Wednesday, January 24, 2024
Utah's oldest buildings hide treasures like books, cash or the odd bottle of wine.
Urban Living
Posted By Babs De Lay on January 24, 2024, 4:00 AM
Not only are tens of thousands of visitors in town for the Sundance Film Festival, there's also a multitude coming in to enjoy our fantastic skiing along the Wasatch Front. Many will travel in from the Salt Lake airport and stay somewhere downtown and will likely pass by the Salt Lake temple grounds. But they won't get a great look at the actual temple, as it's currently surrounded by massive scaffolding.
At the end of 2019, the temple closed for seismic retrofitting that should allow it to withstand a 7.3-magnitude earthquake. The work is particularly relevant after a 5.7 quake hit the capital in March of 2020. Locals will remember that Temple damage from that earthquake didn't seem major to passers-by, except that the trumpet held by the statue of Angel Moroni fell to the ground.
The statue is not just for looks; it acts as a lightning rod to prevent damage to electrical systems in the temple. After 128 years of looking over Temple Square, Moroni was removed to repair and update the structure of the statue.
When on top of the building, Moroni sits on a large round granite capstone that contains a time capsule, which was opened in 2020 in the presence of Latter-day Saint church authorities. The treasures they found inside had not been properly protected to last 100-plus years, but there were some juicy bits of history and sacred texts like the Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, two documents by Parley P. Pratt (the namesake of Parley's Canyon), a bible, a copper plate inscribed with "Holiness to the Lord," several unidentified photos and a bunch of change that authorities think construction workers threw in before the capstone was closed.
Time capsules are common in older buildings around the world. In 2016, one was found at the St. George Tabernacle—which also had books and coins inside, but also a bottle of wine! Brigham Young wanted Washington County to be a wine-producing region, and the Church used wine back then during its sacrament services. Sadly, the bottle was laid on its side and the cork popped out over the years, destroying much of the books and paper in the capsule.
The Kaysville Tabernacle also had a time capsule that contained samples of wheat and barley seeds grown in Davis County. Ogden's 63rd and 66th ward buildings also had capsules, which were opened in 1962. In those, they found homemade memorabilia—like a pen given to people who paid $1 to the fund for the building, a knit potholder and a fake flower corsage.
One of the oldest known American time capsules was made by Paul Revere and Sam Adams in Massachusetts and found in 2014 after repairmen were fixing a water leak. It contains a trove of artifacts including coins from the 1600s, a medal with an image of George Washington and a silver plaque, probably made by Revere. The Utah state capitol building has a time capsule that is to be opened in 2122 and the repairs and construction at Temple Square should be completed by 2026.
About The Author
Babs De Lay
A full-time broker/owner of Urban Utah Homes and Estates, Babs De Lay serves on the Salt Lake City Historic Landmark Commission. A writer and golfer, you'll find them working as a staff guardian at the Temple at Burning Man each year.
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