Wellsville Community Center to open after 10 years

Laurel Maughan Kehler Ames and Kaylene Ames clean the assembly hall of the Wellsville Community Center for the Arts Education and Entertainment on Thursday Sept. 2, 2021.

WELLSVILLE – After 10 years of being closed, the historic Wellsville Tabernacle – now called the Wellsville Community Center for Arts, Education and Entertainment – will be open to the public for the Founders Day’s American West Heritage Quilt Collection. The quilts will be displayed in the assembly hall or chapel area of the tabernacle located at located at 75 S. 100 E. It is free to the public.

The west side of the Wellsville Community Center on Wednesday Spt. 1, 2021. The building will be open for a quilt show during Founder’s Day celebration on Sunday Sept. 5 and Monday Sept. 6 for a few hours each evening.

“They quilts will be hung from the balcony in the Assembly Hall,” said Kaylene Ames, a city council woman and member of the Wellsville Tabernacle Foundation. “People will be able to walk through most of the building.”

The Wellsville Founder’s Day Quilt Show will be held Sunday from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. and on Monday from 12 noon until 3 p.m.

The tabernacle sits in the town square of the first settlement in Cache Valley, at one time known as Maughan’s Fort.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began construction of the Tabernacle in 1903, and by 1908 it was used for meetings. Wellsville City purchased the building from the church in 1979. The Wellsville Tabernacle Foundation purchased the building in 1995 and from then until now has made improvements and restore it.

“The building was used for other things over the years. At one time the city used it for a courtroom,” the city councilwoman said. “We had dance groups, school groups and clubs use the building.”

She hopes they will be able to continue to offer their space for community efforts now that it is open again.

Kehler Ames takes break from sprucing up the Wellsville Community Center on Thursday Sept. 2 2021. Ames is the building manager for the facility.

The Tabernacle was built using rocks from the Wellsville mountains and is structurally sound, but it does have some interior cosmetic issues. The foundation will continue to solicit additional financial support from individuals and organizations that support the historic preservation of the community center.

“Aaron Selvage and Ray Larsen built a pully system to bring the beams in the building and placed them where they need to be,” said Kehler Ames, the building manager. “With the new trusses in place we were able to open it up to the public.”

At 20 years-old Ames said he has been working in the Tabernacle most of his life. He helped the former caretaker Clarke Maughan as a child. He knows the building inside and out. He also knows the history and architecture of the building like a seasoned pro.

The assembly hall is unique as far as tabernacles go, the seating is not square to the podium,” he said. “And the original organ is in another building so the pipes are not in use right now. We hope to get it back some day.”

The carved handmade benches sit 600 people, and the 60-foot domed ceiling provides excellent acoustics.

“The social hall downstairs has a stage and a kitchen we can use for gatherings,” he said. “We have dehumidifiers in the building to eliminate the moisture that has caused problems.”

The building will be available for residents to use for school and after-school programs.

Margaret Christensen Bosworth shows Kaylene Ames the stitch work on a quit her grandmother made when she was 97 years-old Tuesday Aug. 31. The quilt will be on display at the quit show as part of Wellsville’s Founders Day 2021 Quilt Show.

The foundation is having a silent auction during the quilt show, said Margaret Bosworth, a foundation member who said it will include Two Windows of Wellsville  history books no longer in print.

“The businesses in the county have been very generous,” she said. “Logan River Golf Course has donated and we have a half of a pork form Theurers in Lewiston.”

They also have donations from Maverik and Welcome Mart which have donated gift cards. There are also donations from Walmart, Anderson’s Seed and more.

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