Dedication of the New Mt. Pleasant City Hall
August
23, 1939
An
Address by
Hilda Madsen Longsdorf
Scanned from original manuscript, corrected, edited and formatted for this presentation
by David R, Gunderson.
Mr. Chairman, Mr.
Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen:
I do feel highly
honored to have been asked to give this part on today’s program, and I hope I
may say some things old, yet new, and. interesting to you.
The
history of Mt. Pleasant and the people of the community
is a very interesting study, there were many phases, conditions and problems,
and it seems each administration has had its own particular problems.
Since
this occasion is the dedication of the New City Hall,
it was thought perhaps the stories of the city halls and the buildings of the
past administrations might be a most interesting topic today.
Mt. Pleasant was granted a charter by the Territorial Government,
Feb 20th 1868. On May the 5th the following officers were
chosen:
- First Mayor:
W.
S. Seely, and as
- First City
Council Members:
Jacob
Christensen,
Peter M. Peel,
Jens Jorgensen
N. Peter Madsen, and
Joseph Page.
They made the
following appointments:
1. George
Farnsworth – Recorder,
2. Andrew Madsen – Treasurer,
3. Edward Cliff – Assessor,
4. Paul
Dehlin – Road Supervisor, and
5. O.
Seely – Marshal.
It does not state where
this administration met. Only three short items are recorded concerning this first City Council, one of these tells that Joseph Page was appointed Mayor Pro. Temp. At another,
it was moved and carried that the $45.00 paid to the Indians should be taken
from the treasury.
On May the 2nd 1870 Joseph Page was elected Mayor, and
records state that on May the 7th , the council met in the hall, this no doubt was the Social Hall, which
was the first meeting house built out side the fort.
They next met on July the 4th, at Andrew Madsen’s home, next
at Anthon Lund’s home, then at the Third Ward School, then at the Forth
Ward School
house, the Telegraph Office, the Second
Ward School
room, Joseph Page’s residence, and so on making the rounds again.
Some of the problems of the early administrations were
fence lines, irrigation ditches,
irrigation rights, obtaining clear titles to property, to license or not
to license the sale of liquor, establishing stray ponds, ordinances pertaining
to meat marketers, to butchering, to duties of the polices and many other ordinances
needed in a new community.
From the minutes of a
session held in the Second Ward school house, in 1874,
the following is copied:
“The council, then
took into consideration the plausibility of building a city hall and jail, and
it was moved and seconded that the council proceed to build the same, at least,
as far as to finish the basement or the lower rooms this year. Paul Dehlin and
Andrew Madsen were appointed, as a committee, to locate said building and decide on
dimensions of same, and estimate the cost.”
The minutes of the
next meeting state:
“The
Dehlin and Madsen committee appointed at last meeting gave report on subject of
city hall, Madsen, Dehlin and Mayor Page were appointed to see to the erection
of said hall, and to locate same and as far as circumstances would allow, to
engage the labor for same, at best terms for the city.”
Later at a meeting
held at the Second Ward school house, it was recorded:
“The
question of the city hall was again brought up, and it was decided that it
would not be wise to build, or commence building of the hall at present, but to
arrange to rent a place for a lockup. Bennett and Monson were appointed to rent
a house and repair same sufficient to make it safe to hold prisoners, and were
authorized to draw on the treasury for means necessary for same.”
Later a bill for $10.00 was presented and paid.
And thus, after eight years of shifting from place to place,
disappeared their first
dream of a city hall.
Dec. 1875, John
Waldermar and W. W. Brandon were appointed
a committee to rent
and furnish a building to be used as a lockup.
From the minutes of a
meeting held in the post office in 1876, the following is taken:
"'On the subject of a room for city council
meetings, Councilor A. H. Bennett reported that a room belonging to P. M. Peel,
could be had at a reasonable price. The council agreed to rent the room and Bennett
and Page were appointed to make terms for the same.”
