Bear Lake Tabernacle
Paris
The Bear Lake State Tabernacle, located on Main Street in Paris was built by the pioneers of Bear Lake Valley at a cost of $50,000, while William Budge was president of the stake.
Joseph Don Carlos Young of Salt Lake City was the architect and the building was constructed under the supervision and direction of Thomas G Lowe, who was a contractor and builder of Logan, Utah. The work on the building commenced in 1884 just 21 years after the settlement of the valley and it was completed in 1888. It was built of red sandstone which was hauled by horse and ox teams and wagons from a quarry in Indian Creek Canyon, which is on the east side of Bear Lake about 18 miles from the site of the building. During the winter months the teams hauled rock with sleighs over the ice across the north end of the lake. The timber for the building was native and hauled from the nearby canyons and sawed at Robert Price shingle mill in Paris Canyon. The shingles were hand picked and were only 4 inches in width in order to keep them from curling and lasted over 40 years. The line used in the mortar was made in Paris Canyon
Jacob Tueller Sr. and his three sons, Jacob Jr. Christian and John, who were living in Utah and had been trained in their native land of Switzerland as masons, hear of the need of masons and moved to Paris to assist in the work. Jacob Jr. cut the stone and his father and two brothers laid the rock. William Shepherd stenciled the letters on the inscription stone on the front of the building while Jacob Tueller Jr. cut the letters. The doors were handmade by John H Grimmett, who also constructed and erected the top pinnacle. James Collings Sr. donated the colored glass and with others constructed the ceiling. James Nye, who was a cabinet maker, did the carving on the ceiling of the choir and with a hand lathe, burnished the banisters around the pulpit. Walter Lewis of Paris hauled the rocks for the steps from Indian Creek which had been cut the proper size.
On September 15, 1889 the dedication services for the tabernacle were held with Presidents Wilford Woodruff and George G Cannon in attendance. The dedicatory prayer was offered by President Woodruff and the ceremony was witnessed by about half of the people living in Bear Lake at the time.
Another site with information on our beautiful tabernacle