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| Unknown |
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| Ruth and Helen Madsen |
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| Unknown |
Sunday, March 22, 2026
Saturday, March 21, 2026
HAMILTON ELEMENTARY BEGINNING ~~~ History by Janice Nielsen
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| HAMILTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL |
The settlement of Mt. Pleasant began like the settlement of most colonies in Sanpete. Although the first settlers labored diligently, their efforts were often demolished. But with much determination a group of sixty from Fort Ephraim surveyed a Fort site and planned a colony on Pleasant Creek and finally succeeded. The Fort was very well planned and organized. Because these sturdy pioneers had been schooled in crafts and many professions in their native lands, a log one-roomed schoolhouse was included in the fort. A.B. Strickland, (it has been said he was also very strict) and Mrs. Oscar Winters served as the first school teachers in the fort. The schoolhouse was also used as a chapel, theater, dance hall, and meeting place. At one end was a huge fireplace which provided heat, and light. Even though the floor was dirt, young and old liked to dance to the music of violins; the bishop's stand was often converted to a stage for a Shakespearean drama. The school was a center of community activity. Because they had been taught well the fundamentals of living and survival, they used the environment to work at their command. Regardless of Indian aggression, homes sprang up and schools soon dotted the town site in various homes. "Aunty Hyde"s school was the first built outside of the fort. "Aunty Hyde" was a very interesting person who was most often attired in a dark-colored bonnet and smoked a pipe. She did not use a bell but brought her children to school by calling "to books, to books, to books." She often prepared her evening meal at school in the fireplace, making it very difficult to study with all the aroma. The schoolroom was situated one half block west of the present High School. (This was in 1980, the present high school is 500 East and 700 South.) There became other classes held throughout the town and tuitions were paid by the parents. the few books that were available were also paid for by the parents. At this time classes were not graded as they are now but went by readers first; the primer reader, next; first primer reader, second, third, fourth and fifth. (If one completed the fifth reader, he was considered educated as the material was very hard.) Practice writing was done on slates. Children rarely got to school before Christmas as school was a secondary consideration. It was the same in the springtime as soon as the ground was bare, work on the farm began and had preference over school. So most school seasons did not exceed four months. Methods and practices started changing as teachers were getting degrees from college and universities. During this time Sister Margaret F.C. Morrison was able to place an organ in her school and music became to be an important part of the curriculum. Schools and ward houses were still used in conjunction with one another. Educational advancement was always in the uppermost mind of the people of Mt. Pleasant. The old houses used as school buildings located in different districts of the town were abandoned and a central school was established in 1896. It was a beautiful three story school building, erected on the corner of Main and First East Street at a cost of about $20,000. The new school was called Hamilton Elementary, probably getting it's name from one of the first attempted settlements led by Madison D. Hambleton. (This name was later changed to Hamilton.) It was indeed a happy day for the settlers to have such a fine, large modern building in their city. This school sometimes housed grades up to the 8th grade and had anywhere from 350 to 600 students at one time. (This building was not used as a church either.) The outside walls were made of blocks of rock and red brick with four regular classrooms and a few smaller rooms on each floor. One of the smaller rooms on the 3rd floor was used as the library and housed the ladder to get up to the belfry. One of the walls seperating the library from one of the other rooms could be rolled up like a roll top desk to make an assembly room. Later, this wall was nailed down. It seemed the 3rd floor was a poor place for an assembly room. This new school had blackboards which were easy to write on and easily cleaned. Until about 1942 the restrooms were out in a separate building to the south of the main building. Later the supply room on the 2nd floor was converted into the restrooms. At that time they were called "toiletrooms." In this same separate building, the meals were prepared and brought to the school on a big cart pulled by the cooks. School lunch program was introduced during the 1930's. One hot dish of soup or chowder was served for a penny a bowl. Every student donated a bowl and spoon to the school for this purpose. Students usually brought a sandwich or something else to go with it. When in Kindergarten each child brought his own milk. The belfry housed the bell which was heard all over town because of it's remarkable tone. People often set their watches or clocks to the sound of the bell from the elementary school. It was used as 9:00 p.m. curfew, warning of fire, flood, other special occasions because it could even be heard beyond the city limits. It rang with much force. In fact, if you were on the 3rd floor when fire drill was called, the building actually swayed. It was rung on a pull on a big rope that hung from it to the teacher's entrance on the first floor. A smal gong attached to the side of the stairs was rung by a little jerk on a small chain. Sixth grade students felt it an honor and an important position to be assigned to answer the telephone in the Principal's office and to ring the gong for class change and to ring it other scheduled times. The little bell became used for the fire drills. Fortunately there was never a fire in the school building even though the students loved the fire drill especially if they were on the third floor because they had the privilege of sliding down the three story high fire escape with it's spiraling curves. Often in the summer or after school hours a favorite pastime was climbing up the slide and going down. It was worn very shiny and the metal was actually worn thin. It would appear that a million students had escaped fires in the Hamilton School. This bell has been preserved by the Daughters of Utah Pioneers and put on display on the top of the Pioneer marker on the north side of the Pioneer Relic Hall in Mt. Pleasant.
