North Cache Seminary

Pioneer History

Marriner Wood Merrill moved to Richmond with his family in 1860. In 1867, he married Maria Loenza Kingsbury, and more than a year after their marriage, she gave birth to her first son, Joseph Francis Merrill, Marriner’s 15th child and his eighth son. However, there was still one thing that the family was missing that was on Marriner’s mind. 

Marriner was not educated when he was young, and wanted his children to be educated so that they would not make the same mistakes as he had. He once said to one of his children, “I may not be able to leave my children any property, but if I can give them an education I shall be satisfied.” Due to the lack of education in the settlement in Cache Valley, Marriner hired Ida Ione Cook, a school teacher who had recently graduated from the University of Deseret, today the University of Utah.1

Joseph quickly took to school. He soaked in the knowledge, thirsting for more than what could be found in the weak valley. In 1887, Joseph left Richmond to attend school at the University of Deseret, the University of Michigan, and Johns Hopkins University. He was the first native Utahn to receive a PhD.

After his return from school in 1898, Joseph married Annie Laura Hyde, the granddaughter of Church President John Taylor. They had seven children and raised a home centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ. One day in 1912, while Annie was teaching the scriptures to her children, Joseph marveled at her knowledge and enthusiasm for the stories from the Book of Mormon.

At the time, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began efforts to make gospel centered schools with the Free School Act in 1890. Just two years prior, the Church created the Church Board of Education to help children receive the gospel so order they “will [not] grow up entirely ignorant of those principles of salvation for which the Latter-day Saints have made so many sacrifices.” 

By the time Joseph Merrill started the Seminary program, the Church was having many troubles with trying to stay separate from the State and the Church. Joseph’s idea was to build a building on Church owned property for students to attend separately from the school. This made it effective for the Church and State to remain separate, but also to allow students to attend the gospel learning lessons. By 1918, 13 seminaries were teaching over 1,500 students.2

Preparation and a Thoughtful Gift

In Feb of 1924, after the success of the Seminary Program, the Benson Stake Presidency thought it fit to construct a building for the students attending North Cache High School. After some planning and donations from the Saints of Richmond and surrounding Stakes and North Cache County, the money still ran short. As a last resort, the Stake Presidency sent a letter to Church Headquarters for money to complete the build.

"During the year 1924, we erected in this stake a seminary building at a cost of some $16,000.00. All but $1,200.00 of the cost has been raised in the wards of the stake. This letter amount is the balance due The State Bank of Richmond for borrowed money on the endorsement of the undersigned.

"It will be a long drawn out affair for us to raise in the stake the $1,200.00 indebitednuss at the bank. We respectfully ask, therefore, that you assist us, if possible, by appropriating the amount of our indebitedness.

"Feeling that the people of our stake have done very well toward the erection of this very fine building which is now being used to such good advantage and with such felling effects upon the young people of the stake, we are encouraged to ask your assistance in the amount indicated above."3

To the surprise of all, Church President Heber J. Grant accepted the payment of $1,200, the equivalent of $29,451 in 2023.

"Your request of the 17th for an appropriation of $1200.00 for the purpose of meeting a debt at the bank uncured for your seminary building has received our sympathetic consideration.

"As you are probably aware, it is not customary for us to appropriate for seminary buildings, but in view of the splendid work accomplished by the people of your stake in erecting this building and in order to relieve you of the personal responsibility of your endorsement of the note, we have decided to make and exception in this case and to grant your request. We have pleasure in enclosing herewith a check for the $1200.00."4

It is not clear why Heber J. Grant was so generous to the construction of the building, but we can make an educated hypothesis. 

Heber J. Grant was ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in October of 1882. Marriner Wood Merrill was ordained a member of the Quorum seven years later in 1889. Marriner and Heber grew a friendship together, if not a father-son-like relationship, with Marriner being 24 years older than Heber. Heber had also paid many visits to Richmond on different occasions with Marriner.5

Marriner had a great influence on Heber’s older brother, Brigham F. Grant. 

“My brother Brigham Fred was a very profane man, and that he hadn’t the slightest interest in the Gospel.” Writes Grant about his brother to Marriner’s son, Joseph F. Merrill. “Your father would always smile and say, “Well, Brother Grant, don’t you worry about that brother of yours; he’ll come back all right, mark my words.” I always hoped that your father was right in this. Finally my brother Fred did come back to the Church. His conversion was very remarkable."6

Also in Richmond was a man named Beason Lewis, who was a caretaker of many orphaned or lost children in Utah. Brigham said of his 'Uncle Beason'

“[He] had a great influence over my whole life. No boy or girl that lived with them could have more royal father and mother than they were to all of us that lived with them during my stay in their home. I believe God will bless their memory for what they did for us. And I am sure there is a place in the Kingdom of God where they can continue in the wonderful work, caring for boys and girls.”7

To give that same care for the boys and girls of North Cache County, and to give thanks to the Merrill and Lewis families, and the deep respect for their love to him, Grant approved to pay the amount for the construction of the North Cache Seminary.

Starting Year and Early History

The seminary building was constructed of red brick with a cement trim. It contained two classrooms, an office, and a partial basement. The land on which the building was purchased from George Moses and Eva Shepard Thomson for $100, with Fred William Hodgson as the architect. The seminary district covered 13 wards within three Stakes.

The seminary opened the school year of 1925 with Elijah M. Hicken as the principal, with only one teacher, Wallace O. Walker. Elijah wrote about the first year, "[The students] enthusiasm and interest, the excellent work on their part, and their splendid testimonies as to the value of the seminary to them, and their faith in the gospel, have truly been an inspiration to us."

Courses that were taught in the first years of seminary were the Old Testament, New Testament, and Church History. Once a year, Martin Harris Day was held at the seminary for the students to hear the testimony of Martin Harris about the Book of Mormon from those who had heard his testimony.

In 1935, due to an excessive number of students attending, new additions were made to the building. A new, large classroom, a janitor's closet, three small storage rooms, and two bathrooms. Because of this, they needed to hire a new teacher.  At one point from 1936-1954, there were three teachers who all had Old Testament Prophets' names: Elijah M. Hicken, Samuel D. Moore, and David G. Thomas.

Reconstruction and Abandonment

Sometime in the 1980s, the original building was demolished, and a new, up-to-date building was constructed in its place. The building had two large classrooms, a secretary's room, and bathrooms. A side door was added to the building, but students were originally ordered to enter the building in the front, facing the highway. After the expansion of the highway in the late 1990s, it cut into the steps to the building, and students had to use the side entrance.

Though North Cache had many grade changes to it, it still had one class of high school students that made the building relevant. In 2018, the Freshman of North Cache were finally moved to Sky View in Smithfield, Utah, making the building irrelevant. The building was abandoned at the end of the school year 2018, and was put up for sale soon after.

Recent History