Franklin Idaho Pioneer Association

This building was first the home of the Franklin Cooperative Store, established in 1868. The next year, the Franklin Cooperative Mercantile Institution (FCMI) was organized. The Mormon cooperative movement was an attempt to maintain good prices and markets for local products as well as ensure that profits would be shared more equally among the residents of the communities.
Local stores received supplies from regional centers that purchased goods from the Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI), located in Salt Lake City. In 1923, the Franklin Idaho Pioneer Association purchased FCMI building to use as a relic hall, or museum, to display artifacts related to the settlement of Franklin. It was used until 1937 when the new Relic Hall was built next door.
Architecturally, the FCMI is an example of the stone craftsmanship of the Mormon pioneers of southeastern Idaho. Built of local stone cut with a rough finish, the building demonstrates the transition in the late 19th century from Greek Revival to Italianate architecture for commercial and institutional buildings of southeastern Idaho. The property, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is now owned by the Idaho State Historical Society and managed in cooperation with the Franklin Idaho Pioneer Association.
This information has been borrowed from  Idaho State Historical Society