Joseph Hill ~ Index
A Master Builder
Joseph and Ann (Harper) Hill, natives of England, who emigrated to this country in 1855. When Joseph Hill arrived in this country, he remained in New York for about five years, working at his trade as a stone mason, but in 1861 he crossed the plains to Utah, settling for a time in Salt Lake City. As a contractor and builder he erected, among other structures, the Agriculture College at Logan, and was master mason for the Oregon Short Line Railroad for several years. In 1862 he removed to Smithfield, Utah, and in that place made his home until 1913, in which year his wife died, and he now lives with his son, Richard N. Hill. He has always been active in the affairs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as in all matters intended to benefit the public at large. He has reached the age of eighty years. His wife, at the time of her death, was sixty-three.
Joseph Hill was born in Wootton, Northampton, England on June 11th 1840. He apprenticed to his father when young as a stone and or brick mason. He would work in this trade for a good portion of his life. He was said to be a medium size man with a mustache, beard and very blue eyes. Joseph was known to be stern with his children as seemed to be the custom of the times. He is noted for several major buildings in Cache Valley. As a stone mason he first worked on the Salt Lake City temple, dressing the granite blocks, in Cache Valley he was the master mason on the Logan, Utah Tabernacle, also one of the skilled masons on the Logan, Utah Temple.
He would later have the charge of the original Utah Agricultural College, Old Main building complex, this school is now known as Utah State University, in Logan, Utah. In Smithfield, Utah he is credited with the construction of the William Douglas store, Farmers Union Mill, E.R. Miles store, rock Tithing cellar and granary, numerous homes in the area and the Smithfield tabernacle. He is credited with the Benson Stake tabernacle in Richmond, Utah that was damaged in an earthquake. I believed he worked on the rock Hatch home in Franklin, Idaho and also worked on the original small rock Logan ZCMI store. He built many bridge abutments and like items for the Oregon Shortline Railroad as their master mason in both Utah and Idaho.1
- History of Idaho: The Gem of the Mountains, James Henry Hawley, editor, volume 4, page 312.