Truman O. Angell
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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 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). The brother-in-law of
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 ...
, he was a member of the vanguard company of
Mormon pioneers The Mormon pioneers were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), also known as Latter Day Saints, who migrated beginning in the mid-1840s until the late-1860s across the United States from the Midwest to the S ...
that entered 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 ...
on July 24, 1847. He designed the
Salt Lake Temple The Salt Lake Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. At , it is the largest Latter-day Saint temple by floor area. Dedicated in 1893, it is the sixth temple ...
, the Lion House, the Beehive House, the
Utah Territorial Statehouse The Utah Territorial Statehouse, officially Territorial Statehouse State Park Museum, is a state park in Fillmore, Utah, preserving the original seat of government for the Utah Territory. Built from 1852 to 1855, the statehouse was initially in ...
, the
St. George Utah Temple The St. George Utah Temple (formerly the St. George Temple) is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in St. George, Utah. Completed in 1877, it was the church's third temple completed, but the first in Utah, f ...
, and other public buildings. Angell's modifications to 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 ...
are credited with perfecting the acoustics for which the building is famous.


Early life

Angell was born on June 5, 1810, in
Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
, the third son of seven children born to James W. Angell and Phebe Morton. Between the ages of 17 and 19, Angell learned the carpenter and joiner's trade from a man in the neighborhood of his family home. However, due to problems that his mother had with his father, at age 21 he moved with his mother to China, New York (near her family), where he met and married Polly Johnson. Truman's sister Mary Ann Angell married
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 ...
.


Early work in the Church

At age 23, Angell joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints along with his mother and his wife, and the following spring he served a mission for the church for nine weeks, traveling 500 miles. His mission companion was his cousin
Joseph Holbrook Joseph Holbrook (January 16, 1806 – November 14, 1885) was a The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mormon pioneer in the U.S. territory of Utah Territory, Utah. He was also a county judge and member of the Utah Territorial Legislat ...
(their mothers were sisters).Holbrook autobiography
/ref> The following July, he and his wife settled in
Lima, New York Lima (, the name is a shibboleth) is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Livingston County, New York, Livingston County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 4,305 at the 2010 census. The town is in the ...
. In the fall of 1835, they moved to
Kirtland, Ohio Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, United States. The population was 6,937 at the 2020 census. Kirtland is known for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saint movement from 1831 to 1837 and is the site of the movement's first t ...
, and Angell helped build the
Kirtland Temple The Kirtland Temple is a National Historic Landmark in Kirtland, Ohio, United States, on the eastern edge of the Cleveland metropolitan area. Owned and operated by the Community of Christ, formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of La ...
. He was soon ordained a member of the Second Quorum of
Seventies File:1970s decade montage.jpg, Clockwise from top left: U.S. President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office following the Watergate scandal in 1974; The United States was still involved in the Vietnam War i ...
and the following spring commenced making arrangements to go on a mission. With a day or two of work left,
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 ...
approached him at work and asked him to build a store. Angell answered, "that in consequence of being a seventy I was about to go out into the vineyard to preach". "Well," Smith said, "Go ahead," and Angell continued his work. In Angell's words he says:
The next day I looked up and saw the First Presidency of the Church together, distant about forty rods. I dropped my head and continued my work. At this time a voice seemed to whisper to me, "It is your duty to build that house for President Smith," and while I was meditating, I looked up and Brother Joseph Smith, Jr., was close to me. He said, "It is your duty to build that house." I answered, "I know it." Accordingly I changed my determination and yielded obedience. The numerous and continued calls to do this and that job soon plunged me in business so deep that I asked Brother Joseph if it was my calling to work at home. He said, "I'll give you work enough for twenty men." Angells.com cache at
archive.org The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
During the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, Angell recorded the following in his journal:
When about midway during the prayer, there was a glorious sensation passed through the house irtland Temple and we, having our heads bowed in prayer, felt a sensation very elevating to the soul. At the close of the prayer, F. G. Williams being in the upper east stand—Joseph being in the speaking stand next below—rose and testified that midway during the prayer an holy angel came and seated himself in the stand. When the afternoon meeting assembled, Joseph, feeling very much elated, arose the first thing and said the personage who had appeared in the morning was the Angel Peter come to accept the dedication."
Angell moved with the Latter Day Saints to
Far West, Missouri Far West was a settlement of the Latter Day Saint movement in Caldwell County, Missouri, United States, during the late 1830s. It is recognized as a historic site by the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, added to the register in 1970. It ...
, and then 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 ...
.


