Oneida Stake Academy

Recollections: OSA excerpts from Newell's Hart's Cache Valley Newsletter

2012-02-22T11:55:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Newell Hart's granddaughter, Sorel Frew, who provided the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation with a collection of comments regarding the Oneida Stake Academy, which originally appeared in Hart's Cache Vally Newsletter (CVN) from 1969 to 1982, we present Recollections.

Daines Famiy gathers at OSA to film for visual history of Newel Daines

From March 1978 CVN

“Attorney Daines, of Preston/Logan, died in 1959 at the age of 64. Arrangements were made with me [Hart] by Preston family member, Lois D. Griffeth. In charge of tech filming and sound was a son, Atty. S. R. Daines, of Logan, assisted by his sister, Beulah Daines Burgoyne of Salt Lake City. Present as spectators and participants were Lydia Daines Smith, wife of Harold Smith of Logan, and Newel's widow, Verna Rainey Daines, formerly of Star Valley, Wyoming.

“Various family members posed at specific places where things pertaining to Newel’s life occurred, or where Academy or other memories could be recalled … Lois on he front steps, beneath the great carved stone corbel, reciting her first memories of her older brother, how he came home from World War I and how he gave her a warm hug; Lydia, against the double doors of the heavy auditorium entrance, recalling stories of Newel doing this over here and something else in another area of the room, and later, elsewhere, discussing some of the songs popular in her brother’s era and which were danced to at the Academy; Verna, recalling Newel’s story where he and Charley Cutler plotted to steal some of Dr. Cutler’s chickens for a gala fast.

And since I have been working on the restoration, and since I was named after Newel Daines, I was also drafted into the action… reposed near the podium I built from Central School doors, saying a few things about the closeness of the Daines/Hart families, and also a little about the Story of the Academy.

“Later the troupe went to other places in town to do more segments, including one at the front porch of the classic old Joseph S. Geddes place on Second East and Oneida – now the Lois D. Griffith home. [In 2012, this is where Kathy Kunz's home has been built.]

“Otherwise at the Academy: We are again doing window work, replacing cracked panes on the main floor. We have completed the old Faculty Room, and adjacent office of the principal. A key has been turned over to the county DUP captain, Anne Clements, so that she and her group can transform the space into their first-ever, very own County Camp headquarters. Publicity shots will soon show the ladies hard at work.

“Window replacement has now shifted to the room across the hall, to the east, to take care of the last stages of this big job. This old classroom, which Madison Merrill told me last summer was once the Academy Library, will eventually become the memorabilia Room of the Oneida Academy and its successor, the Preston High School.”

Update - OSA building's new gable parts to be assembled

2012-02-08T15:59:00.001-08:00

The building's name carved in stone.

The frame which will hold the newly carved rock or the academy.

New end-piece and date stone. The OSA was assembled between 1890 and 1894. It was dedicated in 1895.

Pieces of the new gable for the Oneida Stake Academy building are coming together in the shops of Kepco and State Stone in Salt Lake City. Most of the stones inscribed with words have been completed, as well as end pieces, the star and date stone. These stones, as well as hand-carved face stones will be fitted into the frame, which is now being galvanized.

Once the newly carved stones are attached to the frame, it will be transported to Preston, and lifted into place.
The Oneida Stake Academy Foundation appreciates the public's support of the restoration of the Oneida Stake Academy building as a cultural center and museum of local history, said Oneida Stake Academy Foundation chairman, Nathan Hale. Once completed, the building's top floor ballroom will be available to the public for use as a setting for weddings, receptions, reunions and other community events.

Events committee formed

A recently organized events committee has begun planning events that will be sponsored through the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation upon completion of the building's restoration. The OSAF board intends to be able to open the building for use in honor of the 100th birthday of Franklin County next year.

To learn more about this historic restoration one can go to www.oneidastakeacademyfoundation.com or contact any member of the foundation: Nathan and Sydney Hale, Elliott Larsen, Larry Bradford, Lyle Fuller, Ed Moser, James Brown, Kim Wilson, Joseph Linton, Paul Judd and Necia Seamons, and Paul and Sharon Norton who serve as volunteer consultants.

Online donations now possible

Furthermore, donations to the OSA restoration can now be made online through PayPal at the above website address. To make a donation in the name of someone else, please note your intent in the special instructions box on the donation site. Donations can also be sent to the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation, P.O. Box 555, Preston, Idaho 83263. All contributions are tax-deductible.

Eccles & anonymous donor move fund-raising over half-way mark

2011-12-31T15:55:00.000-08:00

The Oneida Stake Academy in 1917.

The board of the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation was notified of $200,000 in grants just before Christmas. Half of it came from an anonymous alumni and the other half from the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation.

“Wow, what a thrill,” said OSAF chairman, Nathan Hale. “We are very excited and very grateful for the generosity of the kind people behind these donations.”

These funds bring the total of funds raised in 2011 to $620,000. Of that amount $505,000 is in cash and $115,000 is in-kind donations.

“We are over half-way to the finish line,” said Hale. Another $2.9 million is expected to be needed to complete the academy’s restoration as a community center/ museum of local history.

Following direction from the board’s architect, Joseph Linton, and construction expert, Ed Moser, the board will meet in January to decide which phase of the academy’s restoration will be completed next.

Meanwhile, Keith Mackay of State Stone and his craftsmen continue to prepare the building to receive a new stone gable next month. This gable replaces one that fell out of the building in the 1960s. It is being built into a metal frame by Kepco, an engineering company located in Salt Lake City.

The following link takes you to an article published Dec. 30, 2011, by the Herald Journal in Logan, Utah, regarding this donation.
Herald Journal

Update - New rock placed above front windows

2011-12-27T09:21:00.000-08:00

New blocks of stone sit above the Oneida Stake Academy's front windows, in preparation for the new gable which will be installed at the first of 2012. In addition, new blocks cut from stone taken from the academy's original quarry, have replaced highly deteriorated stone. As funds are raised, craftsmen from State Stone of Salt Lake City, Utah, will replace all severely deteriorated stone on the building, such as those at the bottom left of this picture.

Update - Weather damaged rock cut away for new gable

2011-12-15T10:16:00.000-08:00

A close-up of the first steps to replacing the long- lost stone gable, shows where severely weather-damaged rock was cut away by craftsmen at State Stone of Salt Lake City. They will fill this space with new blocks of stone anchored to the existing building by stainless steel rods.

Over the last six months, craftsmen of State Stone have carved individual rocks for the gable by following historic photos of the academy and using a few of the original stones salvaged from the earthquake by the late Newell and Ruth Hart as guides. Kepco engineers have designed a three-paneled steel frame into which each numbered stone is being placed. This rock-filled frame will be lifted into place and a final application of historic mortar will be applied between the rock, said Mackay.

Update - Gable to be restored

2011-12-09T13:04:00.000-08:00

Thanks to generous individuals, the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation is able to replace the academy's front gable, which has been covered by a wooden facade for the last 49 years. The building's original stone gable fell from the building during an earthquake.

To see an example of the process being utilized to restore the gable, see the following link: KEPCO

According to Keith Mackay, owner of State Stone, the process being used to restore the gable is the same process used in the construction of the current Nauvoo Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and to repair the Utah State Capitol building.

Over the last six months, craftsmen of State Stone have carved individual rocks for the gable by following historic photos of the academy and using a few of the original stones salvaged from the earthquake by the late Newell and Ruth Hart as guides. Kepco engineers have designed a steel frame into which each numbered stone is being placed. This rock-filled frame will be lifted into place and a final application of historic mortar will be applied between the rock, said Mackay.

Once the gable is in place, roofing, which began last fall, will be completed, said OSAF board member, Ed Moser. The restored gable will feature an ornament that hasn’t been seen on the academy for generations. Carved stars once crowned each of the gables, and the installation of this newly restored gable includes a star for the front of the building.

“We are so very excited to see this part of the building put into place,” said Moser.

The improvements made to the academy’s restoration this year have been funded by gifts from the family of an anonymous alumni, the Murdock Charitable Trust, the Idaho Transportation Department’s Scenic Byways Program, Jim Gilmur, Nathan S. Hale and dozens of individual donors this year, said Elliott Larsen, executive director of the OSAF.

With this step completed, restoration efforts will turn back to the inside of the building, where walls and floors will be reinforced to stand another century of service.

Fund-raising efforts are in full swing in order to help the OSAF complete the restoration project by the summer of 2013 in honor of the 100^th birthday of Franklin County, said fundraising chair, Saundra Hubbard.

All donations to the restoration of the Oneida Stake Academy building are tax-deductible, as the foundation is registered with the IRS as a non-profit entity. To help with the academy’s restoration as a community center and museum of local history, contribution can be sent to the OSAF at P.O. Box 555, Preston, Idaho, 83263, or by making a contribution online on this blog or at www.oneidastakeacademy.org.

1918 OSA Basketball Champions

2011-11-28T20:51:00.000-08:00


Top Middle: Ezra Taft Benson. Bottom right (laying down): Clarence Mitchell. Other people in the picture remain unidentified. If you recognize one of them, please comment and help us find out who they are.

