Monday, October 20, 2008

Beehive House


We have been working in the Beehive House on Sundays from 5:oo pm to 9:00 pm.  It has been slow the last few weeks now that the tourist season is over.  The picture above is from Brigham Young's Bedroom with his hat and cane on the bed.  His Daughter Chrissa Young Spencer wrote a book about life in the Beehive house.  She was to inherit the house and live most of her life there.  She tells about going to fathers room to have breakfast with him.  How that He had a bell that he rang for all the family to come to Prayers.  Meals were prepared and eaten in the Lion House next door.  The Beehive House and the Lion House were attached to each other by an area that served as the office for his clerks.  Brigham Young was the Prophet, Governor and Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs  so it was a very busy office.
  
                                     Brigham Young's Bedroom with his scriptures 

Brigham young had three homes in the area of the Beehive house.  The White House which was East of the Lion house and was the home of his first wife.  The Beehive house which served as his office and reception area, where all of the official business was conducted.  There was one wife living there.  The Lion House west of the Beehive House.  There were twelve wives and their families living there.  It was all of very loving and supportive group of people.  

Brigham Young did not make much of his Birthdays.  The Family wanted to give him a gift for one of his Birthdays that would show the love and respect they all felt for him.  It was a popular fad at that time to have "Hair Sculptures" made.  They wanted to give him a gift that would be part of all of them.  They had all of the family give some hair  and had the the bouquet of flowers made for him from some hair from each of them.

The Beehive House served as the office of the President of the Church for many years after the death of Brigham Young until the church administration offices were constructed just to the west of the complex.  

It is really fun to work on the Beehive House and to tell the stories of this great Prophet and Father. 

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