A piano was placed on the 2nd floor. With a gong from the bell, the students were called from their play on the school ground and lined up by their assigned door. Each class lined up in threes and to the rhythm of the piano marched to their classrooms. If anyone got off step or goofed up they were to put in time after school in the awkward squad. Thus it was necessary for everyone to learn how to march left, right, and how to keep time. All were expected to do this. Again, when every one was marching to the beat, the sway of the building could be felt. Children were excused with about the same procedure.
Those who lived on farms outside of Mt. Pleasant, would wak to the county road where they would be picked up by a canvas covered wagon. The wagon was pulled by two beautiful big, well mannered horses owned and driven by Lawrence Barton who guided them with love, not whips. About twenty students rode in the school wagon and were among the first to be at school. Later, school buses replaced the horses.
Another incident which most of the senior citizens remember about their days in school was the double tragedy of death of the Principal and Janitor. On the morning of March 24, 1922, Principle Elmer Johansen and Janitor Kanute Terkelson were both accidentally electrocuted on the landing at the top of the steps to the furnace room. (more details in a future post.)
Through Japan's sneak attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, our nation was plunged into a bitter struggle that lasted until 1943. The teachers and students loyally supported drives to buy thrift stamps and war bonds were purchased by the teachers and students. Tons of scrap metal were hauled to a spot out by the furnace room. In one of the rooms that was a restroo, was piled up end to end with bundles of old newspapers and other papers in the paper drive to help the war effort.
Many special events can be remembered such as the annual "May Day" held outside so the May Pole could be braided and all grades danced a special dance. A spring dance festival is still held where all children participate. Hamilton had a well groomed band which often played for some of the town special events and were often invited to march in various parades through the state.
After serving as the public schoolhouse for Mt. Pleasant for over sixty years, it became necessary to get a new schoolhouse for Mt. Pleasant. It was built on the same block as the Hamilton School on the south side; so the old one could be used until completion of the new one. This new building was completed in 1962. (Each era has its own memories of Hamilton Elementary School. Those memories listed in the above history are not the same as mine. However, we thank Janis Nielsen and others for preserving this history. We would like to hear your memories. Please share with us your thoughts and remembrances.)
Friday, March 20, 2026
Thursday, March 19, 2026
FAMILY GATHERING WITH FRIENDS
Ida Carlson, Granny Great (MaryNielsen), Emma Zabriskie, Holly Anderson, Hans Lund's children, Gibbs Monson's two girls,
Second Row: Mrs. Gibs Monson, Ella Lund, Medora Lund, Ella Waldermar - children?
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Wednesday, March 18, 2026
TERREL MORLEY SEELY
Terrel Seely
May 15, 1944 — March 13, 2026
Mount Pleasant
Listen to Obituary
Terrel Morley Seely (81) passed away Friday, March 13th, 2026 after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. He passed away peacefully surrounded by his wife and family.
