OSA helped Mark Hart leave his mark on the world

http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/17577/Academy-era-short-lived-but-impact-long-lasting.html

The above link will take you to an article printed by the Church News in 1988 in which an 84-year-old Mark Hart recalls his time in class at the Oneida Stake Academy. He attended the academy at the same time Harold B. Lee and Ezra Taft Benson did, prior to the outbreak of World War I.

Like many of his fellow alumni, Mark Hart left an impact on the world. He gained notoriety for his work in education and politics.He taught seminary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Preston, Idaho, and English and instrumental music for 21 years in the public school system in Utah, Idaho and Washington. He served two terms as the superintendent of Public Instruction for Franklin County Schools and two terms in the Idaho State Legislature: once representing Franklin County and once representing Bear Lake, Caribou and Franklin Counties.

Hart was a prolific writer, contributing to state an  national magazines as well as local periodicals. His writing covered a wide variety of genres, from "Apples of Gold," which was a book of poetry to "Aerospace Word Power" a book written for NASA.

The second printing of his book, "Apple Blossom Daze" in 1985 states that he was best know for his "New Diacritic Word Power Testers and Builders, which perhaps are America's first and only systematic approach to programmed vocabulary building." At the time, over 1.5 million of those books were sold throughout America and several countries around the world. 

His entitled his autobiography "Marcus 'The Great'". Four of his books can be found at the Preston Citizen  store and in the Larsen-Sant Library, in Preston,

Hart took his marching bands to the Portland Rose Festival parade and the Pasadena Tournament of Roses parade, where they won many awards and honors.

Hart died in 1994. He was again living in Preston at the time.

Recent news articles

The Herald Journal recently covered our progress at:
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.

Grant awarded

The restoration of the Oneida Stake Academy has received a significant boost from the Laura Moore Cunningham  Foundation, Inc.

 The Oneida Stake Academy Foundation (OSAF) recently was awarded a  $25,000 grant from the Cunningham Foundation to restore the main beam  under the academy’s elegant ballroom. The ballroom comprises the  entire upper floor of the 122-year-old building.

 “Accepting this grant is especially gratifying, as the Laura Moore  Cunningham Foundation, Inc., is involved in sponsoring so many  worthwhile projects in Idaho. We are pleased to be a part of that  family,” said Elliott Larsen, executive director of the OSAF.

 Laura Moore Cunningham was a native of Boise. Her father, C.W. Moore, > partnered with B. M. DuRell to charter the First National Bank of  Idaho in 1860. Mrs. Cunningham herself was dedicated to serving her  community. Idaho Governor Robert E. Smylie stated at her funeral, that  “her contribution to civic enterprise was the highest tradition of  gracious citizenship.”

 Cunningham’s foundation was organized in 1963, and is one of the  oldest and largest charitable foundations in Idaho. It is dedicated to  promoting organizations it believes will help to enhance the quality  of life in the state of Idaho. Dozens of educational institutions  offer scholarships funded by the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation,  Inc. Many projects undertaken by other organizations such as  hospitals, public schools and cultural and social centers in Idaho  have received funds from the Cunningham Foundation.

 “Our architects from Design West are working out final details on  restoring the Oneida Stake Academy building’s ballroom beam. Work will  begin as soon as they give the go ahead,” said Nathan Hale, chairman  of the OSAF.

New book makes capturing OSA memories a cinch

Memories (B&W) by __________________________________ | Make Your Own Book

Just by clicking on the link below the preview, you can purchase the book. ALL PROCEEDS GO TO THE RESTORATION OF THE ONEIDA STAKE ACADEMY BUILDING AS A COMMUNITY CENTER/MUSEUM OF LOCAL HISTORY.

There's also a color version:

Memories (Color) by __________________________________ | Make Your Own Book

Medal of Honor recipients among OSA alumni

Leonard Brostram and Nathan "Junior" Van Noy, both Medal of Honor recipients from World War II attended classes in the Oneida Stake Academy Building. See the full story here: Herald Journal

Recollections: 1934 earthquake takes out capstone

From the pages of the Trailblazer,  a history of the Franklin County compiled by the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, we read that the Oneida Stake Academy building lost its capstone during the earthquakes that hit the area on March 12 and March 15 of 1934.

