Site of Former Thomas Pioneer Home

Address: 1786 South State Street
The expansion of Orem's culinary water system required the digging of trenches the length and breath of the town, as new residents moved into the community and built homes throughout what was once a sagebrush-covered wasteland. However, some of the farm homes which had been build prior to Orem's incorporating in 1919, were not connected to the culinary water system for more than 40 years. One of those was the home of Daniel Thomas. Encouraging residents to avail themselves of culinary water, Orem offered to connect them to the water mains, if homeowners would provide the plumbing out to the street. One crisp November day in 1937, Thomas was digging his water trench, when he unearthed what appeared to be a large tooth.

Further excavations by University of Utah archaeologists revealed the remains of a hairy mammoth: Ice Age relation of the modern elephant. In a full-blown archaeological dig, according to local newspapers, there was found a complete skeleton of a mammoth that lived in the Great Basin, millennia ago.

Spectators were attracted to the Thomas' property to observe the scientists at work and to view the remains of the extinct animal. Thomas took delight in showing off the mammoth bones to the crowds coming to the dig. The archaeologists wrapped each bone in burlap as it was exhumed from the ground.

The strain of digging the water trench brought on a stroke and Thomas died in January 1938 - two months after finding the mammoth's tooth. The Thomas home was razed in May 1993 to provide a site for the present commercial building. Today, the bones taken from this Orem homestead reside in a private collection at the University of Utah's museum of Natural History. The skull is on public display in the museum, mounted on a block within easy reach of visitors who can touch a fascinating piece of Orem's prehistory.

(Orem Historic Homes and Sites of Interest.  Orem, UT: Historic Preservation Advisory Commission, 2009.) Used with permission.

Site of Former Sharon School

Address:48 West 300 North
To provide badly needed classroom space for grades one through eight, in 1894, Orem's second school was constructed. The Sharon School was named for Sharon, Vermont, the birthplace of Joseph Smith, the founder of the L.D.S. Church. It was build on the northeast corner of 300 North State Street on a two-acre parcel donated by John S. Park. Initial financing came from Mr. Park and Elliott Newell, each of whom contributed $100.00 toward the building.

However, the original structure soon proved inadequate for the number of students and an addition, comprising the east room of the school was erected in 1909.

In the cold weather, the Sharon School was heated by a small stove in a corner of the room with fuel provided by the school district. Older male students took turns retrieving the fuel from a large box at the back of the stove and keeping the stove running. On dark school days or during evening meetings, a kerosene lamp on a corner shelf provided light.

Sharon School was in operation until the end of the 1954-55 school year when it was sold for private use following the erection of a school also named Sharon School located at 500 North 400 East.

The building was then used for several more years for several other purposes, including a dance studio and a preschool. It was torn down in 1990 and a new commercial strip mall was built on the site.

(Orem Historic Homes and Sites of Interest.  Orem, UT: Historic Preservation Advisory Commission, 2009.) Used with permission.

Former Orem City Hall

Address: 870 West Center Street
Although less than 1,200 people constituted the town of Orem when it was incorporated in 1919, there were still matters of business for the community. The first concern addressed by the City founders was the construction of a water distribution system for the residents and a 175,000 gallon tank on the foothill north of the mouth of Provo Canyon. For many years, meetings of the Orem Town Board were held in Mayor Lawrence J. Snow's store for which the rental was $14.00 a year.

The location of the new town hall had been a controversial issue on the 1937 election, in which B.M. Jolley, who favored a location in the center of town, was elected town board president. In 1938, the new Orem Town Board named Trustee W.P. Williams, chairman of a special committee to study the construction or acquisition of a building for a town hall. One of the locations studied was the former home of James G. and Nina V. Stratton.

In 1924, the Strattons, some of Orem's most successful fruit growers, had built a large two-story, prairie-style house at the intersection of State and Center Streets, at a cost of $19,000. The Stratton family was among those hard hit by the Depression, losing the house and the surrounding property to foreclosure by the Utah State Banking Department.

