Historic Homes--John Dixon Home--Photo of the Day

    The John Dixon home is located on the northeast corner of Main Street and 200 North. It is listed on the National Historic Register.   Mr. Dixon was a banker and landholder, and one time mayor of Payson.  It is an imposing red sandstone building.  It was constructed in 1893 from sandstone that was quarried and brought from Spanish Fork Canyon.  It has hand carved faces that decorate the upper part of the home.  The home has been owned by numerous non-family members over the years.  It still retains much of its original beauty and all the subsequent owners have tried to maintain the integrity of the old home.

Historic Homes--Henry Erlandson Home--Photo of the Day

     The Henry Erlandson home located on Utah Avenue and 300 East is another of the historic homes of PAYSON.  The plans for the home were drawn by the famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.  Mr. Erlandson and his brother Otto owned and operated Central Lumber Company that was located on Utah Avenue between Main Street and 100 East.  The home was built of the finest materials available.  It was reported that even the door frames were made of copper rather than wood.  The leaded glass windows were made in Italy and shipped to Payson to be installed in the home.
      The late Robert and Ardella Burdick purchased the home a number of years ago after a descendant of the Erlandsons passed away.  They did extensive remodeling to the building, grounds and the old garage.   They added onto the home but they retained and matched all materials to the original structure.  After the death of the Burdicks, the beautiful old home has been purchased by new owners.  Each owner of the home was maintained the appearance of the home and ground of the beautiful old home.

J. L. Townsend Home--Photo of the Day

    In the late 1800's,  J. L. Townsend, a prominent Payson resident and educator, built a large two-story  home on the west side of 100 East between 400 and 500 South for his family. 
    Joseph Longking Townsend was born in Canton, Pennsylvania in 1849.  He received an excellent education and at the age of 21 was offered a professorship at the Agricultural College of Missouri.  However, due to ill health he had to decline the offer.  Shortly after, he moved to Salt Lake City hoping to improve his health.
     About six months after arriving in Utah, he joined the Mormon Church.  He eventually made his way to Payson and married a local girl, Alta Hancock.   He operated a drug store in Payson for about 25 years.  He later taught penmanship at Brigham Young Academy in Provo.  He moved to Salt Lake City and became a manual training teacher at Salt Lake High School.  He also served as one of the early principals of Payson High School.  After residing in Salt Lake City for a few years, he returned to Payson.
         William Clayson, O. P. Huish, John J. McClellan and J. L. Townsend, all early Payson residents, have more hymns (26) than any other composers whose work appears in the publications of the LDS Church.  He was a poet and many of his works were set to mucic and are now part of the LDS Church’s music program.
     "Choose the Right" is a saying or motto among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that is taught to children and used by members of the church as a reminder to act righteously. The phrase is taken from an LDS hymn of the same name written by Joseph L. Townsend.
     The property where the Townsend home was located was later purchased from the Bale family in the early 1950's by Nebo School District.  The home, along with others to the north on the block, was demolished and Park View School was built on the site.   

Old Payson High School-Early 1950s--Photo of the Day

This photo was taken in the early 1950s.  You will  note the Gym to the south and the front doors are still in place.  The front doors were closed off in the mid-50s and offices were put in their place inside the building.  As you see, the school did not have a parking lot.  Cars are parked along the street in front and on the side street.

Veteran Honor Roll--Photo of the Day

This large billboard honoring Payson Veterans was located on the portion of the City Park that was located across the street north of the Park Pond.  It was a list of all veterans from Payson that had served in the military.  The small enter section listed the veterans that lost their life in the defense of our country.  The area was originally designated as the location of a new city library which was never constructed of the site.  It is not known when the large billboard was removed.

Nebo Stake Tabernacle-Roof Structure--Photo of the Day

The arched roof of the Nebo Stake Tabernacle was constructed similar to the roof of the Salt Lake Tabernacle.  The acoustics made it possible to hear the speakers at the rear of the building without any type of sound system.

This photo shows the construction of the building.  The roof structure was built of wood.

Old Payson High School Gym--Photo of the Day

The high school gym was located the the south of the main high school building.  It was built in 1938.  The building had a large gym, two dressing rooms, a classroom located and  a classroom over the main entrance.  At the rear of the building there was a large shop and drafting room, an area for the Ag program.  Upstairs above the shop area was an orchestra room.  After the old high school was demolished, the city named the building the Bon Ton.  It was utilized as a roller rink and other recreational purposes.  It was also later demolished and the Constitution Park was constructed.  The three oval sports sections of the facade of the building was saved and they are now found on the back brick wall of the amphitheater of the Peteetneet Museum.

Payson Exchange Bank--Photo of the Day

The Payson Exchange Savings Bank was opened in April of 1890 in a new two-story building located on the southeast corner of Main Street and Utah Avenue.  Since the bank did not have the proper license to operate at that time, it was forced to close until the following year.  It was not granted a license to operate until January 1891.  The bank advertised that it could transact a general banking business, forward money to any part of the United States, Mexico, or Europe at the lowest possible rates.
 In 1924, after more than thirty years in business, the Payson Exchange Bank failed and closed its doors.  In 1927, Payson City purchased the building and established a city office complex.  The City Library was moved from the Hancock Building located a block north of the old bank building.  The library occupied the main west portion of the bank.  The City Council Chamber was located on the second floor above the library
The City Offices were moved from the old City Hall across the street west of the City Park to the east rooms of the bank building.  The offices had their own entrance located on Utah Avenue.  The city police and a jail were located adjacent to the city offices.  R. W. McMullin, attorney-at-law occupied the rooms above the city offices.
The bank building housed the library and city offices until the early 1980's when they were moved to the new city complex located in the newly remodeled Payson City Hospital building located on West Utah Avenue.