The next meeting was held in the Peel room, and it was
reported that arrangements
had been made for same at $ 2.00 a month. The action of the committee was
unanimously indorsed. Andrew Madsen and Peter Monson were appointed to get one
dozen Chairs at the best terms possible. And this, after twelve years, was the
first temporary home, the council had known, and was referred to in the minutes
as the Mayors office.
It seems the question of the lockup was not yet satisfactorily settled,
In 1877, Andrew Madsen, as a committee of one, was appointed to select
and negotiate
for some building suitable for a city lockup, Madsen later reported, he was able
to
get the former building used, but that it was in need of much repair. The
matter was
fully discussed, and laid over to hear, from A. H. Bennett, as to a contract to
build
a good substantial lockup.
From the minutes of a meeting held Oct 24th is copied:
“The Mayor stated, the object of the meeting was to
take into consideration the propriety of building a lockup, with height enough
to admit a general city office above, this giving room for all city purposes
and save rent and contingent expanses. After some discussion as to the finances
to meet the expenses of said building, Mr. A. H. Bennett presented his
specifications, in three divisions
First, The lookup proper, finished and
completed, to the
expectance of the city council for. $275.00.
Second, With
additional room above, completed for $100.00 more, thus a total of $375.00.
Third, In event of the council desiring only
the lockup, to
finish
same thoroughly, save the contractor put on a
temporary roof’ at an
agreed on price, less than $275.00.
Some discussion was had on the necessity of inviting proposals to build
said building. The Council decided that time and necessity of the building, the
known honor of the contracting party, his intimacy with the financial
conditions of the city, his terms proposed of payment, and that none perhaps
could be found to take the contract, and thoroughly complete the same, and that
no version of building would be required, it being left to Bennett, therefore, it
was unanimously resolved, to build said lockup, agreeable to the contingency
that may arise as to the finances in the matter of completion, and the contract
was awarded to A. H. Bennett.
A motion was made and carried that the Mayor make all arrangements, for
the building and paying therefore with the contractor. On motion that the
recorder prepare a contract, agreeable to the specifications submitted, which
contract shall be duly signed by the contractor, with two approved signers, to
the acceptance of the Mayor, and that said contract shall be on file in the
recorder’s office.
The contract was duly signed and placed in recorder David
Candland’s office. Mayor Page, Madsen and Bennett were appointed a committee on
location of the building.
In December, the
following was recorded:
“The committee on receiving the City Hall from the
hands of the contractor, reported favorable and that the speciation had on the part of
the contractor .been faithfully carried out. Upon its acceptance by the
council, $250.00 was allowed Bennett in full price of the lockup, and
co-operation notes were drawn up, bearing 1&½ per cent interest per
month from maturity. Contractor Bennett delivered the keys to the Mayor; the Mayor
delivered two keys to the Marshal. The Marshal was instructed to get ‘bedding’
and Councilor Peter Monsen to get a suitable stove. Records show the stove was
purchased for $7.00.”
Thus with the erection of the jail, but with out the extra rooms, faded
their dream number two of a City Hall.
The Council then decided to vacate its present quarters, where they paid
Joseph Page $2.00 a month, and meet over the Post Office.
A year later, it was agreed, upon motion of Councilor Monson, to fence
the city jail or lockup, with lumber twelve feet high.
The lockup referred to was a building erected of rock and had been
built on the public square or North Fort (Now ‘1939’ the North Sanpete High
School block), which, at that time, was surrounded by a rock wall.
Few claim they ever saw the inside of this lockup.- but many do
remember a prisoner, who, in the early hours of the morning, would sit upon the roof of the building and
sing the popular songs of the day. This, however, was after the high board
fence had been placed around it.
The story is told that,
prior to the installation of the fence, a policeman, and by the way there were
many of them, after locking up a prisoner, when turning a corner on Main Street, came
face to face with the very prisoner he had just locked up.
Another story of later date
is that of a prisoner who started a fire on the floor, in the center of the
room. And, but for the timely arrival of Marshal, Joseph Monson, would surely
have suffocated.
