Restore buildings built by pioneers
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The Idaho State Historical Society is spending over half a million dollars of state and federal money this summer to restore buildings constructed by early Mormon Pioneers in Franklin City, Idaho's first city founded in the spring of 1860.
The funds will be used to renovate the Bishop Hatch House, the John Doney House and the Cooperative Mercantile Building. The Hatch House, built in 1872, is one of the first early stone-built, two story "Greek Revival" homes in Idaho.
Brigham Young sent Lorenzo Hill Hatch to Franklin to serve as the second bishop of the town. He served from 1863 until 1875 and also was the first appointed mayor of the town. As part of the remodeling project, the home's lower story will feature historical information panels; some will have information about the Western migration of the Latter-day Saints and the settling of Franklin by pioneers sent by Church leaders to colonize Cache Valley. The restoration project is slated to be completed in September.
The upper story of the house is on tap to be restored by Hatch family descendants in 2009.
"We think the town of Franklin has great historical value.... The interpretive panels will introduce visitors to other historical sites," said Milan Kovach of the Idaho Historical Society.
Also on the list of building restorations is the John Doney Home, the first adobe home in Idaho. It was built by Doney for his wife Ann in 1864 after the pioneers left the fort.
The structure was moved from it's original location in February of 2003 to it's current resting place next to the Hatch House. Restoration of the home will include a new roof and period furniture taken from the collection of donations housed currently in some of the other buildings.
The Cooperative Mercantile, an early ZCMI building, is believed to be the oldest and best preserved commercial building in Idaho. It was constructed in 1870. To restore the building, it will be lifted off of it's foundation and a new floor will be built underneath. The building will then be set back on the new foundation and remodeled and artifacts will be put on display for viewing by the public.
The Relic Hall, built in 1923, houses most of the early Franklin artifacts and is open during the summer months for people passing through. The Franklin Idaho Pioneer Association oversees the activities at the hall. The association members are all town residents interested in preserving the history of Idaho's first settlement.
Besides the many early artifacts housed in Relic Hall, the association has a growing collection of family histories.
The Franklin County Daughters of the Utah Pioneers is doing their part by restoring the old City Hall and jail, installing a new floor in the jail and stabilizing the bell tower.
Franklin was named after prominent Church leader Franklin Richards and was settled by early Church members who came from Cove, Utah.
When the settlement in Cove became substantial enough to support a blossoming community, a group set out to find another place to colonize. On April 16, 1860, a group of 13 pioneers led by Thomas Smart found the banks of the Muddy (Cub) River to be a good location to build a new settlement.
The first homes were wagon boxes with the wheel assemblies taken off. The wheel assemblies were used to haul lumber from the nearby mountains to build homes as conditions improved. The residents didn't realize they were a mile over the Utah border until 1872 when an official survey was made of the town. A replica of the old fort can be found in Relic Hall with the wagon boxes named for the original families who resided there.
