Lehi Roller Mills

Church meetings were held at the Savings Bank, And sometimes the old Sego Lily School before the Fourth Ward Building was created. Relief Society women held a six-day bazaar at the Lehi opera house and were able to raise $700 - enough to build the new building! Construction began in 1909 and meetings were able to be held in the basement from 1912 until the chapel was completed and dedicated in 1920.

Consisting of the chapel on the main level, and a basement that could be separated by curtains, but opened for larger gatherings such as dances and activities.

In 1918 A member of the Lehi 4th Ward, Robert Gilchrist (originally from Scotland who came across the plains with a freight company) purchased a large stained glass window for the west wall of the new church.  The window was saved from the buildings eventual demolition and is still used on another church building on 900 N. in Lehi.  The beautiful window features a beehive in the middle that was to remind the saints to be industrious, along with flowers, clouds and trees.

Extensive renovations were made in 1952 which included the north side addition (the right of the photo).  Demolition was some time after 1985. 

An oral account from Stan Russon briefly explains that timing for church was a  little different back then. Priesthood meetings would be at 9:00am (which gave farmers (the majority of Lehi residents at the time) time to get the cows milked and other chores done. Then at 10:00am was Sunday School. Once a month after Sunday School would be a fast meeting but all other Sundays, Sacrament meeting was at 7:30pm!  Primary activities would be on Tuesdays just after school, and youth activities in the evenings. Relief Society would be on a weekday. 

 In 1908, Lehi Main Street was a bustling hub of activity in the city with horse-drawn carriages,  wagons, and pedestrians going about their daily activities. Sidewalks lined the street, allowing pedestrians to walk safely and browse through the various storefronts. 

 1925 Waterous Fire Equipment on White Ford Truck. This picture was taken in front of the state capital building in 1928. 

Harry Bert Merrihew, graduate of Highland Park College of Pharmacy of Des Moines, Iowa, commissioned this building in 1900 for his Lehi Drug Store.   The upstairs portion of the thirty-by-fifty-foot structure served as a lodge room for the Odd Fellows and Modern Woodmen of the World fraternal orders.  The Lehi Drug Store had the finest soda fountain in the city’s history.  The intricately carved walnut cabinet where soda glasses were stored is presently displayed in the Hutchings Museum.  This ornate item features a large arched mirror backdrop and a marble  counter top.

In 1917 Merrihew sold the Lehi Drug Store to John Franklin Bradshaw and his brother-in-law, Gerald R. Taylor.  In 1919 the Lehi Drug Company traded the Merrihew Building to the Bank of Lehi in exchange for the Lehi Opera House and the Garff Building immediately west.  The State Bank if Lehi then moved two doors west into the former Lehi Drug Store.  To accommodate the bank’s continuous growth, a new addition was built onto the north of the building in August 1930.  When the new bank building was completed in 1953, the Merrihew Building became home to Julian’s Drug Store.  The upstairs portion of the building became an apartment for the Paul Julian family.  A decade later, the building was purchased by Lenard and Twila Rockwell, who also located their family on the premises.  The commercial portion of the building downstairs became the home of the Lehi Post Office, then later Jo’s Fashions, a beauty shop owned by JoAnn Zimmerman.

In 1973 Wes and Geraldine Dalley purchased 98 West Main from the Rockwells.  Over the years they maintained a jewelry store and gift shop, Dalley’s Tropicals, and a Grandfather Clock emporium.  In 1982 the Dalleys obtained a listing for their building on the National Register of Historic Places and commenced a nearly two-decade long project of restoring the stately structure.  Geraldine’s Gifts of Love has been maintained in the elegantly refurbished store since then.

In the 1890’s - Lehi was quickly outgrowing their two LDS Church buildings and settlers who resided by the railraod station would have difficulty getting all the way to church.  The North Branch was organized by Bishop David Evans and became the Lehi 3rd Ward in 1893, built on 500 West. 

Today the church building has been remodeled into a commercial space and is the last of of the original five ward buildings still standing  in Lehi. 

In 1894, the building was one long hall with a stage on one end and an open floor area.  A wing of classrooms was added in to the North side in 1917. 

Lehi City’s Reldon Barnes remembers attending church meetings in the old Third Ward building when he was a boy. The members of the bishopric (including his father, Harold Barnes) sat on the stage along with those who were speaking, which they did at a portable podium at center stage. The congregation sat in chairs that could be folded up and put aside when they needed the floor for dances or activities. The curtains on the stage would be drawn after sacrament meeting and the men would meet for class on the stage while the women met in the classroom addition.

LDS wards were often using  fundraisers to cover expenses and the Lehi Third Ward was the first ward to sell hamburgers at the Lehi Round-Up Rodeo. Not at all an easy task because meat was rationed during WWII. Third Ward members would save and pool their ration stamps to be able to provide enough hamburgers to sell at the rodeo. 

The Third Ward building was used until 1955 when a new church was built on 300 West to accommodate the growing community. Over the next decade, the Third Ward church fell into disrepair and was vandalized. Ross and Jean Lamb bought the Third Ward building in the late 1960s for their home, and restored it to the best of their abilities.

Information cited from Lehi Free Press article: https://lehifreepress.com/2017/08/11/lehis-third-ward-history/ 

 The People's Co-op in Lehi, Utah, was a historical cooperative store  that was established in 1878. It played an essential role in the early  development of the community and provided various goods and services to  the residents of Lehi. 

The People's Co-op in Lehi was formed with the aim of providing affordable and quality goods to its members. It offered a wide range of products, including groceries, clothing, hardware, and other essential items. The cooperative model allowed members to pool their resources and benefit from bulk purchasing, thus reducing costs and making goods more accessible to the community.

Beyond its role as a store, the People's Co-op also served as a social and educational hub for the residents. It provided a gathering place where community members could exchange ideas, discuss important matters, and organize events.

The Lehi Sugar Mill, also known as the Lehi Sugar Factory, was a sugar beet processing plant. It operated from 1903 to 1924 and was an important part of the local economy during that time.

The establishment of the Lehi Sugar Mill was significant because it marked a shift in the agricultural industry in Utah. Prior to the mill's construction, sugar beets were not widely grown in the area. However, the mill provided an opportunity for farmers to diversify their crops and take advantage of the growing demand for sugar.

The construction of the Lehi Sugar Mill was initiated by David Eccles, a prominent businessman and entrepreneur. Eccles had already successfully established several sugar beet processing plants in other parts of Utah, and he saw potential in Lehi as well. The mill was built by the Amalgamated Sugar Company, which was owned by Eccles.

The Lehi Sugar Mill was a large-scale industrial facility, equipped with modern machinery for processing sugar beets into sugar. It employed hundreds of workers and had a significant impact on the local economy. Farmers in the surrounding areas were encouraged to grow sugar beets, and the mill provided a stable market for their crops.