Afton Stake Tabernacle: Interior

 Here is an image of a funeral in the original tabernacle. A balcony went around three sides. At the front was a reed organ that actually had artificial pipes to look like a much more elaborate pipe organ. 

In the 1941 renovation, a new chapel was built on the north end and the original chapel space was repurposed to serve as classrooms and offices. Here is a picture of what the chapel looked like. It still was not traditional, with an off-center pulpit.

This is what the chapel looks like now with its 2009 renovation. The pipe organ was purchased from the Idaho Falls temple. The chapel looks much more elaborate now than it did before, although it doesn't come close to the original tabernacle interior. Still, I think it works well.

A Blog Update

Note that this was published in 2020. I have begun regular updates again since this time.

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After almost 6 years of consistent posting, nearly 600 posts, hundreds of messages and comments from readers, and hundreds of thousands of views on this blog, I have reached the point where I will no longer be able to publish regular posts on this blog.

When I started this blog in 2014, I was an undergraduate at BYU and had a lot of time for a hobby that required lots of early morning drives on Sunday mornings (when I knew that chapels would be open). Sometimes, in order to reach further chapels, I would leave my apartment at 5 or 6 AM.

In the years since then, I graduated from college, began full-time work, got married, had a baby, began graduate school in the evenings, and have juggled serving in the bishopric. I haven't had the time to do all of the visits and research that I was able to in the past.

If I do have time to visit chapels that I haven't been to before, I will still post on this blog. I will also continue to post updates on the pioneer temple renovations, which I am watching with great interest. You can also check out some of my other articles I've written:

10 Stunning Examples of Stained Glass Windows in LDS Meetinghouses - LDS Living

The Evolution of Sacred Space: The Changing Environment of the Endowment - BYU Religious Symposium, 2014

The Preservation and Destruction of LDS Tabernacles - BYU Religious Symposium, 2015

Stained Glass in Latter-day Saint Chapels - Pioneer Magazine, Vol. 66, No. 2 (2019)

I am very happy that I have been able to dedicate so much time to visiting temples, tabernacles, and chapels along the Mormon corridor and even outside of it. I'm also glad I've been able to work on this blog to document my pictures. My hope was to increase awareness of and appreciation for our architectural heritage in this Church, and I have had hundreds of people message me, many of them wanting to use the pictures in their own work. It makes me so happy to see other people enjoying the same thing I do.

I still welcome blog comments, messages to me, suggestions, feedback, or just conversation about these wonderful old buildings.

Afton Stake Tabernacle

Star Valley is a beautiful area on the western edge of Wyoming, settled in the 1800s by Mormon Pioneers. Afton, the central city in the valley, was home to the Star Valley Stake, organized in 1892. Built from 1904-1909, the tabernacle (known as the Star Valley Tabernacle or Afton Stake Tabernacle) was dedicated by President Joseph F. Smith.

Image Source: Church History Library

The building is stunning for its remote location. Stone for the construction came from a canyon on the west side of the valley. The chapel itself included a balcony along three sides of the building. (A future post will show interior pictures.)

 In 1941, the building was enlarged to include classrooms, offices, and other space. This was mostly placed on the north side of the building. The exterior also underwent some changes, losing much of the decorative spires and changing the windows in the tower itself. The old tower looked much more majestic overall. 

Image Source: Church History Library

In 2009, a final renovation was completed which stabilized the building. Unfortunately, in either the 1941 or the 2009 renovations (I believe the former), a new chapel was built in the addition and the original chapel space was repurposed to accommodate classrooms. This is really too bad, as the original chapel space looked lovely. However, I'm glad the building is still preserved.

Star Valley now has its own small temple that serves that 3 stakes in the valley.