Arts & Culture
New historical marker celebrates Broadbent family’s legacy
An iconic part of Lehi’s history was commemorated last Thursday with the unveiling of the Broadbent’s historical marker. Decorated with banners of quilting squares to honor the many quilts made from fabric from the much-loved store, the Broadbent Community Room was filled with family, friends, and neighbors gathered for the event.
Amy Barnes, member of the Lehi Historical Society and Historical Marker Unveiling Committee, conducted the program. After thanking Ashley Peterson and Rachel Russell of the Unveiling Committee for organizing the event, Barnes took a moment to reminisce about Broadbent’s amazing Christmas displays, their lovely lacy handkerchiefs—an annual Mother’s Day purchase, and the times she and classmates ran over from the junior high to buy snacks with their quarters.
“How we miss that little store and the people who worked there,” she said. “Thank you, Broadbent family, for sharing your vision, talents, creativity and hard work over so many years.”
Nann Broadbent Frandsen and Betty Broadbent Anderson were the last owners of Broadbent’s store before the property was sold to the city in 2017. Daughters of both spoke at the event.
Karen Sindson, daughter of Frandsen, said Broadbent’s was more than just a store, it was a gathering place where memories were made, and lessons were learned. She related a memorable experience from her childhood in which a boy who “needed a bath and a comb” came in with 37 cents wanting to buy a coat for his mother for Christmas.
Sindson, who was helping in the store at the time, told the boy his money would only buy a handkerchief. Her grandfather, John Broadbent, kindly told her the coats were on sale that day for 37 cents. He asked Sindson to help the boy find a coat for his mother, wrap it, put a bow on it, and throw in a box of chocolates. “That’s what Broadbent’s is,” she said.
Rebecca Anderson Asington, daughter of Anderson, shared the story of the Broadbent family, which she said was the quintessential example of the American dream. She told of her ancestors, Joseph and Sarah Broadbent, who traveled from England, crossing an ocean and a country with nothing more than what they could carry in their handcart. After arriving in Utah and working for some time for another farmer, they eventually earned enough money to buy 14 acres of land from Porter Rockwell.
With no tools to work the land, Sarah sold her prized paisley shawl for the money to buy a second-hand plow. Later, she had the idea to open a small mercantile, so her husband and son, Samuel, built a small addition to their home. There they sold handmade overalls and supplies to travelers while also repairingclocks and watches. This was the beginning of the legacy of the little store that would serve Lehi for 135 years and four generations.
The closing speaker, Lehi City Councilmember Paul Hancock, spoke about the significance of the general store to small towns in America. He said this unveiling was particularly meaningful to him since his own grandparents ran a corner store in St. Anthony, Idaho.
He said he was reminded that these stores helped raise generations. “In small American towns… the general store was much more than a place to buy flour or fabric. It was the heart of the community. … So today, we don’t just unveil a marker. We recognize a legacy.”
Members of the Anderson family helped unveil the marker. As family and friends visited afterwards, Anderson said, “The store was for everybody.”
Mary Curtis, a guest, agreed. “They treated you like family. It was a fun place to be.”
The marker reads, “Broadbent & Son (1882-2017) Founded by English immigrants Joseph and Sarah Broadbent, the mercantile was run by four generations. Open for 135 years, no Lehi business operated longer. It sold the first bag of sugar produced by the Lehi Sugar Factory and everything needed to run a home. The Police Department’s upper arched windows pay tribute to the once-iconic Lehi structure.”
The next historical marker unveiling will honor the Tithing Barn on July 9, at 7 p.m., at 651 N. 200 East. The Thomas Austin House historical marker unveiling, which was originally set for June 12, has been cancelled. A new date will be announced soon.
The Lehi Historical Marker Program was founded in 2022 when the Lehi Historical Society won funding for the program through a generous donation and continued support from the John David and Danaca Hadfield family of HADCO Construction and a Lehi City PARC grant.
