Franklin Idaho Pioneer Association

The log Relic Hall, located west of the Hatch House on Main Street, is a good example of Depression Era rustic architecture.  It also represents a successful early effort to preserve and interpret community history.

 

In 1935, Franklin's Idaho Pioneer Association deeded a building lot to the State of Idaho, and the state legislature appropriated money for construction of a hall.  Architect Chris Gunderson produced a rustic log design intended to evoke the regions pioneer past.  The Forest Service provided the timbers used in the building and the Civilian Conservation Corps crews provided labor.  The hall was completed in the spring of 1937 and dedicated in an extravagant two-day celebration on June 14 and 15.  An advance advertisement listed, among other attractions, a merry-go-round, a Ferris wheel, the best array of concessions ever and Steven Terry with his famous wire walkers and lions.  Speakers included Governor Barzilla Clark and the only living pioneer adult of 1860, Ann Chadwick Hull.  Exhibits inside the hall have remained relatively unchanged since they were installed in 1937.

This information has been borrowed from  Idaho State Historical Society