Liberty History
Early in the fall of 1864, the area which eventually comprised Lanark, Liberty and Sharon was settled-not by choice, but by a direct call from the LDS Church leadership. Liberty began its existence with the arrival of Evan S and Margaret Morgan and the Levi Hammon family. A miserable winter in their crude homes followed.
The following summer others joined them. Among the new comers was Solomon Hale, the man who had been sent to explore the Bear River from its entry into Salt Lake to its highest beginnings in the Uinta mountains of Utah. That was in 1856. With Hale came William A Hyman, John and James Hymas. First attempts at raising crops started that year. In the spring of 1856, E N Austin engineered the construction of the first irrigation ditch which diverted water from Mill Creek. Next, a town site was surveyed consisting of 36 plots of one and one fourth acres each. Each chose his lot. As others arrived they were given "Squatters rights" to the remaining portions.
Liberty remained a close-knit community until 1870 when Samuel Matthews moved down into what became known as East Liberty. Within the year others moved into the outlying areas and the section to which they moved gradually carried the name of East Liberty, South Liberty and North Liberty. South Liberty became Lanark and North Liberty became Sharon. The early community of Liberty was one of the first in the valley to practice a cooperative system of living. Others arrived: John Martin, David M King, George Hards, Henry Hancock, "Daddie and Grannie Miles" John Roberts, James Poulsen, John Bunn, Charles Brown, John Prescott and Joseph Derricott.
"Aunt" Mary Hymas was a midwife and traveled far and wide as needed. Levi Hammon served as the first presiding elder. For two years the Hammon family with 19 children stayed in Liberty and then returned to Cache Valley. Edwin N Austin was called to continue as the new church leader. He served as presiding elder until 1877, when a ward was organized. He was then the first Bishop, a position he held for 44 years.
Orson Merrill was the first school teacher in Liberty and his school was a one room log house located immediately east of the present Liberty church house. He began the school with five students. That first school lasted about six weeks in the early fall and for six weeks in the early spring. For his pay, he received his board at different homes, a variety of goods and very little money. A second school building replaced the first one in 1868. It was two rooms, adjacent to the first building which became a home for the teacher. It served the community until 1915 when it was torn down.
In 1895 the people began construction of the first brick and stone church on the southeast corner of the original town site. That church continued to served until 1959 when the first portion of the present building was constructed. In 1970 an addition was added.