The Town Board purchased the 37 and one-half acre farm and home of the Strattons on February 28, 1938 for $14,000. Thus, the new Town Hall was established as the center of town, and the numbering of the streets and houses was planned to start at that point. The building housed City offices, the Post Office, and City library until 1969 when the city, having outgrown its quarters, built a new City Center on the same site.

Van Washburn bought the building for $100.00 and moved it to its present site on August 10, 1970, where it was eventually converted into an office building.

(Orem Historic Homes and Sites of Interest.  Orem, UT: Historic Preservation Advisory Commission, 2009.) Used with permission.

Knight/Walters/Finch Pioneer Home

Address: 212 South State Street
Newell J. and Eliza Knight constructed this home c. 1909. Mr. Knight was prominent in the establishment of the Garden City Canning Co., one of the major canning companies in the area. He and his father homesteaded 160 acres on the Provo Bench and were one of the first four families to settle in that district. The Knights lived in the home until 1916 when they moved to Idaho.

Thomas and Anna Walters purchased the house in 1916 and raised their family there. They were involved in the early agricultural/fruit-growing industry that helped the Provo Bench thrive during the first half of the 1900's.

In 1926, Joseph and Ethel Davis Finch purchased the home and farmland. The Finches moved to Orem from Goshen were Joseph had worked as a coal miner. They moved to Orem so that they could breathe the pure, fresh air and work with nature in planting and harvesting their fruits and vegetables. The home served a dual role as a residence and as Mr. Finch's office while he served as an Orem City judge and justice of the peace as well as an L.D.S. bishop for several years. The Finches lived in the home until 1974 when Mrs. Finch died.

The type and style of this house indicate the success of these families in the fruit-growing business. The contrast between the humble, classically austere residences of the earlier settlers on the bench and the later Victorian residences is apparent in the extravagant use of architectural details. This is a good example of the Victorian-houses that were popular from 1885 to 1915.

The house itself has received a major addition to the rear, but the interior structure of the original building retains much of its historic integrity. The interior now houses a home decor and gift shop, Planted Earth.

This home has been placed on the National Register of Historic Sites.

(Orem Historic Homes and Sites of Interest.  Orem, UT: Historic Preservation Advisory Commission, 2009.) Used with permission.

Site of Former Spencer Elementary School

Address: 340 East 800 South
Until 1912, only grades one through eight were being taught in schools in Orem. If further education was desired, students had to travel from four to twelve miles to Pleasant Grove or Provo. Many were denied schooling because family finances would not allow for the added expense.

In 1913, one hundred thirty-eight citizens, taxpayers and parents of Lincoln School District wrote a letter to the Alpine High School board requesting that the future needs of the young and growing community be addressed.

Three years later, the Alpine School Board officially began ninth and tenth grades in Orem. They were taught in the two rear rooms of the Spencer School located at 811 South State Street.

In 1921, the Lincoln High School building was completed across the street from the Spencer School. Grades nine through twelve were taught there. Because some students had been attending eleventh grade at other schools the previous year, there were eight students in Lincolns first graduating class in 1922.

Over the years, there were several additions to the original building including an east wing, a music room, an activity and physical education room, an Industrial Arts Annex and finally the lunch room and additional classrooms were built on the east side.

In 1956, Lincoln Junior and Senior High School became Lincoln Junior High School upon the completion of Orem High School. In 1962-63, when Orem Junior High School was built, half the students went there.

Then in 1975-76, Lincoln Junior High School was vacated. The building had been condemned as a fire hazard. Lincoln was closed and demolished with the exception of the Industrial Arts annex which is still standing.

(Orem Historic Homes and Sites of Interest.  Orem, UT: Historic Preservation Advisory Commission, 2009.) Used with permission.

SCERA Theater

Address: 745 South State Street
Sharon's Cultural, Educational, Recreational Association (SCERA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the development and advancement of culture, youth training, education, recreation and affordable family entertainment. It was founded in 1933 by members of the Sharon L.D.S. Stake, including Victor C. Anderson and Arthur V.Watkins.