Wearing uniforms made for them by the home economics class, the members of the 1918 OSA Championship Basketball Team and their coaches pose for a picture. This picture was provided by Kathy Goble, of Salt Lake City, through her nephew Scott Mitchell, of Cache Valley. Goble is the daughter of Clarence Mitchell and Wilba Greene, both of Riverdale, a small farming community northeast of Preston.

OSA Lego Model garners sweepstakes

2011-11-10T15:20:00.000-08:00

John and Brandon Olsen made a replica of the Oneida Stake Academy and brought home the sweepstakes ribbon from the Franklin County Fair in August 2011.


Their replica contained fund-raising details. The twins hope to see the building restored soon.

A trip through the Oneida Stake Academy inspired 13-year-old Olsen twins to build a model from Legos of the historical building for the Franklin County Fair. Complete with miniature signs inviting the public to support the restoration of the academy the model won the boys a sweepstakes ribbon at the fair.

John and Brandon Olsen “love history,” said their mother, Cherise. Instead of playing video games like a lot of kids their age, the boys are often found looking for history on things like the old Sugar Factory in Whitney.

In fact, she discovered, the brothers spent nearly every day of summer in the Relic Hall on Franklin’s main street.

“They would come home and tell me things they found out, especially about their ancestors,” she said. Both the boys’ parents appreciate the value of knowing history, as well.

“You need to know where you’ve been to know where you are going,” she said. Her husband, Tracy, was involved in the restoration of the old jail in Franklin several years ago.

Then when the brothers found out that the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation (OSAF) was giving tours of the building over That Famous Preston Night Rodeo weekend, they started pestering their dad to go.

While there, they discovered their father’s name among hundred of others scrawled inside the building’s attic and bell tower. “Tracy had forgotten about it,” said Cherise.

That night, John pulled out his stash of Legos, and started building the Oneida Stake Academy. When he ran out of Legos, he solicited Brandon’s help, and his Lego stash, and together, they continued. When their combined collection of Legos ran out, their cousin, Mark Nate, agreed to lend his Lego stash to the project. All totaled, there are 1,523 Legos in the model.

Using the architectural drawings in a brochure on the academy they had collected and images of the building from Google Earth and the OSAF blog, the boys were able to replicate the building’s dimensions correctly. “It’s as close as they could get with what they had,” said their mother.

“The signs were their idea, too,” she said. “It’s amazing to me to watch them do this. They do better when we don’t help them. We just let them be creative.”

Since bringing home their model and sweepstakes ribbons, John has built a virtual Lego replica of the academy as well.

“I don’t know how he knows how to do this,” she said, but her boys “love knowledge” and get involved in many of their own projects. They’ve also built virtual replicas of the sugar factory and the junior high school buildings.

The boys would like to donate the model to the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation, but they need to find a way to replace their cousin’s Legos before they do.

“If anyone is discarding their old Lego collections, we’d love them,” said Cherice.

Thank you!

2011-10-25T11:13:00.000-07:00

The OSAF would like to express appreciation to Jay Hansen for the wonderful job he did this summer, taking care of the academy lot. It looked great and we appreciate all the hours he put into it.

A Century of Signatures

2011-10-13T12:30:00.000-07:00

Dorothy Hall and Margaret Foss

With roof repairs going on, light has filled the attic of the academy illuminating the signatures of some alumni who left their mark on the academy. See who you recognize, then click here (DONATE) to send in a contribution that will help preserve this building that embodies so much of our community's heart and soul.

An attempt has been made to identify who some of these signatures belong to. Please comment if mistakes have been made.

Doug Smith, Brittanie Stokes '98, Deon '79, Tess '94, Eric '79, Eric Hampton '82 and more..

Verlan Corbridge '47, Mark '79, Donna Elaine Wildon Evans '47, Wayne Cole, '41, Kristie Smith, Marlene Hollingsworth '49, Roger Spark '80, Joseph Hansen, Kris Mikesell '79, Allen Fryar, Eric Lindhardt 2004 and more...

Marlow Palmer '78, Bryan Bambrough '75, Toni Shumway '93, Kay Andersen, Todd M., Shawn Oliverson '04, Sidney Atkinson '69?, Dale Andra '80, Jeremy Andra, Machelle, Kimberly, Anthony, Eric and Jennifer Andra, Orlan Hall 1918, O. Corbridge, Reed Larsen '35?, Ken Hobbs '03, Robert LeFever, '82, Kate Moser 2002

Brad Palmer '67, J. Parker 2003, Kelly Cazier, 19?6, Ryan Hoffman '83, Raymond Poole '68, ? Auger Class of '38, Arnold Auger Class of '38, Minnie ? '22, Jim Hill'79?, Arnold Johnson '22, Arlinda Lin, George Monson, Brent Nash '82, Scott Seamons, Mark Checketts, and more ..

Kim Smith '75, Peggy Steele, Snake '91, Janice Toni, Britt, Andé '93, Doug West, Earl Stark '45, Brooke '79.

Update - Rafter reinforcements

2011-10-12T08:39:00.000-07:00

Travis Dahle and Shad Moser and their crew have been in the academy's rafters the last few days upgrading the connection between the rafters and the walls.

This will improve the the academy's ability to resist damage should there be another earthquake.

Update - Roof work continues

2011-09-19T21:41:00.000-07:00

Roof work continues atop the Oneida Stake Academy today, as employees of Randy Meek Roofing strip off old shingles and prepare the roof for a water-tight winter.

To help with the restoration of the Academy now, you can click on this link: Donate via Paypal

Public invited to match Murdock Trust funds

2011-09-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

The board members of the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation (OSAF), is extending an invitation to the public to help them match a final $50,000 grant from the Murdock Charitable Trust. In 2007, the Trust awarded a $150,000 grant to the OSAF based on a 3:1 match requirement.

Last month, an anonymous donor contributed $100,000 towards the academy’s restoration. That gift was added to $50,000 previously given to the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation, and the first match was made.

Following that, another anonymous gift of stone, valued at $158,00 was made to the OSAF, making it possible for the OSAF to request the second $50,000 of the grant from the Murdock Trust.

Those requests have been honored and the Murdock Trust recently sent $100,000 to the OSAF. The funds will be used to pay engineers and craftsmen who are now designing a new stone façade to be placed where the building’s original front façade fell out during an earthquake in the 1960s. Work on the roof is also being completed.


Saundra Hubbard is the Fund-raising Committee Chairman for the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation. -Photo courtesy of Preston City.

Working with OSAF Fund-raising Chairman, Saundra Hubbard, the OSAF board is confident that as the public joins with them, the match for the final $50,000 will be met before their November 2011 deadline.

“When we initially sought funds to move the academy building to Benson Park, so many people gave what they could that Congressman Mike Simpson was persuaded to seek public funding for the move. Those small, individual donations added up to just over $100,000 back then,” said OSAF Executive Director, Elliott Larsen.

“Furthermore, when the building was originally constructed, all funds needed came from individuals willing to participate in this important venture, giving what they could. That is one of the reasons the building is so important to their descendants,” said OSAF chairman, Nathan Hale. It was his great-grandfather, Solomon Hale, who superintended raising the funds for the academy’s original construction.

“We believe that working together brings about the best results,” said Hubbard. A simple formula for raising $175,000 is to have 100 people willing to give $100, 100 people willing to give $250 and 100 people to give $500.

“As we work with sponsors capable of helping with the restoration in a much larger way, they are always interested in knowing what kind of local community support there is. This is a good way to show it,” said Hubbard.

All donations to the restoration of the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation (OSAF) are tax-deductible, as the OSAF is a non-profit foundation. Donations may be sent to the OSAF at P.O. Box 555, Preston, Idaho 83263.

Donations may also be made NOW through Paypal by clicking on this link: Donate via Paypal

Fabulous weekend

2011-08-01T15:59:00.000-07:00

A steady stream of alumni and visitors were able to tour the Oneida Stake Academy Building over Rodeo weekend. Members of the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation Board of Directors cleaned up the interior of the building and set up the OSA video "Within These Walls" in the classroom on the building's main floor.

Visitors were able to see each of the academy's rooms, including a peek into the doorway of the bell tower with its century of signatures from the school's alumni. As they peered into the rooms in which they once studied, memories of their school days bubbled to the surface and they giggled as they shared their tales with board members.

DeMar Tippets remembers the LAST time he and his buddies tried to sneak into and out of the building without getting captured by the school's superintendent.

"I slipped going out of the window and landed on the recently pruned bushes, which tore my pants and left a knot in my rump for weeks," he smirked. Unfortunately, he had to suffer in silence to escape the wrath of his parents.

Alvaro Jones and his son both recalled taking shop in the main room on the main floor, which will become a museum of local history up on its restoration. Jones the elder took shop from Asael Bell and Jones the younger took it from Larry Biggs. He recalled the day the shop teacher's demonstration on the lathe resulted in a concussion for the teacher and the day off for the students. Apparently, a bowl the teacher was working on broke and hit him in the head.

Another of Bigg's students showed the footprint of a wall that once stood in the same room, as it was part of a closet that had been built to store tools.