Terrel was a husband, father, business owner, traveler, tennis player, golfer, pilot and friend to all those who knew him.
Terrel was born May 15th, 1944 to Ray Edwin Seely and Mildred Morley Seely. He was the youngest of 8 children and was the first of his siblings to be born in a hospital. His older siblings were Cherron Ray, Miriam Adela, Norma, Marlane, Robert Edwin, Marilyn, and SueAnn.
At 6 years old, Terrel contracted Polio and was flown to Salt Lake City Hospital by his doctor. Several years later, Terrel would get his pilot’s license and continue to fly for decades.
He served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New Zealand. Later, in 1966, he joined the National Guard and served his country for 7 years.
In 1968, he was attending Brigham Young University in Provo when he met the love of his life, Glenda Westwood. They dated for over 2 years before getting married on August 28th, 1970.
He graduated with a degree in Zoology with plans of becoming a fish and game officer. However, in 1973, an opportunity came up to purchase the Red and White Grocery store in Mt. Pleasant. Terrel, Glenda, and their oldest two children at the time began the family business. Later, he would purchase the Safeway building which became Terrel’s Foodtown. In 1991, he moved the store into its current location and called it Terrel’s Market. He always valued integrity, honesty and genuine care for others in his business ventures.
Serving his community was always important to Terrel. He served as Bishop of the Mt. Pleasant 4th Ward in 1980. He also served as a director and board member of Associated Foods, and Chairman of the Board for the Utah Grocers Association.
He served a second mission with Glenda in 2004 which was split between South Africa’s Area Office, and St. George, UT’s historic sites.
In 2012, he and Glenda were the Grand Marshals of the Hub City Days Parade. They felt so honored by the community they love.
Terrel is survived by his sister Marlane, his wife Glenda, and their 7 children. Robert (Elisa) Seely, Jennifer (Chris) McIff, Joe (Julia) Seely, John (Jordan) Seely, James (Shannon) Seely, Michelle (Vern) Akauola,, and Natalie (Rex) Hansen. They have 24 grandchildren and 2 great-grand children.
Terrel leaves behind a legacy of love for family, faith and community.
The family would like to thank all of the wonderful medical doctors and staff that have helped Terrel over the past several years. Your efforts and compassion have been a blessing and we are very grateful for you.
There will be a viewing the evening of Friday, March 20th, from 6 to 8 PM. This viewing will be held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 461 N 300 W, Mt Pleasant, UT 84647.
Another viewing will be held Saturday, March 21st, from 11AM to 12:30PM at the same church building.
This will be followed by funeral services at 1 PM at that same location. Interment in the Mt. Pleasant City Cemetery.
To Watch Funeral Services Live, Click Here. The Live Zoom Link will Activate at 12:45 a.m. MST prior to service.
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Monday, March 16, 2026
Sunday, March 15, 2026
THE 45 STAR FLAG
This Flag became the Official United States Flag on July 4th, 1896. A star was added for the admission of Utah on January 4th, 1896, and was to last for 12 years. The Presidents to serve under this flag were Grover Cleveland (1893-1897), William McKinley (1897-1901),and Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909).
Just once a year, July 4th, we take the Relic Home's 45 star flag out of its display case and let it grace the festivities of the day.
The 45-Star flag became the official United States Flag on July 4, 1896. A star was added for the admission of Utah on January 4th, 1896 and was to last for 12 years. The Presidents who served under this flag were: Grover Cleveland (1893-1897), William McKinley (1897-1901), and Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909).
The Spanish - American War was fought under this flag; a conflict between the Kingdom of Spain and the United States of America that took place from April to August of 1898.