Newspaper features OSA alum

Carl Bingham, of Franklin County, recalls his education within walls of OSA in this special to the Herald Journal of Logan, Utah. See the full story at this link: Herald Journal

Value of History

    Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson explains the importance of individuals getting involved in saving history to the directors of Firefly Film and Video, inside the unrestored ballroom of the Oneida Stake Academy, last weekend. When asked what he thought he'd hear if the building's walls could talk, Simpson emphasized, "They can talk, you just have to listen!"
   Library of Congress librarian, the late Daniel Boorstin, once said, "Trying to plan for the future with out a sense of the past is like trying to plant cut flowers."
   In 2003, the National Ad Council cited studies that lamented the loss of 250,000 historical sites per year in the United States.
   To learn more about the Oneida Stake Academy and how you can support its restoration, contact a member of the OSAF. (See members listed on the left of the blog.)

National Society of DAR awards grant to OSAF

A new grant was just awarded to the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation by the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution for the restoration of the OSA's bell tower. Thanks for this goes to the sponsorship of the Bear River Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Logan, Utah, and its president, Joanne Jensen. Work on the tower is expected to begin this summer.

Iconic Preston building has new gable installed - The Herald Journal: News

Iconic Preston building has new gable installed - The Herald Journal: News: PRESTON — Deteriorating weather prompted crews to expedite the installation of a new stone gable atop the Oneida Stake Academy building Wednes…

New gable installed on Harold B. Lee's birthday

Clifton native and former president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Harold B. Lee, has been gone for 39 years, but he still received a birthday present on March 28: the gable and star missing from his alma mater for half a century were restored to the building.

“I’m betting Harold B. Lee will have a smile on his face,” said his grandson, David Goates. Lee would have been 113 years old.

This picture, taken in 1917, shows how the building appeared when Harold B. Lee and Ezra Taft Benson attended class there. Notice the star and the battlements.

The academy's gable looked like this from the time the original stones fell out in the 1960s until the new gable was placed on March 28, 2012.

The new gable beautifully completes the front of the Oneida Stake Academy building. Once all rock work is completed on the building, it will be washed. This process will removed the pink cast which has leached from the red mortar onto the stones below the new gable and the rest of the building. Originally, the building's stones were cemented with a white mortar. the new gable was constructed from rock hewn from the academy's original quarry at the mouth of Cub River, northeast of Franklin, Idaho.

Update - Gable to be set March 28, 10 a.m.

Scheduling problems with another high profile project has prompted officials of Kepco to move the day to install the new gable on the Oneida Stake Academy to March 28, at 10 a.m., said Nathan Hale of the Oneida Stake Academy Foundation.

Kepco has been working on the City Creek project in the center of Salt Lake City. It is modern community of 700 residences, offices and retail stores built on 23 acres just south of Temple. That project will be dedicated next week, and the schedule change will allow Kepco’s crew to be present at City Creek for that event.

The beautiful new gable constructed by Kepco and State Stone will be trucked to Preston the day before it is to be installed. It is expected to take approximately four hours to lift the 16-ton rock filled galvanized steel frame into place. Crews have been preparing the 122-year-old Oneida Stake Academy building to receive the new gable.

The Oneida Stake Academy (OSA) was built by Mormon pioneers between 1890 and 1894 in order to inspire their children with a first class education. It is one is one of 35 academies built by Mormon pioneers during the late 1800s and early 1900s, between Canada and Mexico. Only five remain standing, and the OSA is the only academy building left in Idaho.

Except for the academy in Colonia Juarez, Mexico, which is still a school, the OSA remained in use as an educational facility the longest of the academies. It is also the alma mater of former US Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson, and fellow OSA alum, Harold B. Lee, both of who have been presidents of the world-wide Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-days Saints. Another famous alum is Samuel Cowley – first inductee into the FBI Hall of Fame for his role in taking out infamous mobster Baby Face Nelson.

For more information on, or to give to the restoration of the Oneida Stake Academy building as a community cultural center/museum of local history, please see www.oneidastakeacademy.org.

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

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

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

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

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

 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

          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

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

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!

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

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

 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

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

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

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

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

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

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.