Nauvoo Temple

Angell later went on to work 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 ...
, having been appointed superintendent of joiner work under church architect William Weeks, carrying out the architect's designs in the construction of that temple. On the construction of the Nauvoo Temple, Angell served as the superintendent of the joiners. Jenson, Andrew. ''Encyclopedic History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints''. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News, 1941) p. 138.


Work in the West

After the dedication of the Nauvoo Temple, Angell moved to Iowa and then went further west. He left his wife behind in Winter Quarters and went on with Brigham Young's pioneering company, entering the Salt Lake Valley in July 1847. Angell then returned to Winter Quarters in the fall of 1847. Three of his children died and were buried in Winter Quarters, and he moved to the Salt Lake Valley with his sick wife and his remaining two children. Angell was appointed Church Architect by Brigham Young on January 26, 1850. In this position, he was in charge of the construction of numerous buildings in
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. ...
, including the
St. George Temple The St. George Utah Temple (formerly the St. George Temple) is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in St. George, Utah. Completed in 1877, it was the church's third temple completed, but the first in Utah, f ...
, and the
Salt Lake Temple The Salt Lake Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. At , it is the largest Latter-day Saint temple by floor area. Dedicated in 1893, it is the sixth temple ...
. Angell's modifications to 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 ...
in 1870 are said to have resolved the outstanding acoustical issues with that structure. In 1851, Angell polygamously married Susan Eliza Savage, who had been a textile worker in the
Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of ...
, cotton mills in the early 1840s until she migrated to Salt Lake City after joining the Church. In 1855 he married a third time to Mary Ann Johnson. Angell was originally asked to also be in charge of the design and construction of the Manti and
Logan Logan may refer to: Places * Mount Logan (disambiguation) Australia * Logan (Queensland electoral district), an electoral district in the Queensland Legislative Assembly * Logan, Victoria, small locality near St. Arnaud * Logan City, local gover ...
Temples, but in consequence of their being about 100 miles distant from him in different directions, they were placed in the care of his two assistants. Truman O. Angell, Jr., supervised the construction of the Logan Temple and William H. Folsom was responsible for the Manti Temple, while Angell stayed and worked on the Salt Lake Temple. After his son completed the Logan Temple, he assisted his father with work on the Salt Lake Temple. In April 1856, Young asked Angell to leave his family and go to Europe so that he could learn the architectural designs there. After he returned from his mission to Europe, Angell continued to labor on the Salt Lake Temple. From 1861 to 1867, Angell had stepped down as Church Architect due to poor health and was replaced by William Folsom. However, in April 1867, Angell was again sustained by church members as church architect. Even during the time that he was not church architect, Angell worked closely with the construction of the Salt Lake Temple. He continued to serve as Church Architect until his death on October 16, 1887, at the age of 77. For more than 35 years he had worked on the Salt Lake Temple. It was said that he knew every stone in its walls. Of Angell, Wendell Ashton wrote: "As long as the Salt Lake Temple stands, there will be a magnificent monument to the patience, skill and dedication of its architect." Although Angell did not live to see the temple completed, he was a key mover behind its being built. Angell was buried in
Salt Lake City Cemetery The Salt Lake City Cemetery is a cemetery in northeastern Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, that is one of the largest city-operated cemeteries in the United States. Description The cemetery is located above 4th Avenue and east of N Street in ...
. A number of Angell's works are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. Image:TrumanAngellGrave.jpg,


