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GRANTSVILLE — A battle over historic land has city leaders and neighbors searching for a compromise.
The City of Grantsville decided four years ago to expand the local cemetery to the J. Rueben Clark History Farm. Opposing members of the community want to preserve the land, a historic landmark.
Mayor Brett Marshal said the city decided to expand on the farm four years ago, when there was nowhere else to build. Now that’s not the case.
Across the street from the cemetery is about three acres of land the city purchased last fall. The land has room for about 30 years worth of plots, while the farm has space for 11 years.
“I would like it here,” said Rava Jiles, a neighbor of the new city land. “The graveyard has never bothered us on that side, so I’m sure it would never bother us on this side.”
The farm was built in 1880 by the Anderson and Clark families. The family of J. Reuben Clark handcrafted what is known as the Hay Barn, and visitors can still see the wooden pegs and large timbers carefully carved to frame the 134-year-old building.
Once a home for spiritual refuge, the Historic Farm is now a place for carriage rides, farmers' markets and historical education. Around 6,000 visitors came to the farm last year, generating $17,000 in revenue.
Lisa Nelson of the Friends of the Clark Historic Farm is fighting to preserve the past for the future, which includes her four children.
“I want them to understand how this community came to be,” she said. “The community has really enjoyed having a place where they can just come and be with their families.”
The city council will discuss whether to change the cemetery expansion to the new land or maintain the plan to use the farm site. No decision will be made until June, when the city’s budget is finalized.
