Historic Alpine Stake Tabernacle, by Allen C.

Historic American Fork

ALPINE STAKE Tabernacle

BY ALLEN C. CHRISTENSEN

Until January 13, 1901, all Latterday Saints in Utah County were members of the Utah Stake. At a conference held in Provo on that date, President Joseph F. Smith, assisted by Elders George Teasdale, Heber J. Grant, Abraham O. Woodru , and Reed Smoot of the Quorum of the Twelve, organized two new stakes, the Alpine Stake and Nebo Stake, as the 44th and 45th stakes of e Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. e new Alpine Stake consisted of Church units in the north part of Utah County, including the American Fork, Lehi, Pleasant Grove, Lindon, Alpine, Manila, and Cedar Valley Wards.

A great amount of inter-community pride and competition had existed for many years among the three largest towns in the area, American Fork, Lehi, and Pleasant Grove. e competition among these cities extended to their town and school athletic teams and rivalry for population and economic growth. In 1900, Church members in Lehi—who hoped their city would be the center of the new stake—had actually begun construction of a tabernacle in their city without approval from Church headquarters. e new stake needed a name that would unify the members. As a result, the new stake was named Alpine, a neutral name that also re ected the beautiful mountain setting of the area. Decades later echoes of this competitiveness apparently remain, as the new temple located in American Fork was named the Mount Timpanogos Temple.1

More than forty years before the creation of the Alpine stake, Leonard E. Harrington, the rst mayor and bishop of American Fork, had conveyed Lot 8 Block 12 Plat A of the town to Brigham Young Sr. of e Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the sum of $2.00. Since pioneer times, no permanent building had been

constructed on that spot of earth. On July 14, 1901, the American Fork Ward—having more than 2,000 members—was divided into four new wards. At a meeting held December 24, 1901, one fourth of Lot 8 Block 12 was deeded back to each of the four new bishops. On March 17, 1909, the corporation of each bishop deeded their parcel of land to Stephen L. Chipman, president of the Alpine Stake.2 While the legal profession would today be appalled at such practices, those Church leaders were men of integrity, and the process of land conveyance from one to another proceeded without a hitch.

Construction of the Alpine Stake Tabernacle did not begin until the deeds had been signed over to President Chipman and plans approved. Had the old earthen wall of the original fort at American Fork still been standing, the northwest corner of the new tabernacle would have been adjacent to the southeast corner of the fort.3 News reports shared that the tabernacle would have a Grecian-type architecture that represented a departure from previous Church buildings. e architects planned a slightly domed ceiling that would create perfect acoustical properties. e principal acoustical device was to be a cantilever gallery. ere would be neither support posts nor rods to obstruct the sound waves.4 Perhaps those features helped, but upon completion they did not quite provide the optimal acoustical quality that had been hoped for.

On July 15, 1909, the Salt Lake Telegram reported that good progress had been made on the building and estimated two more years would be required to complete the structure that would then be the largest building in American Fork.5 e cost was estimated to be $50,000 at completion. President Chipman, a prominent member of the Republican Party, was so enthusiastic about the building that he wrote US President William Howard Ta asking for a donation. Sadly for the ambitious party leader, no contribution was forthcoming, a fact that enabled Chipman’s daughters to tease their father from time to time when it served their purposes.6 Elder Orson F. Whitney of the Twelve and President Stephen L. Chipman o ciated at the October 24, 1910, cornerstone ceremonies. Sealed inside the cornerstone in a metal box were a list of the names of the building’s donors, a Spanish coin minted in 1492, and an American ag.

The building’s exterior is constructed of brick and sandstone. e basement of the tabernacle had a 45-by-85-foot auditorium to be used by the stake for social functions. e oor was hard, well-polished maple with a 35-by-75-foot section resting upon springs, resulting in one of the nest dance oors in Utah. ere were adjacent rooms ideally located for cloak rooms and social purposes, and there were two magni cently furnished toilets at the south end of the building. ere was also a baptismal font in the basement. e interior decorations on the main level were cream brown, white, and gold that harmonized with the brass chandeliers and railings around the balcony and choir seats. e balcony was cantilevered, built without support columns, and featured continuous curved benches for increased seating capacity.7

President Joseph F. Smith presided at the opening sessions of stake conference in the new Alpine

Alpine Stake presidency: President Stephen L. Chipman and his counselors, James H. Clark and Abel J. Evans.

Tabernacle on September 13, 1914. It was recorded that 1,600 persons attended the morning session, and 2,100 attended the a ernoon session. While calculating the number of people who can be seated comfortably on benches is not an exact science, it is nevertheless safe to say that standard seating capacities of the building were exceeded in the tabernacle that Sunday, especially in the a ernoon. President Smith was accompanied by his rst counselor, Anthon H. Lund, and both gave doctrinal talks to the assembled audience.