The above timeline is courtesy of: http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagfact.htmlFlag Timeline
States and their dates of admission are shown in bold red. Starting in 1819, the updated flag becomes legal on the Fourth of July following the date of admission.
| 1775 |  |
| 1775 |  |
| 1775 |  |
| 1775 |  |
| 1775 |  |
| 1776 |  |
| 1776 |  |
| 1777 |  |
| 1777? |  |
| 1777 |  |
| 1777 |  |
| 1779 |  |
| 1781? |  |
| 1787 | Captain Robert Gray carries the flag around the world on his sailing vessel (around the tip of South America, to China, and beyond). He discovered a great river and named it after his boatThe Columbia. His discovery was the basis of America's claim to the Oregon Territory. |
| 1795 |  |
| 1803 |  |
| 1814 | September 14 — Francis Scott Key writes "The Star-Spangled Banner." It officially becomes the national anthem in 1931. |
| 1814 |  |
| 1818 |  |
| 1819 |  |
| 1820 |  first flag on Pikes Peak |
| c. 1820-30 |  |
| 1822 |  |
| 1836 |  |
| 1837 |  |
| 1837 |  |
| 1845 |  |
| 1846 |  |
| 1847 |  |
| 1847 |  |
| 1848 |  |
| 1851 |  |
| 1858 |  |
| 1859 |  |
| 1861 |  Note: Even after the South seceded from the Union, President Lincoln would not allow any stars to be removed from the flag. • first Confederate Flag (Stars and Bars) adopted in Montgomery, Alabama |
| 1861 |  |
| 1863 |  |
| 1865 |  |
| 1867 |  |
| 1869 |  |
| 1876 |  |
| 1877 |  |
| 1877 |  |
| 1889 | Flag with 39 stars that never was! Flag manufacturers believed that the two Dakotas would be admitted as one state and so manufactured this flag, some of which still exist. It was never an official flag. |
| 1890 |  |
| 1891 |  |
| 1892 | "Pledge of Allegiance" first published in a magazine called "The Youth's Companion," written by Francis Bellamy. |
| 1896 |  |
| 1897 | Adoption of State Flag Desecration Statutes — By the late 1800's an organized flag protection movement was born in reaction to perceived commercial and political misuse of the flag. After supporters failed to obtain federal legislation, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota became the first States to adopt flag desecration statutes. By 1932, all of the States had adopted flag desecration laws. In general, these State laws outlawed: (i) placing any kind of marking on the flag, whether for commercial, political, or other purposes; (ii) using the flag in any form of advertising; and (iii) publicly mutilating, trampling, defacing, defiling, defying or casting contempt, either by words or by act, upon the flag. Under the model flag desecration law, the term "flag" was defined to include any flag, standard, ensign, or color, or any representation of such made of any substance whatsoever and of any size that evidently purported to be said flag or a picture or representation thereof, upon which shall be shown the colors, the stars and stripes in any number, or by which the person seeing the same without deliberation may believe the same to represent the flag of the U.S. |
| 1907 | Halter v. Nebraska (205 U.S. 34) — The Supreme Court holds that although the flag was a federal creation, the States' had the authority to promulgate flag desecration laws under their general police power to safeguard public safety and welfare. Halter involved a conviction of two businessmen selling "Stars and Stripes" brand beer with representations of the U.S. flag affixed to the labels. The defendants did not raise any First Amendment claim. |
| 1908 |  |
| 1909 | Robert Peary places the flag his wife sewed atop the North Pole. He left fragments of it as he traveled north. Ref |
| 1912 | June 24, President Taft signs Executive Order which establishes proportions of the flag and specifies arrangement and orientation of the stars. |
| 1912 |  |
| 1931 | Stromberg v. California (283 U.S. 359) — The Supreme Court finds that a State statute prohibiting the display of a "red flag" as a sign of opposition to organized government unconstitutionally infringed on the defendant's First Amendment rights. Stromberg represents the Court's first declaration that "symbolic speech" is protected by the First Amendment. |
| 1942 | Federal Flag Code (36 U.S.C. 171 et seq.) — On June 22, 1942, President Roosevelt approves the Federal Flag Code, providing for uniform guidelines for the display and respect shown to the flag. The Flag Code does not prescribe any penalties for non-compliance nor does it include any enforcement provisions, rather it functions simply as a guide for voluntary civilian compliance. |
