Honeyville Churches

 The first LDS ward in Honeyville was organized under the direction of President Brigham Young, just weeks before his death in 1877.  Before the end of the year, they had staked out the location of their new church building, to be constructed of stone.  The year 1878 saw a great deal of work constructing the new chapel and it was subsequently dedicated by President Lorenzo Snow on January 5^th, 1879. By 1892 the church was already showing its age and $500.00 was apportioned to a general upgrade of the facility.  That first church went on to become the Tolman & Sons General Store, and stands still today (2018), having been used for some time as a shed.

Tolman & Sons store as it stands in the 21st century (Jay Miller)

Arched church window from the inside (Jay Miller - 2016)

 The Second LDS chapel constructed in Honeyville during the year 1896, with the first meetings held there in January of 1897.  That second church served the residents of Honeyville until the current church (2018) was built in 1951.  I have wished to find more pictures of the first rock church while it was used as a church, but to no avail.  However, with the second chapel, I have had the great pleasure of recently meeting with Judy Johnson Hunsaker and her husband Glade and found a treasure of photos and artifacts from the second rock chapel.  Judy’s father, Conrad, was the proprietor of the Honeyville store, the same which is in operation still today (2018), building it in the early 1940s.  Conrad Johnson was an early amateur photographer and was asked to photograph many church activities.  Below is a collection of photos showing the second rock chapel, most taken by Conrad Johnson.

The second LDS chapel constructed in Honeyville (C.A. Johnson)

Gathering of the town folk at the old Honeyville church (C.A. Johnson)

Rostrum at the old Honeyville church - photos of missionaries hangs on the right (C.A. Johnson)

The second pulpit built for the church is shown below (the marble top is a later addition), as is the bishop’s chair, and a folding chair.  The pulpit opens from the back with a little latch, and inside that door is the inscription, “July 12, 1900.  This is the 2^nd pulpit.  Made by W. S. Taylor at J. F. Merrill & Co. planning mill.  Wheat is 50₵ per bushel.  Beer 5₵ a glass.  McKinley is president and re-nominated, hope he gets there.  C. Simmons.”

Front view of the old Honeyville church pulpit (Jay Miller, courtesy Judy Hunsaker)

Back view of the old Honeyville church pulpit - note the latch (Jay Miller, courtesy Judy Hunsaker)

Inside face of cabinet within the old Honeyville church pulpit (Jay Miller, courtesy Judy Hunsaker)

Bishop's chair from the rostrum of the old Honeyville church (Jay Miller, courtesy Judy Hunsaker)

One of the many wooden folding chairs used in the old Honeyville church (Jay Miller, courtesy Judy Hunsaker)

 The third, and current LDS chapel was constructed by the local members in 1951 and dedicated in June of that year by Elder Spencer W. Kimball.  Over the years there have been additions and many modifications, the largest being in 1989-1990 when much of the church was gutted and remodeled.  Pictures of the current chapel appear below.  As of this writing, Honeyville is home to 3 LDS wards.

Construction of the current (as of 2018) Honeyville LDS church (C.A. Johnson)

In front of the LDS church shortly after it began use in 1951 (C.A. Johnson)

Program for the dedication of the Honeyville LDS chapel (Judy Johnson)

Inside the steeple during the remodel (Jay Miller - 1990)

Remodeling the interior rooms of the church (Jay Miller - 1990)

Honeyville LDS Chapel in 2013 (Google Earth - oops, I don't even have my own good photo to post)

 Honeyville boasts a Buddhist temple also, being a special honor for a town the size of Honeyville.  Many Asians first came to Utah to work on railroads and in the mines.  Utah, having plenty of railroads and mines, quickly became a gathering place for Japanese workers.  Between 1900 and 1910, the Japanese population in Utah rose from 400 to 2,000.  In 1916, Honeyville was identified by the Salt Lake Buddhist minister as the local gathering place for Buddhist among the many Japanese farmers that were already settling in the small surrounding communities.  Now, a little tangent on – sugar.

The search for 'sweet' drove a lot of enterprise in the early settlements of the west.  Molasses being the only real source of a sweetener, there was a constant desire for the sugar enjoyed by urban cities with coastal access.  When the Italian honeybee was introduced to Utah it created quite a stir, and the development of the railroad made it feasible to raise the Italian Honeybee in Utah.  Still, honey was not refined sugar.  Germany had made strides in growing and refining sugar beets, but early attempts in Utah were met with failure.  Once Utah was able to refine sugar beets, it became a booming industry. One player was the Utah & Idaho Sugar company, which in 1918 began constructing the office of what was to become the Honeyville sugar factory.  The office was built, and the remainder of construction abandoned before completion – no sugar factory was to be built in Honeyville.

In 1931, the Honeyville Buddhist congregation purchased the abandoned sugar factory building to be their temple.  Little exterior renovation has taken place in these intervening years, and the building continues to house an active congregation.

The Honeyville Buddhist temple - old sugar factory

Stay tuned – I received a lot more pictures.