Paris Tabernacle
The Paris Tabernacle, also known as the Bear Lake Stake Tabernacle, is a historic meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located in Paris, Idaho.
Latter-day Saints established Paris in the late 1860s and soon needed a meetinghouse where they could gather to worship God. Plans were created right away, but work on the tabernacle did not begin in earnest for more than 20 years. Laborers and resources were directed toward the pressing completion of the Salt Lake Temple and the Logan Utah Temple.
Construction began in 1884 using a new set of plans designed by Joseph [Don Carlos Young]], a son of President Brigham Young. Local Latter-day Red sandstone was quarried from Indian Creek, about 24 miles southeast of Paris. During winter months, they used wagons to cart the stone across the frozen Bear Lake, cutting several miles from the journey.
President George Q. Cannon, then a member of the First Presidency, dedicated the tabernacle in 1889. Since then, the electrical and heating and air systems have been modernized while preserving the building’s 1880s appearance. Heating and electrical problems have been common in these old pioneer tabernacles, Emily Utt, Church Historic Sites Curator, said.[1]
- Mostly farmers and ranchers, the Saints there were not wealthy, Scott R. Christensen said. [He is an area acquisitions manager in the Church History Department who has researched tabernacles.]
- "They were practical people. You would have expected them to build a vernacular structure; a rectangle with a roof on it would have done the job," he said. "But they wanted to inspire their community. They wanted this to be a building that represented a house of worship."
- They secured the services of Joseph Don Carlos Young, Brigham Young's son and one of the best architects in the region. They spent years stockpiling materials as they awaited approval from church leaders. The go-ahead came in 1884 after the Logan Utah Temple was completed. The tabernacle was completed four years later and is still in use today.
- "In the dead of winter, when the ice on Bear Lake was as thick as it was going to be, they loaded the stone they had quarried during the summer and fall on wagons and hauled it across the lake, and you end up with this magnificent structure," Christensen said. "I think kudos to them. They had a vision for something that was much grander than themselves, and they made it happen."
- It's one tabernacle that everyone should see, Utt said.
- "This is one of the most untouched tabernacles in the church," Utt said. "It's gorgeous and absolutely worth a visit. I think it would stack up nationally with other buildings built in this decade."[2]
The Paris Tabernacle is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Paris Tabernacle is also open for public tours. Guided tours, about 30 minutes long, highlight the faith and sacrifice of early Church members who donated their time, labor, and money to build the tabernacle. The main floor is accessible to visitors in wheelchairs. Public restrooms are available.