One man remembered attending the last school dance held in the spacious ballroom, and others told of taking band classes from Lyle Shipley there.

Younger visitors voiced their hopes of having their own wedding receptions in that room someday soon.

Alumni willing to share their memories are invited to leave them in the comment section below this post.

Not only did the building's many alumni and visitors share their memories and favorable impressions, but they often left what cash they had in their pockets. Others left offers to volunteer their expertise or pledges to fund various stages of the academy's restoration.

"We appreciate the public's support as we continue to raise the funds necessary to finish this restoration for them to celebrate Franklin County's 100th birthday in 2013," said board member Elliott Larsen.

OSAF Drawing

2011-07-12T14:48:00.000-07:00


This watercolor was among several items bequeathed to the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation from Basil and Randy Haberstick, the folks who purchased and renovated Newell and Ruth Hart's Home. They found it in boxes left in the home's attic spaces. If you have more information as to how this picture of the academy was used, please make a comment below and let us know!

Generous anonymous grant allows construction to continue

2011-06-28T15:29:00.000-07:00

Keith Mackay, president of State Stone, is preparing rock to be replaced in the front gable of the 121-year-old Oneida Stake Academy Building. It will feature the name of the building engraved into the rocks, as it appeared originally.

June 24, 2011

The Oneida Stake Academy Foundation (OSAF) received today a gift of $100,000 from the family of a Preston High School alumni who wishes to remain anonymous. This is the initial installment of a larger gift promised by the family, said Nathan Hale, chairman of the board of the OSAF.

The gift qualifies the foundation for an additional $50,000 from the Murdock Charitable Trust, of Washington. These matching funds were promised to the foundation in 2008 upon meeting the Murdock Trust’s match requirements.

This $150,000 will be used by the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation to repair the front façade of the building, which fell out during an earthquake in the 1960s. The building’s name, once etched into that portion of the building, will be matched by master stonemasons under the direction of Keith Mackay, of State Stone in Salt Lake City.

Stone to be used for the project is either reclaimed from that earthquake’s rubble or was taken from the academy’s original quarry on a hill north of Franklin by Mackay a few years ago.

Among other clients Mackay works extensively with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on their stone-laying projects. He was the project stone coordinator in the reconstruction of the Nauvoo Temple, which was dedicated in 2002. State Stone repairs and maintain the stone in older buildings such as the Manti Temple, and have restored the stonework on several historical chapels.

He directed the repair of the damaged corner on the Oneida Stake Academy in 2006. Mackay, now in his 80s, is passionate about his craft, and the Oneida Stake Academy holds a special place in his heart. He is the nephew of OSA alum, Harold B. Lee, and spent much of his youth in the Lee home.

“I want to see that building done,” he said. He spent much of his own funds to obtain the rights to quarry the stone for the academy's repairs.

The board members of the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation are thrilled with the financial support just received, and invite other Preston High alumni to join the cause.

Tax-deductible donations can be made to the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation and sent to P.O. Box 555, Preston, Idaho. At present, all funds raised will be pooled to meet the requirements of an additional $50,000 from the Murdock Trust.

Update - Original columns reinstalled in OSA building's basement

2011-04-19T14:13:00.000-07:00

Carpentry classes were offered in the basement of the Oneida Stake Academy in 1904. Today, the same columns pictured in this historical photo have been re-installed (right) where they will again grace the main room of the academy building’s basement.

(Note how nicely those young men are dressed as they work on their exceptional carpentry projects on the back wall.)

* This article recently appeared in the Tourist Edition of The Preston Citizen

By NECIA P. SEAMONS

Construction continues on the 121-year-old Oneida Stake Academy building as it is prepared to become a cultural center for the community upon its complete restoration.

The academy is the alma mater of U. S. Secretary of State Ezra Taft Benson as well as his upperclassman, Harold B. Lee, both who became presidents of the world-wide Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They and other philanthropists will be recognized in the building upon its restoration. The Oneida Stake Academy is one of the longest used of the approximately 35 academies built in the west by the LDS Church over a century ago. It is one of five still standing and the only one left in Idaho.

A $30,000 grant received from the National Scenic Byways Program last fall provided for the original cast-iron columns in the basement to be re-installed and for roof repairs to be made as soon as the weather clears.

“Installation of the columns and roof repair is a vital part of the restoration process and an important step that needed to be taken,” said Nathan Hale, chairman of the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation. Jeff Call, of Preston, installed the columns.

Restoration work on the academy advances as funds are raised for that purpose.

Once completed, the academy building will feature a museum of local history, a turn-of-the-century classroom, and an information center for the Pioneer Scenic Byway and gift shop. The entire top floor of the building will be available to the public for events such as weddings, receptions, reunions, concerts, art shows, etc. Rent for hosting such events will be used to maintain the building.

Additionally, the courtyard will increase the building’s value to the community as a location for outdoor receptions, concerts and dramatic presentations.

For more information on the Oneida Stake Academy’s history and restoration, see www.oneidastakeacademy.blogspot.com.

To help, the public is invited to contact members of Oneida Stake Academy Foundation: Nathan and Sydney Hale, Elliott Larsen, Lyle Fuller, Larry Bradfield, Paul Judd,

Necia Seamons, Ed Moser, Joseph Linton and Kim Wilson. All donations are tax-deductible, as the OSAF is a 501(c)3 non-profit foundation recognized by the Internal Revenue Service.

Education in Zion

2011-04-07T15:36:00.000-07:00

"Education in Zion" is a permanent exhibition on display at the Joseph F. Smith Building on the BYU Campus. Included in the display is information on the Oneida Stake Academy, which was first organized in Franklin, Idaho, in 1888. Two years later, construction began on the building which would house the Oneida Stake Academy in Preston. This is the building which is presently being restored for public use.

By clicking on the following link, you will be able to see a series of videos produced for that exhibition. Selecting the one entitled Academies in Every Stake
provides information that relates to the building of the academies across the west.

Larsen volunteers to be OSAF’s first executive director

2011-03-30T15:01:00.000-07:00

Elliott Larsen has been named Executive Director of the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation (OSAF). With efforts to complete the restoration of the Oneida Stake Academy Building in Preston, Idaho, as a museum/community center, the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation recently restructured itself to better accommodate its workload.

Larsen is serving in the position on a volunteer, non-paid basis, as are all directors on the board of the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation. He is also serving as treasurer for the OSAF – a position he has filled since the formation of the foundation eight years ago.

Other members of the board are Nathan Hale as chairman, Lyle Fuller as vice-chair, Sydney Hale as secretary, Larry Bradford, Joseph Linton, Kim Wilson, Paul Judd and Necia Seamons.

Volunteering their time as fund-raising consultants are Preston natives Paul Norton and his wife, Sharon. Norton’s career with public television centered on fund-raising. He has been instrumental in raising funds for the Logan Regional Hospital Cancer Center, Utah State University and the American West Heritage Center.

“We are extremely fortunate to have Larsen step up to this position as we progress in the academy’s restoration,” said OSAF chairman Nathan Hale.

“He has this mild mannerism that is pleasant to be around and would cause one to misjudge him as being a laid back person, but in actuality he is everything but that. He just goes about doing what has to be done without being told until the job is done and sets the example for others; to me he is the perfect person to fill the position of executive director,” Hale said.

Larsen, a former school teacher and accountant by trade, recently retired from 16 years as the clerk for Franklin County. He is devoting more of his time to the restoration of the Oneida Stake Academy and is eager to see it become a cultural center for the community.

"I am excited to be involved in this historic effort as the executive director. I am grateful for the community support and feel the urgency to get the restoration completed ASAP. The Academy will once again become a community icon of which we all can be proud," said Larsen.

When completed the building will be self-supporting as funds to maintain it will be raised from usage fees.

The top floor of the academy is one large, elegant ballroom. This room will be available to the public for class and family reunions, wedding receptions and other social gatherings.

Musical, plays, concerts and other entertaining events in the academy’s ballroom, extended staircase and courtyard will enrich everyone’s visit to the academy.

The basement will provide a large meeting room, restrooms, and a kitchen. The academy’s main floor will house an information center, a historical classroom and a museum/interpretive center of local history.

The OSAF is also seeking business tenants to occupy certain spaces within the academy, as well.

Once completed, the OSAF will sponsor community events through the building as a cultural center for the community.

For more information on the restoration of the academy building contact one of the OSAF board members.

Press coverage

2011-03-07T21:17:00.000-08:00

To see other stories and photos of the Oneida Stake Academy that have appeared in the Idaho State Journal, see the following link: yesteryear.idahostatejournal.com

Hale to lead OSAF

2011-02-15T15:07:00.000-08:00

Following his grandfather’s lead, Hale heads OSAF

Over 120 years ago, Solomon Hale encouraged his neighbors, friends and residents of what is now parts of Oneida, Franklin, Caribou, Bear Lake, and part of Bannock County in Idaho, and Star Valley, Wyoming, to give all they could and more to the construction of a grand new building that would house the education of their children: the Oneida Stake Academy (OSA).

Today, his grandson, Nathan Hale, is doing the same thing as the new chairman of the board of the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation.

