William Harrison Folsom (March 25, 1815 – March 19, 1901) was an architect and

contractor A contractor is a person or company that performs work on a contract basis. The term may refer to: Business roles * Defense contractor, arms industry which provides weapons or military goods to a government * General contractor, an individual o ...

. He constructed many of the historic buildings in

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, particularly in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

. Folsom is probably best known as a

Latter-day Saint Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

") architect. Many of his most prominent works were commissioned by

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church). For a time he was sustained as the Church Architect, a calling in the church. Jenson, Andrew. ''Encyclopedic History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'' (Salt Lake City: Deseret News Publishing Company, 1941) p. 138

Personal life

Folsom was born in

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsmou ...

. By the age of 16 he held a supervisory position in his father's contracting firm. Folsom directed up to hundreds of employees on

dock A dock (from Dutch language, Dutch ''dok'') is the area of water between or next to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore) or such structures themselves. The ex ...

projects around

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has t ...

. He and his father then moved to

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, where they ran a building business. In New York Folsom met his future wife Zervial Eliza Clark, whom he married at age 22 on August 12, 1837. Folsom also encountered Latter Day Saint

stonemason Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. It is one of the oldest activities and professions in human history. Many of the long-lasting, ancient shelters, temples, mo ...

Enoch Reese, who helped convert him to Mormonism. Folsom and his wife were baptized members of the

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The chu ...

in a frigid

Niagara River The Niagara River () is a river that flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the province of Ontario in Canada (on the west) and the state of New York (state), New York in the United States (on the east) ...

on February 17, 1842. Folsom and his wife traveled to

Nauvoo, Illinois Nauvoo ( ; from the ) is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River near Fort Madison, Iowa. The population of Nauvoo was 950 at the 2020 census. Nauvoo attracts visitors for its historic importance and its ...

, in the spring of 1842. Nauvoo was then headquarters of the church, and Folsom became an acquaintance of

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...

, the church's founder.

Early career

Folsom worked on the

Nauvoo Temple The Nauvoo Temple was the second temple constructed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.''Manuscript History of the Church'', LDS Church Archives, book A-1, p. 37; reproduced in Dean C. Jessee (comp.) (1989). ''The Papers of Jose ...

until its completion in May 1846, when Mormons were forced from Nauvoo. He worked on the temple with Truman Angell and Miles Romney both of whom became lifelong friends. At this point Folsom moved to

Keokuk, Iowa Keokuk is a city in and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States, along with Fort Madison. It is Iowa's southernmost city. The population was 9,900 at the time of the 2020 census. The city is named after the Sauk chief Keokuk, who is ...

.Jenson. ''Encyclopedic History''. p. 138 In 1851 he traveled to the Sacramento California area to the town of Rough and Ready where he worked on water projects that were needed to mine gold. He then returned to his family in 1852. Folsom committed to follow

Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his ...

to the

Salt Lake Valley Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably Murray, Sandy, South Jordan, West Jordan, and West Valley City; its total po ...

. In 1854, he set out for Salt Lake City but arrived at

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha–Council Bluffs ...

, ten days too late to join the last company west. Instead, he stayed at Council Bluffs for six years employed as a builder. Notably, he worked on columns for the

Nebraska Territory The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Nebraska. The Nebraska ...

capitol building, which were transported across the Missouri River from Council Bluffs to

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

. In 1860, Folsom finally set out for

Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th state. ...

with a relatively large outfit of four wagon teams. Soon after his October 3 arrival in Salt Lake City, Folsom opened shop on Main Street downtown. Brigham Young,

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the LDS Church, put him to work on church projects almost immediately. He was sustained as Church Architect in the October 1861 General Conference.

Architect

Folsom worked prolifically in the 1860s. By 1864, he was planner in two constructions firms, one was with Miles Romney. Folsom himself drew the plans or was involved in the construction of many historic Utah buildings including the Old Salt Lake Theater, the

Salt Lake Tabernacle The Salt Lake Tabernacle, also known as the Mormon Tabernacle, is located on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, in the U.S. state of Utah. The Tabernacle was built from 1863 to 1875 to house meetings for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sa ...

, the

Salt Lake City Council Hall :''Not to be mistaken with the Council House, a building of similar purpose and design in Salt Lake City.'' The Salt Lake City Council Hall is currently home to offices of the Utah Office of Tourism and the Utah Film Commission and is located on ...

, the

Provo Tabernacle The Provo Tabernacle was a tabernacle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1898 to 2010 in downtown Provo, Utah, United States. It was a historic icon of Provo and had been home to many religious and cultural eve ...

, the Provo Theater, the Moroni Tabernacle, and the original

ZCMI Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution (typically referred to as ZCMI) was an American department store chain. It was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah, on October 9, 1868 by Brigham Young. For many years it used the slogan, "America's First De ...

building in downtown Salt Lake City. Folsom also had ecclesiastical duties in the LDS Church, serving first as a stake high councilor and then as first counselor in the Salt Lake Stake Presidency in 1874. In 1867,

Truman O. Angell Truman Osborn Angell ( "angel"; June 5, 1810 – October 16, 1887) was an American architect who served many years as the official architect of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The brother-in-law of Brigham Young, he ...

, who had recovered from poor health, was again made church architect and Folsom was made his assistant. In 1877, while serving as an assistant to the church architect, Folsom was called by the LDS Church to design the

Manti Temple Manti or Manty may refer to: Places * Manti, Iowa, a defunct Mormon settlement * Manti, Utah, a city, named for the city of Manti in the Book of Mormon * Manti National Forest, formerly Manti Forest Reserve, in Colorado and Utah * Manti (crater) ...

; Folsom lived in

Manti, Utah Manti ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Sanpete County, Utah, Sanpete County, Utah, United States. The population was 3,276 at the 2010 United States Census. Description Manti was the first community in Utah to be settled outside the Wasat ...

, until the temple's completion in 1888. Returning to Salt Lake City, he was building inspector under Mayor John Clark until 1890. Folsom served some of his last years as an LDS Church stake

patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...

before his death.

Images of works

File:SLCOldCityhall.jpg,

File:Provo Tabernacle.jpeg,

File:Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institution 1910.jpg,

File:Manti Utah Temple.jpg,

Manti Utah Temple The Manti Utah Temple (formerly the Manti Temple) is the fifth constructed temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in the city of Manti, Utah, it was the third Latter-day Saint temple built west of the Mississippi Riv ...

File:Mormon Tabernacle.jpg,

File:PostcardSaltLakeCityUTSaltLakeTheatre1920.jpg, Salt Lake Theatre File:Canute Peterson House.jpg,

Canute Peterson House The Canute Peterson House is a historic residence in Ephraim, Utah, United States. In 1978, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Description Built in 1869 by Canute Peterson, an early Latter-day Saint leader in Sanpet ...

Sources

External links