Historical Lehi
Lehi Historical Society Unveils Marker Honoring Legacy of Relief Society Hall
Ryann Anderegg | Lehi Free Press
Lehi’s past was honored Saturday, March 21, as the community celebrated a new historical marker at the former Relief Society Hall. Hosted by the Lehi Historical Society, the event honored the building and the women whose faith and service shaped the city.
Lehi Historical Society Director Lara Bangerter led the program, noting the hall symbolizes more than its structure. “It reflects the heart of the community grounded in faith, family, and service,” she said.
The Relief Society began in Nauvoo in 1842 to “relieve the poor and save souls.” In 1868, Lehi women organized their society with few members. Despite limited resources, they raised funds by selling eggs, hosting bazaars, and gleaning wheat to build the hall that became a community cornerstone.
The building became a hub in early Lehi for worship, weddings, dinners, and suffrage meetings. Women gathered to serve and support one another through hardship.
“This was a place of purpose,” Bangerter said. “A place where women lifted one another and strengthened their community.”
Recent owners Jeff and Christine Burningham shared their experience restoring the historic home, which they bought in poor condition after financing fell through.
Christine Burningham said, “We have had the most wonderful time fixing up this house.” As part of the ceremony, the couple presented the deed to the Lehi Historical Society, tracing the property’s ownership from government to church to private hands.
Building on these personal stories, the program also featured keynote remarks from Sharon Eubank, director of Latter-day Saint Charities and former Relief Society General Presidency counselor, who spoke about the marker’s deeper meaning and enduring legacy.
Eubank noted, “We’re looking at a building, and there’s a marker, but I want to discuss what’s behind it. Those women did small things—selling eggs, sewing, serving—but together they built something lasting.”
Eubank added that the early Relief Society members created a lasting culture of service and resilience, encouraging attendees to carry that legacy forward.
“When you see a marker like this, I hope it sparks the thought: what can I do to serve?” she said. “This is our heritage.”
Lehi City Council member Heather Newall connected the city’s past and present, asking attendees to imagine the original 1868 gathering of dedicated local women.
“They didn’t have what we have today,” Newall said. “But they had each other. They understood that community mattered.”
Newall said maintaining connections in a growing city requires effort. “The future of Lehi depends on whether we keep choosing each other,” she added.
The event included musical performances, such as a sing-along of “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Tree,” which nodded to the mulberry trees once planted at the site. In addition, other performances and remarks reinforced the hall’s significance.
The unveiling is part of a national celebration. The Lehi Historical Society adopted the theme, “Lehi: Founded in Faith, Forged in Freedom,” to highlight the city’s local and national contributions.
According to Bangerter, the marker was chosen through a community-driven process that reflected strong public interest in preserving the story of the Relief Society Hall.
“When I started working at the Lehi Historical Society, I didn’t even know this building existed,” she said. “Now we want everyone to know.”
Organizers hope the event inspires ongoing involvement. The Historical Society invites residents to help preserve local history through research, archiving, and volunteering.
As the Lehi First Ward Relief Society unveiled the marker, attendees were reminded that the building’s legacy lives on in Lehi’s continuing values of service, faith, and community.
“This is more than remembering,” Eubank said. “It’s about becoming.”
Lehi’s strength has always come from ordinary people choosing to serve in extraordinary ways. The legacy of the Relief Society Hall is not just preserved in adobe walls or engraved plaques, but in the continued willingness of community members to lift one another, build connections, and answer the needs of their time. In honoring the past, Lehi also issued a clear invitation to carry that spirit forward.