The aftereffects of the Great Depression had robbed many of lifetime investments in farms and homes. Spirits were low, and worsened with the drowning of a small child in an unprotected canal. SCERA's new leaders met and determined to provide programs and facilities to build the body, enrich the mind, touch the soul, and unity the family. Their first goal was to build a swimming pool. To High School, with families admitted for one dollar per month. With the community rallying behind, donations of materials were also collected and eventually made possible the Rosalawn Swimming Pool, located on the site of the parking lot east of the SCERA Center. A more modern swimming pool was built just north of the original in the 1960's.

Within a few years, the original motion picture program grew in popularity enough to support a new building. The L.D.S. Church donated land for the building with the stipulation that SCERA did not show movies on Sundays and allow the church to use the auditorium for meetings. The new SCERA Show house was financed through $25 bonds purchased by area families and a massive cooperative effort from which came donated labor and materials. Ground was broken on March 23, 1940. The 745-seat Show house opened on September 1, 1941 with a showing of Shepherd of the Hills starring John Wayne.

Since that time, SCERA has continued its unique status by showing only G and PG-rated films. SCERA undertook an expansion of the building in 1995 to a full community center with multipurpose rooms, an art gallery, a second show house and a home for the Orem Heritage Museum. SCERA also owns and operates the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theater, a 4,000-capacity performing arts amphitheater.

Today, SCERA remains true to the vision of its founders.

(Orem Historic Homes and Sites of Interest.  Orem, UT: Historic Preservation Advisory Commission, 2009.) Used with permission.

Orem – Images of America

Some years ago, BYU history professor, Jay H. Buckley was approached by Arcadia Publishing and invited to consider writing a history book about an American City. Among the possibilities were Bridger Valley, Wyoming, where Dr. Buckley is originally from, and Provo. However, just a year previous, Professor Buckley, an Orem resident, had received a phone call from Orem’s mayor Jerry Washburn inviting him to serve on the Orem Historic Preservation Advisory Committee.

In an interview on BYU radio’s Fresh Air, Dr. Buckley explained, “I couldn’t very well write a book on Provo while I was serving on the Orem Historic Preservation Commission…so I said, I’d like to [write] one [about] Orem….I thought it would be interesting to provide some outreach and get into the…localized stories that would enrich and enhance [Orem’s] history.”

The book would be part of a nationwide series of local histories that focuses on the power of photography to celebrate “the history of neighborhoods, towns and cities across the country."

Probably the most significant contribution of Dr. Buckley’s book Orem – Images of America is the “image” part. Old photographs are an integral and exciting part any community’s history, and images of historic-Orem, for a long time, were scattered and largely inaccessible to the public.

This is due in part because years ago, a fire destroyed many of the city's historic materials located at the senior citizen’s center. This incident greatly increased the difficulty of finding photos of Orem’s past. That was the challenge Dr. Buckley took on as he began gathering resources and collecting images for his book.

The result of his efforts, along with undergraduate student Chase Arnold, the Orem Public Library, and other local helpers, together provided our community with this book—a special gem for all interested in Orem and its history.

The book is a collection of 200-plus, high-quality images (mostly black and white) showing Orem’s past.

Informative captions are provided alongside the pictures that present the historical significance of the images in a meaningful way.

The book has a great format with each chapter building on the last. Much of the information presented is unique to the reader and is not found in other historic books about Orem. One such example is Chapter 3: The Power of Nunn where the history of the Olmsted Power Plant (at the entrance of Provo Canyon) is shared. Interestingly, on that site, L. L. Nunn and his brother started a school, making Orem, at that time, one of the only places in the world with a credible electrical engineering program.

Orem – Images of America is a great book to set on the living room table for both family and visitors to view. This brief, yet complete, history offers a special view into Orem’s past for the old and new resident alike.

I also offer my personal thanks to Dr. Buckley for his encouragement and help in sharing the history of Orem with the blogging community.

Orem – Images of America can be accessed at the Orem Public Library or purchased online.

To listen to Dr. Buckley talk about his book, click HERE.

Jay H. Buckley (w/ Chase Arnold & Orem Public Library). Orem [Utah]. Images of America Series

            San Francisco: Arcadia Publishing, 2010. ISBN: 0-7385-788-7