http://news.hjnews.com/allaccess/article_085a82c8-2fbc-11e2-bd40-001a4bcf887a.html
They also covered the Cunningham Foundation grant, at: http://news.hjnews.com/allaccess/article_a73acf14-1d7f-11e2-932c-001a4bcf887a.html
The Preston Citizen covered the recent anonymous grant, as well as the recent financial support of the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation. Following is the text of that coverage:
Work continues on OSA
restoration as additional grants come in
Scaffolding and plastic tenting conceal the talents of State
Stone artisans as they begin restorative rockwork on the Oneida Stake Academy
building this week.
Two recent grants allowed the Oneida Stake Academy
Foundation to give State Stone the go ahead to start the work. An anonymous
donor provided $100,000 in October, then during the first week of November, the
Mormon Historic Sites Foundation committed to covering the costs of the architectural
drawings started earlier this year by Design West of Logan, Utah.
“Despite how wrenching it is for us to wait between
contracts to complete the different phases of the building, the satisfaction of
being able to see our planning and the generosity of donors put to work is
tremendous,” said OSAF president, Nathan Hale.
State Stone owner, Keith Mackay said his artisans will first
remove the red mortar that has, over the years, leached into the surrounding
rock, creating a pink caste to the building. Then, using a chemical wash
formulated specifically for the academy, the building will be washed.
Once the building is clean, Mackay’s crew will begin at the
top of the academy, removing and replacing deteriorated stone with new stone
cut from the academy’s original quarry northeast of Cub River. The new stone
has been tooled to match that of the original craftsmen. Finally, new mortar
will be applied.
Mackay cut the stone from the quarry in 2005. While there,
remnants of former stonecutters were discovered: blackened stone from black
powder blasts, rust encrusted ax heads and files. Originally, the rock was
quarried in 12-foot blocks blasted from the hillside under the direction of
Fred Nuffer.
Nuffer’s brother, John, was the principal mason on the
building. Adding the battlements were one of the modifications he made to the
original architect’s plans. John apprenticed on castles in his native country,
Germany, before immigrating to Cache Valley when his family joined The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Church directed the construction of
about 35 academies between Juarez, Mexico and Calgary, Canada. The bulk of them
were in the intermountain west.
Nuffer is credited with building several prominent buildings
in the area. In addition
to the Oneida Stake Academy they included many prominent
buildings now demolished: the Preston Opera House; the McCammon public
school; Fairview, Mapleton and Whitney public schools; the Tabernacle at Grace;
the high school at Grace; the original Preston First Ward building; and most of
the business blocks as well as many of the older homes in Preston.
The Oneida Stake Academy building, originally built between
1890-1894, was used for educational purposes longer than any other academy
building, except the academy in Juarez, which is still used as an academy
today.
