Saga of the Sanpitch Volume 17, 1985 - Sanpete County

It is also interesting to note that the pictures on the walls of the Creation Room, painted by C.C.A.
Christensen, are painted directly on the walls. Over the years the plaster has pulled away from the walls in
some areas. In order to preserve this fine art, the workmen carefully glued the plaster back onto the walls by
the use of hypodermic needles. In the Font Room and the World Room the art work was painted on canvas
and needed only to be cleaned.
Another interest was the new carpeting in the Celestial Room. A remnant of the original carpeting,
laid in the room a century ago, was found in a Manti residence,, The decision was made to produce an
authentic reproduction and the remnant was sent to a mill in England, one of the few in the world with a loom
capable of producing the required 27 colors and shades.
Many women were elated as they recognized their handwork on one of the thirty chairs and an altar
in the Sealing Room. Sixty-four Manti and Ephraim women were occupied for a full year completing the
elegant needlepoint.
One of the rooms featured a valuable handwoven Persian carpet, donated to the church several
years ago by Mr. and Mrs„ Milton Barlow of Chevy Chase, Maryland. This lovely Persian carpet, known
as an Isphahan, has a "Tree of Life" design and is a lovely addition to the temple, even though it was made
early in this century and not during the 1870s and 1880s when the temple was built.
The renovation contract was awarded to the Zwick Construction Company, Salt Lake City, with the help
of Emil Fetzer, the church architect.
Many original articles of century-old furniture were restored and others obtained and refinished.
Among them is a valuable grandfather's clock. There are now sixty-five pieces of such furniture throughout the
building. This work, along with new furnishings, carpeting and draperies, are of the Eastlake design, which was
popular in the United States around the period of time when the temple was built. All the furnishings were
installed under direction of Florence S. Jacobsen, Director of Arts and Sites in the Church Historical
Department.
The Manti Temple is one of the few temples remaining in which the endowment sessions are
conducted by temple personnel rather than by use of more recent film presentations.,
Following the tour, many visitors stopped at the visitors center, manned by missionaries, to ask
questions and practices relating to the function of the temple. Many visitors also asked about the Mormon
Miracle Pageant, which is presented for ten evenings each July on the Temple Hill. This pageant, now in its
19th year, attracts up to 120,000 visitors each summer season.
THE REDEDICATION SESSIONS
Plans were under way in April 1985 for the temple's solemn dedication services scheduled for Friday,
June 14; Saturday, June 15; and Sunday, June 16 .
Three dedicatory services were held each day at 9 a.m., at 11:30 a.m., and at 2:30 p.m.—making a total
of nine sessions. Baptized members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, eight years and older,
who lived in any one of the Manti Temple 27 stakes, and who desired to attend the dedication ceremony,
contacted their ward bishops for an interview prior to being issued a non-transferable ticket to the services.
The free tickets were issued for a specific seating area within the temple„ Those drawing a white ticket were
seated in the Priesthood, or Solemn Assembly Room, with a capacity of 1,500 persons. These people entered
the temple through the west doors at their allotted time. Those with blue tickets entered the north door and
were seated in other rooms throughout the building, making a total of 1,800 people in each session. Closedcircuit
television made it possible for attendees in the various rooms to view the proceedings. A blue cloth was
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