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Show Spring City 267 house. On a map depicting the townsite in early years, this building is identified as the First West Schoolhouse. That the building was used as a school is certain, as some of Spring City's older residents attended classes there themselves. In early days it was called the John Frank Allred Schoolhouse after a long-time instructor who began teaching in Spring City in 1878. The structure now stands vacant, known to townspeople as the Old Rock Schoolhouse.1' The city hall also served as a school prior to 1900. A simple one-story rectangle with a steeply pitched gabled roof and bell cot, the building was constructed in 1893 of locally quarried limestone. Scandinavian stonemasons were once again responsible for the fabrication of the exterior walls; the carpenters were William Downard and Marinus Mortensen.16 The city hall was rented by school trustees for $7.50 per month. In addition to serving as a school and meeting place for the city council, the building was used by the Spring City Brass Band and the Royal Blue Band. Here, too, matters relating to the dispensation and regulation of water were decided. After his successful campaign for reelection as mayor, the Honorable Ole Peterson passed out on the: city hall's benches after too much celebrating. Town wags took advantage of his honor's indisposition to tie the rope of the fire bell around his leg so that each time he rolled over the bell rang, reminding the entire town of his election.1' The public school, completed in 1899, is a basically rectangular structure consisting of two-and-one-half stories. The hipped roof is topped with a central bell cot and four large corbeled chimneys. Stepped gables at the sides offset the stepped parapet across the front. The building was constructed primarily of a light brick with darker brick trim. The bricks were locally made in the "second holler" west of town on the road to Chester. The architect was once again J.R. Watkins from Provo. Many local residents were hired by the contractors, Grace Brothers of Nephi. One former Spring City resident remembers as a boy riding the derrick horse used to raise the bricks. Each of the eight grades had a classroom complete with its own pot-bellied stove. Adding to its significance, the school marked the "Mason-Dixon" line dividing the north (Danish) of town from the south (non-Scandinavian). This line usually 15 Deseret News, February 10, 1868; Jenson, "Manuscript History"; interview with John R. Baxter, Jr., M a r c h 1, 1974; photograph in the possession of Mrs. Winona J. Allred, Spring City; Lever, History of Sanpete, 4 9 0 ; interview with Winona J. Allred, March 12, 1974. 1(i John R. Baxter, Jr., to U t a h Heritage Foundation, March 20, 1971, U t a h Heritage Foundation files, Salt Lake City. 17 Interview with Henry S. Schofield, March 7, 1974 |