List of works

Works include (with variations in attribution): * Bear Lake County Courthouse, U.S. 89,
Paris, Idaho Paris is a city and county seat of Bear Lake County, Idaho, United States. Located on the western side of the Bear Lake Valley, the city's population was 513 at the 2010 census, down from 576 in 2000. Paris was settled on September 26, 1863, by ...
(Angell, T.O.), NRHP-listed *
Beehive House A beehive house is a building made from a circle of stones topped with a domed roof. The name comes from the similarity in shape to a straw beehive. Occurrences The ancient Bantu used this type of house, which was made with mud, poles, and c ...
, 67 E. South Temple St.,
Salt Lake City, Utah 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 ...
(Angell, Truman O.), NRHP-listed *
Logan Temple The Logan Utah Temple (formerly the Logan Temple) was completed in 1884, and is the fourth temple built by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in the city of Logan, Utah, it was the second temple built in the Rocky Mountai ...
, Between 2nd and 3rd East and 1st and 2nd North,
Logan, Utah Logan is a city in Cache County, Utah, United States. The 2020 census recorded the population was 52,778. Logan is the county seat of Cache County and the principal city of the Logan metropolitan area, which includes Cache County and Franklin ...
(Angell, Truman O.), NRHP-listed *
St. George Temple The St. George Utah Temple (formerly the St. George Temple) is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in St. George, Utah. Completed in 1877, it was the church's third temple completed, but the first in Utah, f ...
, Bounded by 200 East, 300 East, 400 South, and 500 South,
St. George, Utah St. George is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Utah, United States. Located in southwestern Utah on the Arizona border, it is the principal city of the St. George Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The city lies in the northe ...
(Angell, Truman O.), NRHP-listed * Utah Territorial Capitol, Center St. between Main and 100 West St.,
Fillmore, Utah Fillmore is a city and the county seat of Millard County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,435 at the 2010 United States Census. It is named for the thirteenth President of the United States, US President Millard Fillmore, who was in of ...
(Angell, Truman O.), NRHP-listed * John M. Whitaker House, 975 Garfield Ave.,
Salt Lake City, Utah 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 ...
(Angell, Truman O., Jr.), NRHP-listed *
Brigham Young Complex The Brigham Young Complex is a collection of buildings historically associated with the second President and leader of the LDS Church Brigham Young, on East South Temple in the center of Salt Lake City, Utah. The complex, the surviving part of a ...
, 63-67 E. South Temple St.,
Salt Lake City, Utah 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 ...
(Angell, Truman O.), NRHP-listed


Images of works

File:Salt Lake Temple, Utah - Sept 2004-2.jpg,
Salt Lake Temple The Salt Lake Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. At , it is the largest Latter-day Saint temple by floor area. Dedicated in 1893, it is the sixth temple ...
File:Lion House Brigham Young.jpg, Lion House File:Beehive House South Temple Street.jpg,
Beehive House A beehive house is a building made from a circle of stones topped with a domed roof. The name comes from the similarity in shape to a straw beehive. Occurrences The ancient Bantu used this type of house, which was made with mud, poles, and c ...
File:St. George Temple.jpg,
St. George Temple The St. George Utah Temple (formerly the St. George Temple) is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in St. George, Utah. Completed in 1877, it was the church's third temple completed, but the first in Utah, f ...
File:Utah Territorial Capitol b&w original plan rendering.jpg,
Utah Territorial Statehouse The Utah Territorial Statehouse, officially Territorial Statehouse State Park Museum, is a state park in Fillmore, Utah, preserving the original seat of government for the Utah Territory. Built from 1852 to 1855, the statehouse was initially in ...
File:Logan Utah Temple.jpg,
Logan Utah Temple The Logan Utah Temple (formerly the Logan Temple) was completed in 1884, and is the fourth temple built by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in the city of Logan, Utah, it was the second temple built in the Rocky Mountain ...
File:Bear Lake County Courthouse Paris Idaho.jpeg, Bear Lake County Courthouse


See also

*
Temple architecture (Latter-day Saints) On December 27, 1832, two years after the organization of the Church of Christ, the movement's founder, Joseph Smith, stated he received a revelation that called upon church members to restore the practice of temple worship. The Latter Day Saints ...


Notes


References

*


External links

*
Biography
a
The Joseph Smith Papers Project
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Angell, Truman O. 1810 births 1887 deaths American ecclesiastical architects Burials at Salt Lake City Cemetery Converts to Mormonism Gothic Revival architects Mormon pioneers Architects of Latter Day Saint religious buildings and structures Architects from Utah People of Utah Territory 19th-century American architects Latter Day Saints from Rhode Island Latter Day Saints from New York (state) Latter Day Saints from Ohio Latter Day Saints from Missouri Latter Day Saints from Illinois Latter Day Saints from Utah