In order to accommodate the progress it is making towards a complete restoration of the OSA building as a community cultural center, the board of the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation (OSAF) recently reorganized itself, electing Nathan as its new chairman. He assumes the position held by Necia Seamons, who chaired the board for the last eight years, and who continues to work as a member of the board. Seamons will focus her efforts on public relations and writing grants for the foundation.

Nathan and his wife, Sydney, have been serving as members of the board for three years. He has focused on the physical needs of the building and Sydney has served as the board’s secretary. They were instrumental in coordinating the Antique Fashion Show co-sponsored by the OSAF and local chapters of the Daughter of the Utah Pioneers in 2009.

Nathan is also featured in a promotional video produced by the OSAF last year that focuses on the value of restoring the building and its future role in the community. The video is available to the public through Adventure Video in Preston, and can be checked out for free.

Nathan and Sydney are natives of Franklin and Caribou Counties. They are long-time residents of Preston, where they serve in various capacities in their church and in the Boy Scouts of America. After he retired in 1983 from Utah Power and Light, Nathan and Sydney served missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in England and in Africa. They are presently serving as missionaries at the LDS Employment Center in Logan, Utah.

“It is a privilege to serve the community in the restoration of the 0SA building to its past grander and its future beauty and splendor. We are going to see this transformation occur before our very eyes and it is the hope of OSA Board of Directors that the community will see the Historic value of this preservation and become enthused with the value it will bring to our community.

“You are very important to us and we are committed to continue working very hard to make this come to fruition, please help us to make it so,” said Hale.

Also elected as an officer of the board was Preston attorney Lyle Fuller as vice-president. Fuller joined the board of the OSAF last summer. A resident of Franklin, Fuller is an attorney in Preston and advises the board on legal matters. Fuller and his wife, Valicia, are the parents of two boys and two girls.

Elliott Larsen remains the foundation’s treasurer, and Sydney Hale the secretary. Other current board members are Larry Bradford, Paul Judd, Joseph Linton and Kim Wilson.

To date, the foundation has raised over $2 million towards the restoration of the academy as a cultural center for the area. Upon completion the academy building will offer the public an elegant ballroom for events such as weddings, reunions and conferences. It will also feature a museum of local history, an turn of the century classroom, and courtyard for entertainment.

As Hale steps into his new position as chairman of the OSAF, he seeks to reclaim what Solomon and his contemporaries accomplished in founding the Oneida Stake Academy in Preston 121 years ago.

Solomon was the first counselor in the stake presidency of the Oneida Stake in 1887 - a time when federal agents were chasing polygamous fathers from their homes and Mormons were not allowed to hold public offices due to the Edmunds-Tucker Act.

To counter the devastating effect the act had on local communities in ing the affairs of their schools, the Mormon Church authorized its stakes to organize their own schools. Oneida Stake started its school in 1888 in a room over a store in Franklin.

As enrollment increased and pressure to hold classes in Preston intensified, local authorities deferred to then LDS apostle Lorenzo Snow, whose report on the situation resulted in the decision to build the three-story, handsome rock academy in Preston.

“Through the kindness of Pres. Wilford Woodruff and councilors the church architect D.C. Young was instructed to draft a plan. This he did and the plan was highly recommended by Dr. Carl G. Mayer and others,” states an essay on the building of the academy written by Peter Simon Jensen between 1872

and 1896. (See this blog for the entire essay.)

Solomon encouraged everyone in his stake to contribute in order to provide a first rate education to the children of this pioneer community.

They did. Some gave cash. Some gave time. Some raised livestock and upon selling it, gave the profits to the fund. The construction of the Oneida Stake Academy garnered headlines in every newspaper in a 150-mile radius from Preston.

For just over a century, the building remained as an institution of some form of education until it was abandoned by the Preston School District in 2002 in order to make way for its bulging enrollment. At that time, several residents of Franklin County organized the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation to facilitate raising funds to restore the OSA building for public use.

Board member featured

2011-01-24T10:33:00.000-08:00

OSAF board member Kim Wilson was recently featured in the Deseret News for his involvement with the celebration of the 400 birthday of the King James Version of the Bible. To see the story, go to the following link: Deseret News Story

To help with the restoration of the Oneida Stake Academy, make your donation now through Paypal: DONATE via PAYPAL

The Forgotten Voice of the Oneida Stake Academy

2011-01-24T08:58:00.000-08:00

A glimpse into the early days of classes held in the Oneida Stake Academy is featured in pictures and a story written by Fred Woods for the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation in 2003. It can be found here:The Forgotten Voice of the Oneida Stake Academy

Once at the site, look for the article in the index displayed on the page brought up by the link.

Herald Journal catches us

2011-01-08T09:48:00.001-08:00

The Herald Journal, out of Logan, Utah, wrote an article on the grant we received a couple of months ago. The article can be seen online at their website at news.hjnews.com

Dutch oven for Christmas

2010-11-15T09:10:00.000-08:00

There's no Christmas gift more unique than your own Oneida Stake Academy Dutch Oven. Made for the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation by Camp Chef, these durable pre-seasoned 12" deep ovens come with their own lid lifters. Get yours today. Call David Mitchell at 208-852-2735 for yours. $42 Please allow time and additional costs for shipping.

Update - Grant allows work to continue

2010-11-03T10:49:00.000-07:00

We are thrilled to announce that the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation has just received a National Scenic Byways grant through the Idaho Transportation Department that will allow work to continue on the academy building.

Funds from the grant will be used to repair the roof's drainage system, the basement columns and the main beam under the ballroom floor. A portion of the grant will also fund promotion materials for raising the funds to complete the academy.

As work progresses, photos will be posted.

Also of note is that the information posted on our old website: www.oneidastakeacademy.com is unavailable due to some technical problems. We are trying to resolve this, and will let you know when the site is reopened.

Del Davis and the night the academy first moved

2010-09-17T22:29:00.000-07:00

The Oneida Stake Academy is pictured on the website of Del B. Davis Moving Company.
See Dell's Big Jobs to see more of Del's work in the moving industry.

Del was the foreman for Lindsay Moving which was awarded the contract to move the academy to Benson Park. After moving the academy, he went out on his own. He is pictured above with Dr. Waddoups, then the superintendent of the Preston School District. The occasion was the day the academy was taken off school property onto 200 East, and wheeled north to Oneida on its way to Benson Park.

This picture is of the first time the front of the academy was visible in its entirety in over 60 years. This picture was taken Dec. 4, 2003, the night the academy was first moved away from its original location behind Preston High School.

Antique Fashion Show 2009

2010-09-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

In 2009, the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation (OSAF) partnered with the Franklin County camps of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers (DUP) and presented the community with an Antique Fashion Show.

Using the antique clothing collection of DeAnn Simonich, niece of OSAF board member Sydney Hale, the history of Franklin County was presented on the stage of the Worm Creek Opera House.
The oldest dress featured was from the year 1890, the year construction on the academy began.
Later fashions included prom dresses and childrens' dresses from the 1950s.

The hit of the show was a men's bathing suit, worn by Orson Clegg, an uncle of Hale's in the 1920s and former student at the Oneida Stake Academy. Also featured were dresses worn by the mother and sister of the late David O. McKay, former president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The antique fashions were modeled by local residents, who thoroughly enjoyed the evening. Special thanks to Diane Hyde for her help with decorations, Linda Hanson for styling the girls' hair, the Northern Cache Valley Theater Guild for the use of the opera house, and the men in lives of the women who put the program together for their patience and strong backs.

One gentleman, whose arm was twisted to attend by his wife, commented later that he was surprised by how much he enjoyed the program.

The program is an example of events the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation will sponsor in the academy once it is restored.

Jesse Johnson and the OSA Football and Basketball Teams

2010-08-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

Pictured is the OSA Basketball Team sometime between 1918 and 1920. Crouching on the right is the team manager, Jesse Johnson. He became the student body president for his class, which his granddaughter, Roxie Johnson Crouch, believes was in 1920. She provided this picture and the one below of the OSA Football Team for the same time period. Johnson is the third athlete from the right in the front in the football picture. Note that the picture is taken in front of the now razed Nelson Gymnasium. Of the three original buildings of the OSA campus, the academy is the only one left. We encourage correspondence from anyone who recognizes any of the other people in these pictures and we'll post their names! Thanks again to Roxie for enriching our OSA collection of information!

Help restore the Oneida Stake Academy building by making a donation now by clicking on this link: DONATE via PAYPAL

Essay on the OSA

2010-08-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

This essay is taken from the Peter Simon Jensen, 1872-1896, collection at the Church History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Note: This article has been typed in using the grammar and spelling used by the author. It is hand written on three sheets of paper, a sample of which is pictured above.

Essay on the Oneida S. Academy and its founders

Church Academies are constructed according to divine revelation, given to our beloved Prophet Brigham Young, in making special reference to the O.S. Academy and its founders I will give a few items gleaned from the minutes kept by the secretary of the Board of Education of this Stake, which reads as follows.

This was done in accordance with instructions in circular No. 1, issued by the general Church Board of Education. Our first Stake Board consisted of the following named Brethren.