| 1943 | West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette (319 U.S. 624) — The Supreme Court holds that public school children could not be compelled to salute the U.S. flag. In a now famous passage, Justice Jackson highlighted the importance of freedom of expression under the First Amendment:Freedom to differ is not limited to things that do not matter much. That would be a mere shadow of freedom. The test of its substance is the right to differ as to things that touch the heart of the existing order. If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion or other matters of opinion. |
| 1945 | The flag that flew over Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, is flown over the White House on August 14, when the Japanese accepted surrender terms. |
| 1949 | August 3 — Truman signs bill requesting the President call for Flag Day (June 14) observance each year by proclamation. |
| 1954 | By act of Congress, the words "Under God" are inserted into the Pledge of Allegiance |
| 1959 |  |
| 1960 |  |
| 1962 | In the case Engel v. Vitale, the court decides that government-directed prayer in public schools is unconstitutional, a violation of the Establishment Clause. This case is relevant to the flag in that it set a precedent for debate over use of the phrase "under God" which was added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954. |
| 1963 | Flag placed on top of Mount Everest by Barry Bishop. |
| 1968 | Adoption of Federal Flag Desecration Law (18 U.S.C. 700 et seq.) — Congress approves the first federal flag desecration law in the wake of a highly publicized Central Park flag burning incident in protest of the Vietnam War. The federal law made it illegal to "knowingly" cast "contempt" upon "any flag of the United States by publicly mutilating, defacing, defiling, burning or trampling upon it." The law defined flag in an expansive manner similar to most States. |
| 1969 | July 20 — The American flag is placed on the moon by Neil Armstrong. |
| 1969 | Street v. New York (394 U.S. 576) — The Supreme Court holds that New York could not convict a person based on his verbal remarks disparaging the flag. Street was arrested after he learned of the shooting of civil rights leader James Meredith and reacted by burning his own flag and exclaiming to a small crowd that if the government could allow Meredith to be killed, "we don't need no damn flag." The Court avoided deciding whether flag burning was protected by the First Amendment, and instead overturned the conviction based on Street's oral remarks. In Street, the Court found there was not a sufficient governmental interest to warrant regulating verbal criticism of the flag. |
| 1972 | Smith v. Goguen (415 U.S. 94) — The Supreme Court holds that Massachusetts could not prosecute a person for wearing a small cloth replica of the flag on the seat of his pants based on a State law making it a crime to publicly treat the flag of the United States with "contempt." The Massachusetts statute was held to be unconstitutionally "void for vagueness." |
| 1974 | Spence v. Washington (418 U.S. 405) — The Supreme Court holds that the State of Washington could not convict a person for attaching removable tape in the form of a peace sign to a flag. The defendant had attached the tape to his flag and draped it outside of his window in protest of the U.S. invasion of Cambodia and the Kent State killings. The Court again found under the First Amendment there was not a sufficient governmental interest to justify regulating this form of symbolic speech. Although not a flag burning case, this represented the first time the Court had clearly stated that protest involving the physical use of the flag should be seen as a form of protected expression under the First Amendment. |
| 1970-1980 | Revision of State Flag Desecration Statutes — During this period legislatures in some 20 States narrow the scope of their flag desecration laws in an effort to conform to perceived Constitutional restrictions under the Street, Smith, and Spence cases and to more generally parallel the federal law (i.e., focusing more specifically on mutilation and other forms of physical desecration, rather than verbal abuse or commercial or political misuse). |
| 1989 | Texas v. Johnson (491 U.S. 397) — The Supreme Court upholds the Texas Court of Criminal appeals finding that Texas law — making it a crime to "desecrate" or otherwise "mistreat" the flag in a way the "actor knows will seriously offend one or more persons" — was unconstitutional as applied. This was the first time the Supreme Court had directly considered the applicability of the First Amendment to flag burning. Gregory Johnson, a member of the Revolutionary Communist Party, was arrested during a demonstration outside of the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas after he set fire to a flag while protestors chanted "America, the red, white, and blue, we spit on you." In a 5-4 decision authored by Justice Brennan, the Court first found that burning the flag was a form of symbolic speech subject to protection under the First