Vernal, Utah, USA Temple

History

August 1907 President Joseph F. Smith dedicated the newly completed Uintah Stake Tabernacle. He said he “would not be surprised if a temple were built here some day.”* By the 1970s, the Tabernacle had become worn with use, beloved by the Saints they feared it would be condemned and a “Save the Tabernacle Committee” was formed. The First Presidency knew of their concerns. Presidents Gordon B. Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson visited the building, spending two hours touring it to “feel what the Lord wanted them to do with that beautiful old building.”** Not long after, the news was released that the Brethren felt impressed to make the Tabernacle the first building to be converted into a temple.** As construction began a search was made for bricks that would match the existing walls. Some were needed to replace damaged bricks, others for a gateway. A home owned by Nick J. Meagher was found to be the perfect match. He had plans to raze the building, but donated it to the Church instead. More than a thousand volunteers donated their evenings and Saturdays over the next two months as the home was dismantled, one brick at a time. Adults removed and cleaned bricks; small children stacked them. Almost sixteen thousand bricks were salvaged to become part of a temple! But this temple was destined to preserve more of the past. The stained-glass window on the east side was originally made for the Mt. Olivet Methodist Episcopal Church of Hollywood, later purchased by the Church. After many years of use the building was demolished, but the window had been saved. The oxen supporting the baptismal font had graced the South Visitors’ Center on Temple Square in Salt Lake City for more than twenty years. When the temple was dedicated on November 2, 1997, a young lady shared that her great-grandfather had been told in a blessing that he would help construct a temple for the Lord. He traveled to Salt Lake City and offered up his talents. From there he was sent to build the Uintah Stake Tabernacle, where he stayed and worked until its completion. The only building he helped build for the Church, he died believing his blessing unfulfilled. Ninety years later the promise was realized.*** Let this temple turn our hearts to the memories of the many who came before us and are waiting for us to open the doors to them.

How Temple Coins are Made

Dave started creating jewelry using metals in 1992, ten years later he had worked with nearly every metal in the jewelry industry! Moving to Thailand, he spent the next nine years perfecting his skills with various metals, 3D models and 3D printers. He dreamed of producing something that would bring delight to purchasers and carry with it positive feelings that would touch the souls of those who owned them. In 2014 he was able to realize his dream. Returning to the US, he uses Lost-wax casting to create a metal master from brass alloy for each temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, depicting, in the highest degree of definition possible, a coin with a 3D image of a temple. The reverse of each coin is cast with the words “Stand ye in holy places.”

Purchase one or two of the temples that hold special meaning to you. Commemorate your visit to a temple by picking up the corresponding coin. Celebrate a milestone in a loved one’s life by gifting them a temple coin to inspire them. Collect them all or just a few. Some are cast in precious metals, making each coin an investment that will be a treasure in every sense of the word.

Additional Information

• Free Shipping on orders over $35.
• All coins are 1 1/4 in.
• Pewter Coins are cast from lead free alloys.
• Brass Coins cast from a silicone, brass alloy.  Giving our brass coins a rich yellow gold color for a fraction of the cost of gold coins.
• Silver Coins are cast from an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper.
• Gold Coins cast in 14K Gold are 58.5% pure gold.  The remaining alloy consists of a copper and silver mix.
• All of our coins are developed, cast, and finished locally in our facility in Logan, UT, U.S.A.

*Source note: Lloyd, “Vernal Temple Doors”.
**”Temple Experiences in Deseret”
***Hawkins, “The First 100 Temples”, 142.