Geo. C. Parkinson, Wm. H. Parkinson, Chas. M. Squires, Jas. Chadwick, and Parley P. Willey. Among the first moves made by the Board was to plan for a suitable school Building. Public meetings were held to determine when to build it in the several Wards. Delegates were elected to meet in convention and decide the matter y majority vote. This convention met in Franklin Tithing office July 27, 1889. Several Wards were voted upon as suitable place for the erection of the building. And while there were a majority of the Delegates perferred other Wards to Preston it was thought those in favor of Preston represented a majority of People.

In order to avoid any ill feelings whatever in this matter it was decided to have the judgment of the first Presidency of the Church. Pest. Lorenzo Snow was sent to visit the different wards and investigate in behalf of the Board and soon after his report it was decided Preston was the most suitable place in the Stake. Through the kindness of Pres. Wilford Woodruff and councilors the church architect D.C. Young was instructed to draft a plan. This he did and the plan was highly recommended by Dr. Carl G. Mayer and others.

Desiring the hearty support of all the people throughout the entire Stake. Letters were sent to the Bishops of different wards requesting that from three to five men b appointed to represent the subject in a general Priesthood meeting held in Preston. At this meeting wich occurred July 7, 1898. The Plan drawn on paper By Bro. Young was fully exhibited to all present; and all were in favor of accepting it, contribute there means and use their influence with others to contribute their means to this worthy enterprise. Prest. Solomon H. Hale was engaged to supertend the job work wich was soon commenced. The basement excavated and on July 2^nd 1890 late in the afternoon Prest. Geo C. Parkiinson dedicated the corner Stone wich was laid by himself and others under direction of master mason ??? Sommars. From that time the work steadily progressed and in Dec. 16, 1892 they commenced or was in the act of putting on the roof. the dimensions of the Building are 48X60 on the inside. Three stories high including the basement. The present condition of the School is favorable the last winter it has had an average attendance of about 200 a quite a large pescent of those being Academic Students. Owing to busy times wich come on in the spring season the amount of students have greatly decreased.

By close observation we ned not be left in doubt as to this and similar Institution being of a Divine origin. As the sole object of building them is that all of a moral chacter who wish and are able to persue its courses with profit may be benifited and develop their mental facilities in every direction. Everything that terminates to elevate us originates from God our Eternal father, development of the head and mind is necessary. And Church schools are the agency wich this shall be brought about. We shall in some future time head the world in Education. While we do not wish to ignore the district School in any way, we hold the Academies in preference as we firmly believe they are conducted more in accordance with the principles of revealed religion. As for instance we have among the other branches of study one half an hour devoted to the study of Theology and all are requested to participate.

A student is capable of learning more easily under the influence and guidance of the Spirit of God We hold that those who attend these schools are under a better influence than those who attend schools that are not conducted upon this basis.

Great credit is due the People of this Stake who have so Liberally appropriated of their means to complete this Building. When taking into consideration that it has or will when comp finished cost in the neighborhood of $40,000. For all this I do not think for a moment that People feel any the poorer.

What are the worth of the means contributed to compare with the Blessings that will be derived from this Enterprise. Yrs we can already see its blessings being showered among the Youth of this Locality who attend this School. I will also add that the teachers employed are good energetic workers who work for the advancement of those in attendance. The last winter five teachers have been employed including the Music Teacher.

Ma God bless and prosper this institution and increase in the hearts of the young the desire to attend it. And may the Parents see it s necessity of encouraging their children to this effect.

Idaho State Journal Features OSA

2010-07-28T11:35:00.000-07:00

The Idaho State Journal recently featured the Oneida Stake Academy in their Yesteryear magazine.

Rebecca Pyper (writer) and Doug Lindley (photographer) did a wonderful job capturing this story. (Note, however, that although the article states that a small wall will be removed from the main room, that WILL NOT be done. The building's rooms will remain the size they were when the building was moved. At one time, in the academy's past, it appears that a wall was removed to create one main room from two rooms.)

The magazine pages can be seen on page A19 at the following link: Yesteryear

Following is the text:

Saving the town sweetheart

By Rebecca Long Pyper for Yesteryear • Photos by Doug Lindley

Over a century ago, settlers in Preston built a beauty of a building for educating their children. Now the next generation of Preston citizens has stepped up to save her. WITH A MILLION-DOLLAR MOVE BEHIND HER, the Oneida Stake Academy is perched on the corner at 90 E. Oneida in Preston and awaiting her next touch-up. Tall enough to be seen from the main road — and stately enough that you just can’t overlook it — this grande dame is in the midst of renovations that may take years or decades, depending on how quickly the foundation bearing her name can gather donations. When the Edmunds-Tuckers Act fell out of practice, the academy became Preston High School; it later became an auxiliary building. In the 1980s, the building was restored and began serving the public too — art shows, concerts, wedding receptions and more were held within its walls. In the late 1990s, however, the academy was condemned, and the school board needed the property. So they set a deadline: Someone had to step up to save the beauty by 2003, or demolition would begin. This deadline turned Preston natives into activists and fundraisers. A loosely organized group called Friends of the Academy resolved to keep the wrecking ball far from the academy. Member and architect Joseph Linton sought and received grant money to pay for a feasibility study that indicated the structure was sound enough to save (and survive a move), and bids were collected. The final cost for that move? One million bucks. With help from the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation, a nonprofit group dedicated to preserving historical sites associated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a $250,000 donation from former Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller and a handful of other hefty pledges from locals, the $1 million was raised — after the 2003 deadline but before the demo began — and the move was made to church property on Oneida Street. Friends of the Academy became the nonprofit Oneida Stake Academy Foundation in 2006, and members have raised more than $2 million, but their goal of $4.02 million will yield a full restoration. When complete, the building will act as a welcoming post for the Pioneer Historic Byway that winds through Southern Idaho, and as a community center and museum for local memorabilia. Renovations are being completed as funds are raised, but the structural integrity of the academy will remain intact. The group plans to remove one small wall that wasn’t original to the building, opening up the main room the way it was in the first place. The floors and walls are currently being reinforced, which should ensure that the building will be able to serve the public well into its second century, Seamons said. Restoration has been a window to the academy’s past and its construction. The outside walls are double-layered, with rubble filling the space between. The exterior stone was quarried at the mouth of Cub River, a popular site for stone during that time. The wood moldings were all hand-coped, and renovators found a strip of original wallpaper hidden behind some molding and a nearby cabinet. Ten double-seater school desks were walled up in the basement; the desks will be placed in the turn-of-the-century classroom on the main floor when the building is complete. According to Seamons, most Franklin County residents have family that attended the academy, so it just makes sense that they step up to save her. “In short, this building embodies the soul of Franklin County,” Seamons said.

Home for a host of students

The Oneida Stake Academy was the setting for educating children for decades.World, national and local leaders, as well as generations of families, have honed their skills within its walls. Ezra Taft Benson, U.s. secretary of agriculture, along with his upperclassman, Harold B. Lee, both became presidents of the worldwide Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Other well-known graduates include national hero Samuel Cowley, who was inducted into the FBI hall of honor, and e.G. Peterson, former president of Utah State University.

Article

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More Franklin County History

2010-06-09T19:43:00.000-07:00

Franklin County's Larsen-Sant Library is cataloging a series of old photographs of anything related to Franklin County. The project is under the direction of Myrna Fuller. There are pictures on that site that relate to the Oneida Stake Academy. To see the site, go to http://idahodocs.cdmhost.com/cdm4/browse.php?CISOROOT=%2Fp151201coll16

Help needed

2010-06-07T08:53:00.000-07:00

The above photo was recently acquired at the Church History Library. It is identified on the back (in someone’s modern handwriting) as a graduation photo showing Nettie Lavina Taylor (Christensen) at B.Y.A. (Brigham Young Academy, later BYU). Even though her name is listed, we don’t know which lady is Nettie. The photographer’s stamp in the lower right corner reads, “Harrison & Rabe, Logan, Utah."

However, the building’s distinctive masonry work and window pattern looks like the OSA building. I’m guessing that it was taken about 1900-1910. The lady seated in the middle isn’t holding a diploma, so she might have been one of the teachers. It is much more logical that a Logan photographer would travel to Preston than to Provo to take a commissioned photo like this.

If anyone knows anything more about this photo, please leave your comments and we'll get them to the Church History Librarian who is sharing this photo.

Awards presented

2010-05-24T08:39:00.000-07:00

Man on the Move: The Pete Friesen Story is about the man who engineered the historic move of the Oneida Stake Academy in 2003. His story is told in this book, which has recently been recognized by two book-award contests:

A) as a Finalist in the Best Cover Design Non-Fiction Category of the 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Awards www.indiebookawards.com, and

B) as an Honorable Mention in the Reference Category of the Eric Hoffer Award as well as being Short-listed for its (Eric Hoffer Award) Montaigne Medal for thought-provoking titles. www.hofferaward.com (click on Winners).

Moving Manmade Mountains

2010-04-27T13:37:00.000-07:00

Peter Dietrich Friesen, pictured at top with Tom Rowley, was the engineer behind the move of the 3.3 million pound Oneida Stake Academy in 2003.