State Bank of Payson--Photo of the Day

The State Bank of Payson opened its doors on May 21, 1917.  The building was built expressly for the bank.  It operated until January 1932.  Partly due to the depression, bad loans caused a lack of funds.  Payson was without a bank for over 8 years.The bank remained closed until August 1940 when the Commercial Bank of Payson opened in the building.  In 1956 the bank merged with First Security and then in 2000 there was a merger with Wells Fargo.  Three banks and much remodeling have changed the original bank but it still serves the community today,

South Main Poplars--Photo of the Day

When the early residents of the city laid out the streets, they planted poplar trees along many of the streets.  Notice the poplar trees that line South Main in the late 1800s.  Most of the trees were later removed as the city continued to grow and other types of trees were planted.  The poplars were first planted because they grew quickly and gave the needed shade the residents wanted.

Orem Railroad Cut East of Peteetneet--Photo of the Day

During the construction of the Orem Railroad into Payson, a cut was made through the hill north of the Peteetneet School.  The trains came in from the east and the cut allowed a more gradual entrance into Payson toward the Car Barns and the Orem Station.

Daily Life 100 North and Main--Photo of the Day

This photo was taken from the roof of the Hancock-Page Building.  It was located where we find the Crest General Store today.  The William Douglass home is located on the left and the wells Fargo Banks stands there today.  The two story building in the center of the photo is the 2nd William Douglass Mercantile Store.  This is the location of the Wagon Wheel Park and the corner on 100 North and Main.  The photo was taken sometime around 1890-1900.

Main Street Late 1930s--Photo of the Day

Looking south on Main Street in the late 1930s.  Note By's Cafe on the left.  On the right is the Farmer's Merc, DTR Furniture, S and W Root Beer and the Douglass Building.

The Union Hall--Photo of the Day

The first building of considerable size that was constructed in pioneer Payson was the Union Hall.  Five local citizens undertook to build a dance and theater hall shortly after 1859.  It is the large building just north of the William Douglass Store on North Main.  The main amusement at the new hall was dancing.  Those attending the dances brought food to be enjoyed during the evening.  Tickets were usually paid in produce or some form of fresh or dried meats.
A Dramatic Association was formed and used the building for many years.   The building was demolished sometime prior to 1902 what the Snyder Motor Building was constructed on the site.

AMOCO Service Sation--Photo of the Day

The southeast corner of Main Street and 100 North has seen many changes since the first pioneers arrived.  The location was just several feet north of the south gate of the fort.  There was a pioneer home on the site originally.  The Hancock-Page Building was later built on the site.  This building was lost in a fire in the early 1930s.  The Conk Service Station was then located there for a few year.  The site was purchased by Utah Oil and they constructed a UTOCO  station on the site in about 1938.  It was later changed to the brand name AMOCO.  It was later replaced by the current Crest General Store and  Service Station.

Park Bandstand Looking West---Photo of the Day

This photo was taken in the mid  19020s looking west from the Park Bandstand toward Main Street.  The City Hal stands to the left, the city jail center and a private home that was later demolished to make way for the new Payson Junior High School that was constructed in 1928.

Don's Cafe--Photo of the Day

In 1907 the first motion picture theater was located in the building.   It was located just east of the Loose Building.  In 1910, the new owner, Mr. Done relocated to a new theater building on West Utah Avenue.  Parry Battery and Garage opened in the old building.
In 1939, Don Cloward, a Payson native, opened a cafe in the building.  He later left Payson and Nate and June Thomas operated the cafe for about eight years.  In the early 1960s,  Bob and Blanche Wilson, also Payson natives purchased the cafe.  In 1963, the adjacent Page Garage building was destroyed by fire.  A new building was constructed to the east in the former parking lot to house the cafe.  It was renamed Bob's Cafe.

Pioneer Parade on Main Street--Photo of the Day

Pioneer parade heading south on Main Street about 1910.  Notice the Lewis Drug Building and the Payson Exchange Bank on the right side of the street.  These two buildings are still being utilized today.

Original Payson Junior High--Photo of the Day

The Payson Junior High School located at 250 South Main was built in 1928 on the site of the old Payson City Hall.  It was used as a junior high until the late 1960s then the junior high was moved to the old high school building.  The Taylor School students used the building while their new school was being constructed.  It was used several years by Young Living Essential Oils.  It was demolished prior to  the construction of the new LDS Church that is now located on the site.

Payson Race Track Grandstand--Photo of the Day

The Payson Race Track was located just south of 700 South on Main Street.  The main grandstand stood where we find the Hillman Field Complex of ball fields today.  Payson used to be the place to go to see the horse races.

Payson High School 1946--Photo of the Day

Payson High School was located on the southeast corner of Main Street and 600 South.  The Payson Pool is located on the site today.  This photo is from about 1946.

Nebo Stake Tabernacle Construction 1905-06--Photo of the Day

The Nebo Stake Tabernacle was constructed in 1905-06 and was dedicated in 1906.  Notice the arched roof similar to the Salt Lake Tabernacle.