Saturday’s marker unveiling to honor two historic Main Street enterprises

Staff Writer | Lehi Free Press

The Lehi Historical Society will unveil the Lehi Union Exchange and Racker Mercantile Historical Marker on Sat., July 11, at 10 a.m. at 242 W. Main St. The public is invited to attend this free community event celebrating one of the most significant commercial sites in Lehi’s history.

The marker is the 21st in the Lehi Historical Marker Program and the first to commemorate two distinct stories at the same location with a double-sided design.

Descendants of William E. Racker and Israel Evans will share brief remarks during the ceremony, along with Lehi City Council member Emily Lockhart.

Long before the current building at 187 W. Main St., the property served as the home of T. & W. Taylor, the first store at the site. It served as an exchange intermediary between Lehi townspeople and the huge U.S. military base at Camp Floyd in Cedar Valley.

In 1868, Bishop David Evans and his son, Israel Evans, established the Lehi Union Exchange there, allowing residents to exchange produce and other goods for merchandise. The cooperative became so successful that it caught the attention of Brigham Young, who praised the Lehi venture during the April 1869 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Within a year, Young established Zion’s Cooperative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI), modeled in part after Lehi’s successful experiment in cooperative merchandising.

“This marker tells the story of more than a building—it tells the story of ideas,” said Lara Bangerter, director of the Lehi Historical Society. “The Lehi Union Exchange demonstrated that a small community working together could accomplish something extraordinary. Its success helped inspire ZCMI, one of the most influential business institutions in Utah history. That’s a legacy Lehi should be proud of.”

The property entered a new era in 1904 when William E. Racker, former superintendent of the People’s Co-op, purchased the downtown branch at 187 W. Main St., and combined adjacent buildings to establish Racker Mercantile.

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Over the following decades, the Main Street landmark became one of downtown Lehi’s best-known commercial buildings. It housed businesses that generations of residents remember fondly, including Goodwin’s Golden Rule, Gilchrist Hardware, Davis’ Market, Larsen’s AG Market, Silver Dollar Market, Greenwood Carpets & Furniture, Banks’ Appliance, Hutch’s Lone Eagle Trading Post and the Colonial House. The building also served as Lehi’s National Guard Armory, housed Dr. W. L. Worlton’s dental office, welcomed dancers to the Lucky 7 Barn Dance and was home to the Lehi Sun newspaper.

Today, Parker Brown Real Estate occupies the historic building.

“One of the things I love most about this location is the wide variety of businesses this location has hosted. This building has been part of generations of Lehi lives,” said Bangerter. “That’s exactly why we preserve these stories—so people can see that history isn’t just found in museums. It’s all around us, waiting to be remembered.”

The Lehi Historical Marker Program seeks to preserve the stories behind the people and places that shaped the community. Each marker includes a QR code directing visitors to additional photographs, research and historical information.
Residents, descendants and anyone interested in Lehi’s history are encouraged to attend the unveiling and help celebrate another chapter of the city’s remarkable past.
The Lehi Historical Marker Program was founded in 2022 when the Lehi Historical Society won funding from the John David and Danaca Hadfield family of HADCO Construction and a Lehi City PARC grant.

For more information on the unveiling and the Lehi Historical Marker Program, see lehihistory.org or call 801-768-1570.