Friesen was in his 80s when the academy was moved. He came to the project having a lifetime of experience moving huge buildings, including the famous Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

He invented the unified jacking system which was employed to move the academy 2.5 blocks from its original location to Benson Park in Preston, Idaho.

The academy was gently, almost imperceptibly moved upward until 41 jacks with eight wheels apiece, could be placed beneath the 1,650 ton stone building. Each of those jacks was controlled remotely by a control panel, pictured below. Pete coached the controller as he drove the academy out of its original location and down the street.

In the next picture, Pete oversees the placement of blocking used to compensate for the slope in the road where the jacks couldn't stretch far enough to keep the building as level as possible during the move.

Tom Rowley, a Franklin County native and building mover himself, pictured in the top photo with Friesen, is presenting the International Mover's Association Hall of Fame Award to Friesen in the 1980s. Rowley was also a great help in moving the academy to its new location.

While in Preston, Friesen took time to speak to the students of Preston High School, explaining not only how the academy would be moved, but how he came up with the ideas used for moving such large structures. He emphasized the importance of visualizing one's success, and of thinking through problems.

He immigrated to Canada as a child with his parents from Russia following the revolution at the turn of the 19th Century. (See more on his life at http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/friesen_peter_dietrich_201cpete201d_192220132009

Friesen died earlier this year from natural causes due to age and is greatly missed. He shared his appreciation of the Oneida Stake Academy in a documentary written on his life. More information on the movie can be found at www.petethemovie.com

Friesen moved four buildings that are listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. For more information, see the following link: http://science.howstuffworks.com/heaviest-building-moved.htm/printable

Restoration Plans

2010-04-21T19:46:00.000-07:00

In its next century of service, each room of the Oneida Stake Academy tell a story to visitors and patrons. The main floor will house an information center, a historical classroom and a museum/interpretive center.

The basement will provide restrooms, a kitchen and a large meeting room.

The top floor ballroom will be an elegant setting for important events such as weddings, receptions, class and family reunions and other gatherings. musicals, plays and other entertaining events in the academy's ballroom and courtyard will enrich everyone's visit to the academy.

Reasons for Restoration

2010-04-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

"Former United States president Ronald Reagan has been quoted as saying, “I do not want to go back to the past; I want to go back to the past way of facing the future.”

His counsel still resonates within me. There is something about reviewing the lessons of the past to prepare us to face the challenges of the future. What a glorious legacy of faith, courage, and ingenuity those noble early Mormon pioneers have left for us to build upon. My admiration for them deepens the longer I live."
-L. Tom Perry

Perry's observations enunciate one of the core reasons for restoring the Oneida Stake Academy. The Oneida Stake Academy Foundation is committed to this restoration in order to ensure that future generations can see, smell, touch, absorb and appreciate the determination, of those who built the academy, to make the world around them a better place for future generations. If one person is inspired to do the same in their circle of influence today, we will have accomplished a grand thing.

Harold B. Lee born 111 years ago in Clifton, Idaho

2010-03-30T15:53:00.000-07:00

March 28 was Harold B. Lee's birthday. At the following link, his grandson, Brent Goates reminisces about this great man: www.thegoateskids.blogspot.com

Pictured here are Lee at about age five, with some school friends, and the Silver Star School in which he taught and acted as principal at age 17.

Below is David and his father, Brent, who authored a book about Harold B. Lee. This picture was taken in 2007, during a visit the two made to the academy.

Bybee helps build academy

2010-03-26T13:33:00.000-07:00

According to an obituary in the Davis County Clipper on Nov. 22, 1940, for Byron Elias Bybee, 82, we learn that he was one of the carpenters who worked on the Oneida Stake Academy.

It states: "In his early life, he followed carpenter work and building. He assisted with the building of the old Ogden city hall and the Broom hotel. In 1886, he moved to Clifton, Idaho, where he was engaged in contracting and farming. He assisted in construction of Preston elementary school, Western school and chapel and the Clifton school and chapel. While he lived in Idaho he was called as a special missionary with an assignment to the old Oneida stake academy, forerunner of the present Preston high school.
In 1912 he moved to Farmington....."

Cool history

2010-03-09T10:25:00.000-08:00

The academy has come a long way since this picture early in 2004. The building had been moved to this location December of 2003, by Lindsay Moving Company out of the state of Washington. Project supervisor was Del Davis. Since this picture was taken, the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation received its non-profit status, put a new foundation under the building, installed water and electricity to the lot, poured an amphitheater at the building's back, upgraded the building's 120-year-old rubble construction walls to resist damage from earthquakes and, poured the base of a new staircase to the front door and has begun repairing and re-shingling the roof.

With support from the public, restoration work will continue on this magnificent gem of our pioneer past!

Founders Day, 1920

2010-03-08T09:21:00.000-08:00

Click on picture to enlarge it.

This copy of The Oneida, the OSA student newspaper, was published on Dec. 5, 1920. It main article discusses Founders Day, featuring events such as a pole climb, on which the "pluckiest class" was to post the school colors. The sophomores and seniors, it says, were the first to the top of the greased pole.

"The Honorable Mathoniah Thomas" of Salt Lake City, delivered the Founder's Day program address, which focused on tolerance. Miss Delilah Higgs gave a reading and a violin duet was rendered by Professors Engarand Harmon. Miss margaret Merrill sand "A Birthday."
After the program, a lunch was served in the kitchen by the Domestic Scince girls, under the supervision of Miss Louises Bird.

"At 2:30 a grand rush was made for the ball park by the students and others to witness the battle between the Oneida Indians and the B.Y.C."

B.Y.C. trounced the Indians, 24-0. The founders' ball took place in the evening. "Here everybody forgot the sting of defeat and danced his cares away."

Other subjects covered include the basketball team starting, football season ending, the cooking class The Interclass Basketball series, the Little Symphony Orchestra, helping the Red Cross and the Science Club.

Names mentioned in this edition of The Oneida include: Professor Johnson, Coach Gardiner, Coach Larson, Miss Margaret Perry, Cutler, Nelson, A. Larson, Jensen, Thomas Robinson, Ludeen Hansen.

Staff of The Oneida was as follows: Editor - Kenneth Carpenter, Asst. Editor - Oneida Meek, Literature Light - Ida Kern, With the Butterflies - Lucille Ballif, Exchanges - Louise Engar, Athletics - Emil Jorgensen, Business Mgr. - Jack Chatterton, Asst. Business Manager - Platt Larson, Reporters - Lucille Thomas, Ione Goaslind, Eddie Smith, Alton Sponberg.

Academy Rock

2010-02-24T12:04:00.000-08:00

Pictured are ax heads discovered in the quarry where the stone for the Oneida Stake Academy was cut from the Cub River mountainside 120 years ago. They were found when Keith Mackay of State Stone returned to the quarry in 2005 to cut rock that has been and will yet be used in the academy's restoration.

John Nuffer was the head stone mason on the Oneida Stake Academy. He and his young wife, Louisa Zollinger, were living in Glendale (about five miles from Preston) amongst other members of Nuffer’s family who homesteaded there.

The calling required his full attention, so the young family moved to Preston as the Hale family did.

Although the plans for the academy came from church officials in Salt Lake City, Nuffer, who apprenticed in the city of Stuttgart, Germany, “modified the design considerably, accounting for its beautiful Gothic appearance,” stated one of his sons, Myron, in a letter to Newell Hart and reprinted in the Cache Valley News published by Hart between 1969 and 1982.

The stone from the building came from Nuffer’s brother, Fred. He ran a quarry on his property 10 miles up Cub River Canyon from Franklin (six miles from Preston) on Sheep Creek. Stone from the quarry was used “on the better buildings going up throughout the neighboring towns,” including Logan, where it was used to build the college.

“The contract to build the academy called for 2000 cubic feet at 25 cents per foot. The stone was used for corners, sills and water table.

“All work was done by hand. ... We used 12-foot churn drills and blasted large blocks loose from the main ledge. We had to be careful how much powder we used so as not to shatter or cause seams in the stone.

“We usually had to put a second charge in the opening made by the first charge to dislodge the block from the man ledge. The block so dislodged was from six to seven feet thick and about 20 feet long. From then on all tools used were hammers, axes, wedges and squares.

“Grooves were cut with axes where ever we desired to split the block, then wedges were set in the grooves about 10 inches apart and driven in with hammers. Then we dressed them down to the right measurement, allowing one half inch for the stone cutters to take out all the tool marks we made.” (Statements of Fred Nuffer published in Cache Valley News #45, 1972.)

1907 OSA Diploma

2010-02-23T09:27:00.000-08:00

This diploma was earned by Ollie Foss in 1907.

To see the entire diploma, click on the image.

Harold B. Lee recalls OSA

2010-02-18T23:07:00.000-08:00

"In the fall of 1912, I entered the Oneida Stake Academy at the age of thirteen years. Mother had not yet permitted me to wear long pants, and when I entered high school I was the youngest of the class and was one of the only two in school who were wearing knee pants. "

"When I entered school I was anxious to continue my music training. The high school band offered the best opportunity. My first instruments were an alto [saxophone] and the French horn. . . ."

