mi
• Old Rock Schoolhouse — 4.9 mi