1965 the church on the old Bennion Homestead

1965: A New Chapel Rises on Historic Bennion Land

In 1965, Granger Stake President Iris B. Morgan presided over the groundbreaking for a new $400,000 Latter-day Saint chapel at 3950 South 3200 West—land that had once belonged to the pioneering Bennion Brothers, among the earliest settlers “Over Jordan.”

The chapel was one of only five new church buildings to be constructed that year in the United States. Under the Church’s missionary building program, all labor was donated by members of the stake, led by building supervisor Shirl Inkley and a team of five to eight building missionaries.

The project was a community-wide effort, with the Granger 8th and 13th Wards, under Bishops Delbert Adamson and Norman H. Bangerter, assuming primary responsibility. The new meetinghouse would house three wards and feature a chapel, cultural hall, bishop’s offices, and ample classroom space.

President Morgan emphasized that this cooperative program strengthened unity among the Saints—each family contributing time, talent, and faith to create a spiritual home for future generations. Construction was expected to take one year.