See rest of article at the following link: www.mormonhistoricsitesfoundation.org/publications/sitescene4_haroldblee.htm

OSA Basketball Players

2010-02-15T09:42:00.000-08:00

Parker Carver and his friend Lon Miller played ball for the Oneida Stake Academy.

1912-13 OSA Basketball Champs

2010-02-11T16:06:00.000-08:00

Click on the picture to see it all in a separate window.

In Memoriam of Don Hampton

2010-02-01T08:38:00.000-08:00

The members of the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation mourn the loss of one of their founding members: Don Hampton, 78, died Jan. 28, 2010. He is pictured second from the right in this picture taken the day the Oneida Stake Academy reached its final relocation point in Benson Park in January of 2004. Pictured with him are board members (from left) Leo Geddes, Elliott Larsen, Doug West, Del Davis (foreman for Lindsey Moving) and Necia Seamons.

As the grandson of John Nuffer, the academy's principal mason, Don had a unique and special love for the Oneida Stake Academy. His efforts to involve his extended family in their grandfather's honor provided a catalyst for additional fund-raising when the committee first began the monumental task of raising $1.3 million to move the academy from its original location to Benson Park, 2.5 blocks away.

Don diligently worked to raise the funds for the academy's restoration. His friendship and dedication will be sorely missed by members of the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation. We extend our love, condolences and appreciation to his family.

When the academy was moved, several trees were trimmed to allow room on the streets for the building to pass.

Pictured is Don picking up branches on Oneida.

Don helping to clean up the Academy lot.

Don and Jan Seamons install a water hydrant on the academy lot.

How to Donate

2010-02-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

As the Hampton Family has invited Don's family and friends to donate to the restoration of the Oneida Stake Academy in lieu of flowers, please click on this form, to print it out and send in with your donation, to P.O. Box 555, Preston, Idaho 83263.

We will notify Don's family of your generosity to one of his dreams.

Thank you.

Well Known Alumni

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Harold B. Lee was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1972 to 1973.

He was born on 28 March 1899 to Samuel and Louisa Emaline Bingham Lee in Clifton, Idaho. He graduated from the Oneida Stake Academy in 1916, where he was involved in basketball, wrote for the school newspaper, was an athletic manager, comedian, debater, and vice-president of class. "When you forget the thought of fame, Consult your class-mate, Lee, again," states The Quiver (OSA yearbook).

After his own schooling, Lee became a teacher at the Silver Star School in Weston, Idaho, sending his earnings home to help his family. When he was 18, he became the principal at the school in Oxford, Idaho. On weekends, he would play in a band, as he was proficient at playing the also, baritone and French horns. In 1923, he married Fern Lucinda Tanner. After her death in 1962, he married Freda Joan Jensen.

During the Great Depression, his stake president challenged him to come up with a program to help people help themselves. This program grew into the welfare program used today by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. President Lee died on 26 December 1973.

Ezra Taft Benson was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1985 to 1994. He was also the Secretary of Agriculture for the United States under President Eisenhower.

He was born on 4 August 1899 in Franklin, Idaho, to Geroge Taft and Sarah Dunkley Benson. He graduated from the Oneida Stake Academy in 1919, two years after another president of the LDS Church, Harold B. Lee. Benson went on to study agriculture at Utah State Agricultural College. Just after receiving his masters from Iowa State University, he returned to Whitney to run the family farm, and later became the county agriculture extension agent. In 1926 he married Flora Smith Amussen; they had six children.

In 1939 he moved to Washington, D.C. to become Executive Secretary of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives. Fourteen years later became the Secretary of Agriculture. At the time, he was also an apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, under president David O. McKay.

He loved Whitney and often returned to visit, presiding over the community's centennial celebration in 1989. He died in May of 1994 and is buried in the Whitney Cemetery.

Samuel Parkinson Cowley was the first FBI agent killed in the line of duty, and as such is the first agent inducted into the FBI Hall of Fame.

He was born on 23 July 1899 in Franklin, Idaho, to Matthias F. and Luella Parkinson Cowley. He attended grade school in Preston, Idaho, and graduated from the Utah State Agricultural College in 1924, then George Washington Law School in 1929. He was employed with the Department of Justice under J. Edgar Hoover starting in 1929, being assigned to the Los Angeles area.

Cowley (1899-1934) was a special agent with the U. S. Justice Department, Division of Investigations. He helped to apprehend John Dillenger and was killed in a shootout with "Baby Face" Nelson.

For the FBI's account of Cowley's encounter with Baby Face Nelson, see the following link:

http://www.fbi.gov/page2/nov04/babyface112904.htm

George Nelson is the namesake of the George Nelson Fieldhouse at Utah State University, in Logan, Utah.

He was born in Norway and came to the United States when he was 16-years-old. At the age of 25, he became the Oneida Stake Academy's wrestling coach. He filled that position from 1915 to 1920. Before that, he took the light heavyweight boxing championship of the world from Ad Santell in a match in Ogden, Utah, states his obituary.

Nelson went on to become the trainer at USU form 1921 to 1958. He was married to Emma Nuffer of Preston in 1914. After her death in 1919, he married Anna Rinderknecht. According to the Hometown Album by Newell Hart, a sports writer from Los Angeles wrote that Nelson was "one of the great matmen of his time, possessing a deadly headlock second only to the hold of Strangler Lewis."

Picture courtesy of the Utah State University 1937 Buzzer.

Irene Staples This woman was the Official Hostess of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - the first one, actually, and served from 1966 - 1976. She was instrumental in starting the display of Christmas lights at Temple Square in 1965. She's in the same boat as Samuel Cowley. She lived here as a child, the daughter of one of Preston's early dentists, David T. Edwards. Her mother was Florence Fern Edwards.

Happy Birthday OSA

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Construction on the Oneida Stake Academy began 120 years ago this week!
See article posted below.

Pictured is David Mitchel ringing the bell in the academy's tower.

25 men getting lumber to build OSA

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The article above appeared in the Ogden Standard Examiner on Jan. 23, 1890. It discusses the efforts being made to build the academy, then estimated to cost $10,000 and expected to be "a very handsome structure."

For a larger view of the article, just click on it.

Charles J. Engar is Honored

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The following appeared in the Aug. 25, 1910 edition of the Richfield Reaper:

The two Rexburg, Ida. papers speak highly of one of Sevier County's former citizens, Charles J. Engar, The Current Journal has the following:

"A very elaborate party was held at the club rooms Wednesday night as a testimonial to Prof. Chas J. Engar who will leave Rexburg shortly.The affair was gtten up by young ladies and by C. G. Keller, manager and booster of the band. No effort was spared in the preparation and it was certainly a pleasing success. The band which Mr. Engar has trained so well were out early serenading and they furnished good music all evening. The entertainment consisted of dancing and a delicious luncheon. A beautiful ring was presented to Prof. Engar, Mr. Keller making the presentation speech. Mr. Engar in responding regretted to leave such loyal friends. The attendance was large and represented people from the whole community.

"Prof Engar leaves next month for Preston where he has accepted a position at the Oneida Stake Academy. He will be missed in Rexburg. He has lived here four years and has had charge of the musical work at the Ricks Academy. He is also leader of the town band, one of the most successful musical organizations we have ever had."

… Mr. Engar has accepted a position at the stake academy at Preston as music director, where he will re cieve a higher salary for his services, the Reaper rejoices with his many friends here in his success.

OSA Class June 1898

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This picture also appears in the Hometown Album, published by Newell Hart. See his diagram below for the identification of the people in the picture above.

1. Ike Christensen, 2. Leon Hickman, 3. Othello Hickman, 4. Ruby Chadwick, 6. Prof. J.E. Hickman (principal 1896-99), 7. Leland Spongberg, 8. Chris Gundesen, 9. Eldora (Dora) Hansen, 10. Leone Spongberg, 11. Linda Nelson (teacher with hat; married Serge Benson), 12. Blanche Larson, 14. Edna Geddes, 15. Prof. Ezra Woolley, 16. William Hawkes, Jr., 17. Unknown, 18. Carrie Hansen, 19. Earl Goaslind, 20. Stella Geddes, 21. Abbie Cowley, 22. Grace Woolley, 23. Hattie Dalley, 24. George Johnson, 25. Carl Nielsen, 26. Unknown, 27. Leona Cowley, 28., Marinda Larson, 29. Dee Hickman, 30. Libbie Carter, 31. Edna Johnson, 32. Fern Hickman, 33. Olive Hansen, 34. Unknown, 35. Unknown, 36. Leo Parkinson, 37. Lawrence Johnson, 38. Mary Shaffer, 39. Ada Stevens, 40. James Johnson, Jr., 41. Vinnie Hale, 42. Suel Roper, 43. Hazel Parkinson, 46. Elva Parkinson, 47. George Parkinson (with cap), 48. Unknown, 49. Matilda Spongberg, 50. Unknown, 51. Unknown, 52. May Head, 53. Unknown, 54. Teressa Nielson, 55. Unknown, 56. Unknown, 57. Stella Nash, 58. Miss Millie Lowe, 59. May Fjeldsted, 60. Ida McNiel, 61. Sarah Hansen, 62. Unknown, 63. Unknown, 64. Florence Benson, 65. Ruth Crockett, 66. May Adams, 67. Unknown, 68. Elizabeth Thomas, 69. John A. Morrison, 70. Miss Lowe, 71. Tom Stevenson (janitor), 72. Unknown, 73. Celia Hansen, 74. Etta Dixon, 75. Unknown, 76. Leslie Hickman, 77. Unknown, 78. Unknown, 79. Unknown.

