Smithfield residents are turning the Douglas Mercantile into a museum

SMITHFIELD – The Smithfield City Historic Preservation Commission is restoring the Douglas General Mercantile Store, the oldest remaining commercial building in Smithfield by William M. Douglas who was born in Glasgo, Scotland.

The town of Smithfield was founded in 1856 during the expansion of Mormon colonies in Utah.

Mercantile stores were used by pioneer families to order or purchase things they couldn’t make themselves. 

William Douglas Miles, Douglas’ great grandson, wrote about him crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a ship as an 18-year-old, then found his way to Nauvoo and walked most of the way from the shore of the Mississippi River in Illinois to Salt Lake City. He was sent to Smithfield with a group of people to colonize the community. He operated a mercantile out of his home until his store was built in 1883; his family lived in the back of the store.

“He operated a freight line to the mines in Montana. They had several teams of mules on each wagon. This trip took about one month,” his great grandson wrote. “He was paid for his supplies in gold dust. They also kept a small scale in the store for weighing gold dust.”

Sometimes people would pay their bills with produce.

“He purchased the first piano that was shipped into Smithfield,” Miles said. “There was a large room above the store and every Saturday night eight men would carry the piano up the stairs and they would have a public dance.”

The piano is on display at the Daughters of Utah Pioneer Museum in Logan.

Douglas operated the mercantile until 1897, then he sold it to an employee James Cantwell. Cantwell operated the store until 1910 then sold it to Win and Lorenzo Toolson. The building was later used also as the American Legion Hall beginning in 1958.

In 1982 the mercantile building was recognized by the Utah Division of State History and put on the National Register of Historic Places

In 2012 members of the Smithfield Historical Society started the work to turn it into a museum. In 2019, two anonymous donors purchased the building so they could make it a museum. In 2014 the mercantile building was recognized by the Utah Division of State History.

The building was turned over to the Historical Preservation Commission to manage grants and funds from federal, state local governments. Many of the commission members are also members of the Smithfield Historical Society.

Jeff Gittens, a member of both historical organizations, opened the doors to Cache Valley Daily to show the progress they have made getting the building ready for the public.

“Besides all the volunteers, we have had a lot of local contractors donate their services to help with the remodeling,” he said. “We have torn out the old restrooms and built nice modern ones.”

He said the inside walls were plastered to meet the restoration standards and interior walls have also been restored.

“The building was built with stone and mortar on three sides, the front has large sandstone blocks, and the upper part bricks were used to set it apart from other buildings in the area,” he said. “We are trying to make it historically accurate both on the inside and outside.”

He already has a gallery wall with historic painting and photographs hung where people can see the history of the town unfold.

“The upper floor of the building was used for dances and musical entertainment,” Gittens said. “They even had silent movies up there and local musicians would come and play during the shows.”

One day during the restoration process, Gittens found boxes with historical photographs with documents from the Leonard Olson family.

“Olson interviewed some of the original pioneers in 1923 through 1926 and put them in the History of Smithfield published in 1927,” he said. “I believe there are 15 other buildings that are over 100 years (old) still standing in Smithfield.”

There is an historical mural on a wall to the east of the building which depicts Main Street buildings in Smithfield with forms of transportation from covered wagons to a modern day Tesla.

“Lester Lee, a former Sky View art teacher, printed the mural,” Gittens said. “The Wall is owned by Preston Watts Collision and Glass and Kerry Watts who owns the wall had the mural painted.”  

There is more work to do. Gittens said they want to have it ready for visitors at the same time the Smithfield open house is happening.

“Smithfield was founded by a very diverse people with significant and prominent settlers,” he said. “When people come to the open house, we want to show visitors the many important people who lived here.”

The old building is located at 102-104 on the east side of south Main Street.