While the building was dedicated in 1915, the pipe organ, the crowning element of the tabernacle, had not yet been installed. Indeed, it was not installed until 1923 or 1924. Salt Lake Tabernacle organist J. J. McClellan, a Utah County native, acted as advisor in the matter of selecting the organ company to be awarded the contract. McClellan wrote the stake presidency a ve-page comparative analysis of the two organs being considered for the building. He argued so insistently and e ectively that the Austin Organ Company’s product was superior to the other instrument being considered that he was asked if he were being paid a commission. e organ proposed by the Austin Organ Company had 1,637 pipes, whereas the other company had planned but 997. McClellan’s letter said, in part, “As you know pipes make music. No sane man will say that 997 pipes are nearly as e ective as 1,637. All pipes run through the register of the Austin. is is not the case of the other organ.” McClellan’s criticisms of the other organ was especially biting to make certain the stake leadership did not miss the point. A er considerable negotiation on the part of Pres. Chipman, the Austin organ was purchased for $12,741. e construction, delivery and installation of the pipes and organ console took many months to complete. e Alpine Stake Tabernacle organ has been described as having a heroic sound that is bold but not overwhelming. As a side note, J. J. McClellan may be best remembered as the composer of the hymn, “Sweet is the Work.”8 e Tabernacle with its grand pipe organ became a focal point for religious, social, and cultural events in American Fork. Maurice Abravanel brought the Utah Symphony Orchestra to American Fork in the 1950s for a daytime concert. He praised community leaders who had built such a wonderful auditorium, saying perhaps those visionary leaders had the Utah Symphony in mind. His admiration seems to have been genuine. Mr. Abravanel, a member of a prominent Sephardic Jewish family, may have identi ed with the Latter-day Saints and their history of persecution and expulsion. His own ancestral family had been expelled from Spain in 1517 and continued to be victims of religious persecution. Interestingly, the Spanish Inquisition did not end until 1820, the year of the theophany in the Sacred Grove near Palmyra, New York. One hears echoes of the Inquisition’s ending in Parley P. Pratt’s hymn, “ e

morning breaks, the shadows ee, / Lo Zion’s standard is unfurled! / e dawning of a brighter day / Majestic rises on the world.9 e historic Alpine Stake Tabernacle is a monument to its builders, its artisans, and those who sacri ced their means to make it a reality. Many of Utah Valley’s early Saints made their rst covenants in its baptismal font, were ordained to the priesthood within its walls, and heard the clarion call of apostles and prophets whose voices rang with certainty and conviction. In fact, beginning with Joseph F. Smith, all the men who have been or would become president of the Church to this date have spoken from its pulpit. e building remains in use and has been an instrument for change in the lives of many who have passed through its portals.

1 Allen C. Christensen, “The Alpine Stake Tabernacle: A Historical Edi ce.” Privately published, American Fork Utah Stake (2014), 2–3. 2 Ibid. 3 Journal of Clare B. Christensen, 10 Jul 1967. 4 “New Alpine Stake Tabernacle Is Planned On Grecian Lines,” Intermountain Republic (21 Mar 1909). 5 Salt Lake Telegram (15 Jul 1909): 6. 6 Fern Chipman Eyring reported this incident about her father at the rededication of the Alpine Stake Tabernacle, 24 Jun 1962. “History of Clare Bernard Christensen,” 135. 7 “Stake Tabernacle Nearing Completion,” American Fork Citizen (10 Jan 1914): 1. 8 Christensen 22–4. 9 Christensen 24.

Pioneer

VIGNETTES

John Rowe Moyle and his wife, Phillippa Beer

Moyle, heard the gospel preached by missionaries in England in 1851 and soon joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. James Moyle, their oldest son, followed his parents into baptism about a year later. John made his living in stonework and building construction, and son James was also learning his father’s trade.

In 1854, eighteen-year-old James left England and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, where he immediately began work on the Lion House using his stonecutting skills. In early 1855, James signed a note promising to pay $350 to the Perpetual Emigration Fund, opening the way for his parents and siblings to emigrate to America.1 On September 26, 1856, John and Phillippa arrived in Utah, having traveled across the American plains in the rst handcart company—the Ellsworth Company—with their ve younger children. A day later, John R. Moyle signed a new promissory note to the PEF, replacing James’ 1855 note.

John Moyle went to work as a stonemason and was assigned to assist in the construction of the temple on October 21, 1856, less than a month after his arrival in the valley.When the granite quarry in Big Cottonwood Canyon opened in April 1857, John was among the handful of stonecutters on the crew there.2

After about eighteen months living with family or as boarders in the Salt Lake area, John acquired a farm in Alpine that would be his family home for the rest of his life. He would leave the farm early Monday morning and, during the week, stay at James’ home a few blocks from the temple site, and return to the farm in Alpine on Friday evening or when work was not being done on the temple.

John’s oldest grandson, John Henry Moyle—son of James and Elizabeth— tells the story of John losing the lower part of one leg and then tting himself with a wooden leg and foot: “My father and John Parry built in 1869 the old Walker Brothers Building on South Main. While erecting that building, Father had to go to Alpine to help my grandfather, John Rowe Moyle. He had injured his leg and the favorably known physician of Provo, Dr. Pike, had done his best to save the leg but gangrene had set in. Consequently, Father [James] took Mother [Elizabeth], me, and Dr. Ormsby, the leading surgeon in Utah, to Alpine to amputate Grandfather’s leg below the knee. We made a new record for time on that trip in the wagon pulled by father’s ne pair of mules.” 3

The ingenious prosthetic leg and foot that John made for himself is on display at the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum on Capitol Hill in Salt Lake City. Records of wages for temple construction workers con rm that John continued to work on the temple as a paid stonemason until 1877 when he was 69 years old.4

His homestead in Alpine is now a park where rock buildings and a museum stand as monuments to his life and faith. John Rowe Moyle died in 1889, and his wife, Phillippa, passed away in 1891. Son James died unexpectedly in 1890 while still serving as construction supervisor at the Salt Lake Temple. Neither father nor son lived to see the temple completed and dedicated, but both made lasting and valuable contributions to that sacred edi ce.

1 Ann Brest van Kempen, comp., John Rowe Moyle, Stonemason 1808-1889, vol. 1 (2010), 28. The document cited and photocopied is in the possession of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Pioneer Memorial Museum, Salt Lake City. 2 Trustee-in-Trust, Public Works account books 1848-1887 (CHL), cited in Brest van Kempen, 115, 119. 3 Gene A. Sessions, ed., Mormon Democrat: The Religious and Political Memoirs of James Henry Moyle (1998), 38–9. 4 Brest van Kempen, 145.