Henry Grow facts for kids
Henry Grow, Jr. (born October 1, 1817 – died November 4, 1891) was a skilled builder and engineer. He lived in Utah during the time of the early pioneers. He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often called "Mormons."
His most famous project was helping to build the Salt Lake Tabernacle. This large meeting hall is located on Temple Square in Salt Lake City. Henry Grow designed its unique, long, dome-shaped roof.
Biography
Henry Grow was the seventh child in his family. He was born in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania. He grew up on his father's farm. This farm was one of five that his German grandfather had given to his children.
When he was a young man, Grow became a carpenter. He also learned to be a joiner, someone who connects pieces of wood. He worked for the Norristown and Germantown railroads. He eventually became the main supervisor for building all the bridges for these railroads.
In May 1842, Grow joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He moved to Nauvoo, Illinois, where the church was headquartered, in 1843. Grow helped build the Nauvoo Temple. He worked on it until it was finished in May 1846. By then, the church leader Joseph Smith, Jr. had died. Many church members were leaving Nauvoo.
Following the new leader, Brigham Young, Grow traveled west. He crossed the Great Plains to Utah in 1851. He arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on October 1, 1851. This was his 34th birthday.
Grow first settled near what is now Ogden, Utah. But in 1852, Brigham Young asked him to come to Salt Lake City. Grow was put in charge of many building projects. These projects were for the Utah Territory and for the church.
In 1853, Grow designed and built Utah's first suspension bridge. It crossed the Weber River. He also oversaw the building of the first Sugar House sugar mill. From 1854 to 1861, Grow built or rebuilt at least five sawmills. Most of these were in Big Cottonwood Canyon. He also worked on a cotton mill. He built more bridges over the Provo River and Jordan Rivers. The Jordan River Bridge, finished in 1861, used a special design. It was similar to other bridges he had helped build in Pennsylvania.
From 1876 to 1877, Grow served as a Mormon missionary. He traveled to Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. There, he was able to visit his old relatives. When he returned to Salt Lake City, he was asked to take down the "old Tabernacle." This building was on Temple Square. He then supervised the building of the Salt Lake Assembly Hall. Grow also built several homes, including one for church president John Taylor. He was the superintendent of carpentry for the church throughout the 1880s. Grow's last major project was building the Deseret Paper Mill. This mill made paper for the church's newspaper, the Deseret Morning News.
Salt Lake Tabernacle Design
In the early 1860s, Brigham Young asked Grow to work on his biggest project. This was the dome of the Salt Lake Tabernacle. Young really wanted the Tabernacle to have a long, dome-shaped roof. Grow was asked how large a roof he could build using a special bridge-building style. He said it could be "100 feet wide and as long as is wanted." Grow designed the Tabernacle roof to be 150 feet (46 meters) across. It was also 250 feet (76 meters) long.
Building the Tabernacle started on July 26, 1864. But work on the roof did not begin until 1865. This was after all 44 supporting stone pillars were in place. Grow quickly built the roof structure from the center outwards. However, he faced challenges designing the rounded ends of the roof. This made the structural work on the roof take longer. It continued into the fall of 1866. Even so, other parts of the roof were already being covered with shingles. Grow finished and shingled the entire roof by the spring of 1867. This was before the inside of the building was completed. He continued to oversee the building's construction until it was finished.
Personal Life
Henry Grow had a large family. He had seven wives, and four of them had children. His wives who had children were Mary Moyer, Ann Elliott, Ann Midgley, and Julia Veach. Together, they had a total of 33 children.
Some of Henry Grow's notable descendants include C. Scott Grow and Marlin K. Jensen. They both became leaders in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 2012, Grow and Jensen helped plan a big family reunion. More than 3,000 of Henry Grow's descendants attended.
Images for kids
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Photo from Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah (1913).
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