In 1881, a room for council
meetings was secured at Bishop Seeley’s home, for $1.25 a month. Later they met
up-stairs over the co-op store, in the South Brick school house, up stairs in
the Wasatch: Mercantile building and perhaps in other places not named. It was
a difficult matter to check their trail.
In 1888, Councilor Syndegaard
called attention to the city jail, and said it was not a fit place to put a
prisoners. Later Marshal Burns reported the jail had been repaired and he thought
it was now a comfortable place to retain prisoners.
In 1890, during John Carter’s term as Mayor, again the
subject of a city hall was discussed. The council favored erecting a water works
system, instead of a hall, if the City must be bonded for either.
And thus, that city hall dream again faded away. (Number
Three)
In 1895, during the time that Abram Johnson was Mayor,
the record states:
“Considerable discussion was indulged in by the council,
in regards to the
immediate construction of a city hall, and the Mayor was authorized to procure
plans etc. and it was resolved that it be the purpose of this council, to erect a city hall, at an aggregate sum of from four
to five thousand dollars, at as early a time as practicable, and that we
proceed during the present year to excavate for basement and build foundation
of said building. July 15th Architect Watkins presented the plans
for the proposed city hall. The plans submitted were for a two story building
with the jail in the basement, a council chamber, police court, vault and three
offices on the first floor, one office and a public hall on the second floor. Aggregate
cost to be $5,500.00. It was discussed
for some time, finally disposed of by appointing a committee to prepare an
estimate of current income and expenses of the city, with the object in view to
ascertain what available funds the city could command. July 19th the
subject of erecting a city hall was again taken into consideration, and
discussed as to weather said building should be constructed or not. A motion
was made to lay the matter over indefinitely, while the motion was lost, no
farther action was taken”.
And thus faded dream number
four of a City Hall.
In 1896, during N. S. Nielsen’s term as mayor, at the time
of the building of the
Central or Hamilton School, School Trustees, Ericksen and Jensen, representing
the
School Trustees, met with the council, to confer with them, in regards to disposing
of the North School house. Council took the matter
under consideration
No farther mention is
made of a City Hall was made until 1898, during the time
that Ferninand Ericksen was Mayor when the following discussion took place:
(By then, the City Council had been wandering about homeless for 30 years.)
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North Brick School remodeled into Mt. Pleasant’s First City
Hall (1898) |
“School
trustees Johnson and Jensen appeared for the purpose of making a proposition for
the transfer of the North Brick school house to the city. It was moved and
carried that it be the sense of the council that they purchase the house,
providing the offer of the School trustees meets the approval of the council. Mr.
Johnson stated that after through consider-ation, the school trustees had
concluded to ask the sum of $2,000.00. On motion of' councilman Sorenson, a com-mittee
of three were appointed, to visit the School house for the purpose of
ascertaining the condition of the property. On Feb. 4th the council met in special
session, the committee reported
the school. Building to be in better condition than anticipated, and recommended
the purchase of the building at fifteen hundred dollars, which Mr. Johnson of the
school trustees stated they had decided to accept the offer. It was moved, and carried to purchase same and
to pay the school board, $500.00 down, $500.00 in six months and $500.00, again
in nine months. Notes were issued bearing interest at 5 per cent per annum from
date of purchase.”
“A motion was made to reconsider motion,
motion lost.”
The committee on improvements were instructed to take immediate action,
and in due time after thoroughly remodeling the building, installing a heating
plant, a vault, cells and suitable office furniture, It became an up to date,
and creditable City Hall. And dream number
five, came true, when the council met in their session, in
the first real home the Mt.
Pleasant City
council had ever known.
But, that, was forty years ago.
We are here today, in honor of dream number six, and to dedicate the new Mt. Pleasant City Hall of 1939.
 |
Mt. Pleasant’s New (1939) City Hall
Pictures
of the “Old” and “New” City Halls are from the Book, “Mt. Pleasant”
By Hilda M. Longsdorf - 1939 |