To see the picture and diagram in their entirety, click on them.

1909 Graduates

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The first group of graduates as Four Year Normal Students from the Oneida Stake Academy in 1909. (Front, left) Allabell Weaver (Hull), John Johnson- Principal, Albertie Griffeth (Griffiths). (Back, left) Willard Nuffer, Perry Howell, Louis Nuffer.

Click on picture to see all of it.

1920 OSA Students and faculty

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Click on the photo and you can see more of it.

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This is a replica of a sign created by the Pioneer Scenic Byway that will be placed in front of the academy, explaining its significance to visitors.

Update - Roof repair begins

2009-11-14T21:08:00.000-08:00

The crew of Randy Meek began working on upgrading the northeast quarter of the Oneida Stake Academy's roof on Nov. 9. It took a day to strip three layers of wooden shingles off the roof. The crew then placed sheets of boarding that will upgrade the roof's strength.

A layer of rubber sheeting will cover the boarding as well as a water and ice guard. The new wooden shingles go on last.

This section of the roof, as well as the building's front stairway was incorporated into the last of the Idaho Transportation Department funds that were used last year to upgrade the walls.

As soon as additional funds are raised ($30,000), the rest of the roof will be upgraded and re-shingled. This section was chosen because a leak developed in it over the summer.

Band class in OSA ballroom

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Band students in the ballroom of the Oneida Stake Academy when it was partitioned off into classrooms and its ceilings had been lowered. Newell Hart removed the lowered ceilings, exposing the arched ceilings that produce such rich acoustics in the building.

Behind the students one can see two of the three doors that exited onto the outside staircase, which now no longer exists. The molding to the third door can barely be seen. Upon restoration, this door will again open above a courtyard and onto to a large staircase and a glass elevator.

IF YOU KNOW ANYONE IN THIS PICTURE, PLEASE COMMENT BELOW! THANK YOU!

Original outdoor staircase

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Students posing on the original staircase that ascended to the top floor of the academy on the building's backside. Photo from collection of Newell Hart. On its back it says "Prof Otte with violin - first boy to his right is Orville Neeley. Left to right, fourth girl front, Allabel."

Preston High Alma Mater

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In 1922, the state of Idaho purchased the Oneida Stake Academy Building from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which was getting out of public education, and converted the edifice into a state run high school. That is when it became known as Preston High School. The building was used by the school district for classes until the late 1990s.

Alma Mater

Preston High our alma mater,
How our hearts do swell,
When thy name is breathed or spoken,

Oh, we love thee well.

Refrain:
Raise the emblem of our power,
Hail, the Blue and White;
Sound a cheer the world can hear,
Our spirit is our might!

Admiration fills thy students
At they colors' sight'
Blue and White, the chosen
Symbols of the Preston High.

Many sacred memories linger
'Round thy old stone wall:
Lo, the dream, live voices echo
Through the time-worn halls.

When the years have bowed our figures,
And our hair is white,
Memory's hand will guide our foot-steps
Back to Preston High.

This song and photo were printed in the 1926-27 PHS Quiver (yearbook).

OSA website

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www.oneidastakeacademy.com

Above is a link to the Oneida Stake Academy's official website. On it you'll find information on the academy's move to its present location in Benson Park in the center of Preston City. You'll also find links to old newspaper articles of the academy's glory days and past OSAF newsletters.

Frank Gilbert played basketball for OSA

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Frank Gilbert, born in Fairview, Idaho, in 1894, to Daniel and Amelia Gilbert, attended the Oneida Stake Academy and played basketball for the school's team.

Following is the text from an article that appeared in the Box Elder News on March 16, 1911. Gilbert would have been almost 16-years-old, and may have played in this game.

BASKET BALL LEAKS

The B E H S is one of the most graceful loosers of any basketball team of the state the boys started off at a pretty fair gate but fate seemed to be against them as the season wore on and drubbing after drubbing followed in spite of the good playing the team did.

Last Friday night coach Roskelley took his Colts to Preston, Idaho and played a game with the Oneida Stake Academy five losing the game by two points. The boys put up a marvelous game, however, when it is known that is the first ten minutes playing the academy piled up a score of 17 to the high school 1. The home boys were carried off their feet to begin with but they warmed up and went after it hammer and tongs, and they did things, so that when the final whistle blew the score stood 34-32 favor of the academy. Coach Roskelley attributed the failure of the boys to land the game to the absence of Tingey who could not go along. Wright played a fast game but could not for the life of him, throw baskets, and he had many good opportunities.

The team came on down to Logan Saturday and played the B Y college
in the evening the score being 29-34 favor of the college.

The boys came home Sunday beaten but not disheartened. They have
got used to that.

Teacher Certificate

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Recently donated to the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation is this teacher's certificate issued to Dimon Bodily in 1915 by the Franklin County School Superintendent Henry Simpson. Bodily was certified to teach for one year in the areas of reading, language, arithmetic, history and geography.

Oneida Stake Academy 1914

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On the back of this photo it says "Probably 'O' Day of 1914 or 15. (On northeast corner of the Academy in shown the old wooden stairway up to the auditorium.)" Also in the picture one can see the Nelson Gymnasium and the science building. Photo donated by Basil and Randy Haberstick.

Update - Front stairs restored to historic Oneida Stake Academy

2009-11-04T11:34:00.000-08:00

Using federal funds administered by the Idaho Transportation Department, the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation is having front stairs poured for the historic Oneida Stake Academy in Preston, Idaho.

The current design of the new stairs follows the academy's original design with modern amenities. It will look like the original, but a heating pad will help to keep it ice-free when completed. The stairs will include rock facing placed on the concrete steps which have been built by Jeff Call, of Preston, for Bailey Construction out of Logan, Utah. Additional funding is currently being sought to have the rock laid on this new concrete stair foundation.

Furthermore, Bailey Construction is contracting with Randy Meek to upgrade and repair a leak in a portion of the academy's roof. As funding comes in, the entire roof will be upgraded, said board members of the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation. Donations to the restoration of the 119-year-old Oneida Stake Academy are tax-deductible and may be made to the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation, P.O. Box 555, Preston, Idaho 83263.

When completed, the academy will serve the community as an elegant, historical community center, available to the public for events such as receptions, reunions, conferences and performances of the arts. It will also house a museum of its own and local history, and function as an information center for the Pioneer Scenic Byway, which runs from Franklin, Idaho, through Preston, and into Freedom, Wyoming. For more information, see www.oneidastakeacademy.com.

Nathan Hale and Jeff Call inspect the forms before concrete is poured.

Cement is pumped to the forms.

Newell Hart

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Newell Hart was a Preston native, a free spirit and an avid chronicler of an era slipping into the past. Born on Feb. 21, 1913, he was the son of Arthur William and Evadyna Henderson Hart.

Newell and his wife, Ruth, spent many years in California, but eventually returned to Preston. Together they pulled together the efforts of other local academy fans to repair and restore the academy so it could be used not only by Preston School District, but the public.

Newell died in 1983, having his final celebration of life in the ballroom of the academy. Unfortunately, he had to wait downstairs while his eulogies went on above, as the stairway would not accommodate his casket. Ruth followed him on June 1, 2006.

His family and the new owners of his home, Basil and Randy Haberstick, have shared items and photos Newell and Ruth had collected on the academy with the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation.

Many of those photos well be shared for the first time on this blog.

We pay tribute to Newell, Ruth and their family members and friends who helped them prepare the academy for its second century of life.

View of original campus

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At left is a view of the entire campus before Preston High School was built. If you look closely, you will see that the science buildng still had its upper floors. Preston School District continues to use this building, minus the upper floors since they were lost to a fire decades ago. Art classes are taught in its upper second floor and weight lifting is held in its main floor. The grounds maintenance offices and work rooms are in the building's basement.

The building to the left in the picture above is the no-longer-standing Nelson Gymnasium.

The above picture is a clipping from The Preston Citizen from an unknown year. It originally appeared in the Hometown Album, which was compiled by academy champion Newell Hart. The book is no longer in print, much to our chagrin, but occasionally we get copies of its contents.

Unfortunately we no longer have its compiler, Newell Hart. Due to his passion for saving the building in the 70s and 80s, we have a building to restore today.

Oneida Stake Academy

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Construction began on the OSA in 1890. The academy classes were moved from their first home in an upstairs room in a store in Franklin, Idaho, to the academy's basement in 1891, while construction continued on the building's upper floors. The building was completed and dedicated in 1895, by Moses Thathcher.
It remained in use as an auxiliary building of the Preston School District #201 until the late 1990s. Since then, it has been relocated, and is under restoration to become the center of Northern Cache Valley culture once again.

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