Amendment. The Court also determined that under United States v. O'Brien, 391 U.S. 367 (1968), since the State law was related to the suppression of freedom of expression, the conviction could only be upheld if Texas could demonstrate a "compelling" interest in its law. The Court next found that Texas' asserted interest in "protecting the peace" was not implicated under the facts of the case. Finally, while the Court acknowledged that Texas had a legitimate interest in preserving the flag as a "symbol of national unity," this interest was not sufficiently compelling to justify a "content based" legal restriction (i.e., the law was not based on protecting the physical integrity of the flag in all circumstances, but was designed to protect it from symbolic protest likely to cause offense to others). |
| 1989 | Revision of Federal Flag Desecration Statute — Pursuant to the Flag Protection Act of 1989, Congress amends the 1968 federal flag desecration statute in an effort to make it "content neutral" and conform to the Constitutional requirements of Johnson. As a result, the 1989 Act sought to prohibit flag desecration under all circumstances by deleting the statutory requirement that the conduct cast contempt upon the flag and narrowing the definition of the term "flag" so that its meaning was not based on the observation of third parties. |
| 1990 | United States v. Eichman (496 U.S. 310) — Passage of the Flag Protection Act results in a number of flag burning incidents protesting the new law. The Supreme Court overturned several flag burning convictions brought under the Flag Protection Act of 1989. The Court holds that notwithstanding Congress' effort to adopt a more content neutral law, the federal law continued to be principally aimed at limiting symbolic speech. |
| 1990 | Rejection of Constitutional Amendment — Following the Eichman decision, Congress considers and rejects a Constitutional Amendment specifying that "the Congress and the States have the power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States." The amendment failed to muster the necessary two-thirds Congressional majorities, as it was supported by only a 254 — 177 margin in the House (290 votes were necessary) and a 58 — 42 margin in the Senate (67 votes were necessary). |
| 1995 | December 12 — The Flag Desecration Constitutional Amendment is narrowly defeated in the Senate. The Amendment to the Constitution would make burning the flag a punishable crime. |
| 2001 |  |
| 2002 | June 26 — The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in California declares that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is unconstitutional because "under God" (inserted into the Pledge in 1954) was a violation of the Establishment Clause, that expression not create the reasonable impression that the government is sponsoring, endorsing, or inhibiting religion generally, or favoring or disfavoring a particular religion. This ruling was reconfirmed in February 2003, and applies only to the 9th Circuit (the following districts: Alaska, Arizona, Central, Eastern, Northern, and Southern California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Eastern and Western Washington, Guam, and Northern Mariana Islands). (See 2010) |
| 2004 | June 14 — The Supreme Court declines to hear a case challenging "One nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. "While the court did not address the merits of the case, it is clear that the Pledge of Allegiance and the words 'under God' can continue to be recited by students across America," said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice. |
| 2005 | January 25 — Constitutional amendment, sponsored by Rep. Duke Cunningham, introduced. It reads simply, "The Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States." June 22 — The Constitutional amendment (see above) is approved by the House (vote of 286-130). It requires Senate approval. Then it must receive approval from 38 states within seven years. |
| 2006 | June 28 — The Senate is one vote short of passing the Constitutional amendment (see above). |
| 2006 | July 19 — H.R.42 is passed, preventing condominiums or residential real estate management associations from forbidding the flying of the US flag. Read full law |
| 2010 | The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in California declares that the phrase "under God" in the Pledge is constitutional. The majority decision states, “The Pledge of Allegiance serves to unite our vast nation through the proud recitation of some of the ideals upon which our Republic was founded.” It states later, "Coercion to engage in a patriotic activity, like the Pledge of Allegiance, does not run afoul of the Establishment Clause." (See 2002) Read decision [pdf] |
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