Where the mountains and desert converge, I arrived in Utah’s fifth biggest town, St. George. Named after George A. Smith, an early member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who set out to colonize southwestern Utah, St George is home to the “jewel of the desert”: St George Tabernacle. 

Construction on the tabernacle began in 1863, and doors opened in 1876; its original purpose was to serve as an LDS church and courthouse (which may explain the mysterious clock tower). The building now hosts concerts, community gatherings, worship services, and town events.

I highly recommend a guided tour. The tour guides there are knowledgeable and dedicated, providing fun historical nuggets woven into the context of the LDS church and tidbits about the town itself. Throughout the tabernacle, I had many opportunities to view firsthand historical artifacts preserved since the 19th century, including the original hammer used to craft the patterns on the building’s exterior sandstone.

My tour guide shared insights you likely wouldn’t learn navigating solo, like how the building is mostly pine but was stained to appear as more “premium” varieties of wood, that the chandeliers operate on a pulley system to make repairs easier, and that the central organ is the original (but since enhanced) pipe organ. 

Still, St. George Tabernacle remains a treasure trove of history and architecture, even after being restored to its original beauty in 2018, keeping many of its museum-like qualities, such as a time capsule containing handwritten poetry and photos from Charlie Walker—a stone mason who worked on the tabernacle in the 1870s. Even tiny details like the poetry and names of construction workers carved into the wood stairs were especially amusing and resonant after all these years; I found them worth the extra time.