Series 19319

Centennial Commission (1947) Community beautification photographs and articles, 1939-1948.

These records are housed in the Utah State Archives' permanent storage room.

Historical Note

See history of the records' creator.

Scope and Content

This series is made up of black and white photographic prints (3 x 5 inch proofs with crop markings for enlargements and 8 x 10 inch enlargements) from fifteen Utah communities in ten counties, a picture legend (photo captions) describing the photos from each town, and carbon copies (on onion skin paper) of newspaper articles written to support and stimulate beautification activities throughout the state. This series of pictures and stories by writer-photographer Chester H. Spink highlights the best examples of beautification work and planning found in individual communities and addresses specific beautification problems existing in each county, singling out prominent "eyesores," and suggesting where improvements should be made. A series of three to five articles about each community was prepared for twenty-six separate county newspapers.

Research Note

Negatives, with one exception, were not found with these photographic prints. The picture legend and articles for Morgan are unaccounted for. Also missing are two feature articles prepared for the metropolitan press, covering the complete activities of the beautification program and the complete activities of the planning and zoning program, which are mentioned in the summary included in the Beautification Division Final Report.
Clippings from the "Morgan County News" in the beautification division scrapbook are the only known source for the missing news articles relating to Morgan. Two snapshots and an accompanying letter from Mrs. Edith Harward of Aurora are the only documents in the Aurora folder. No evidence of additional photographs or articles by Mr. Spink relating to Aurora exists.

Arrangement

Alphabetical by city name, thereunder photographs and accompanying feature articles appear in the order in which they are listed in the picture legend.

Access Restrictions

This series is classified as Public.

Use Restrictions

These records are available for reproduction and use.

Preferred Citation

Cite the Utah State Archives and Records Service, the creating agency name, the series title, and the series number.

Custody History

Records of the Centennial Commission originally were deposited with the Utah Historical Society, which in 1949 was designated by Governor J. Bracken Lee as the official repository for the records of the commission. The newly independent Utah State Archives retained custody of the records following its removal from the Historical Society in 1969.

Acquisition Information

These records were acquired from the creating agency through established retention schedules.

Processing Information

Archival processing of these records was completed in June 1998 by W. Glen Fairclough, Jr.

Related Material

News clipping scrapbooks from the Centennial Commission (1947), Series 11963, include copies of the beautification photographs and articles published in various county newspapers throughout Utah.
Committee minutes from the Centennial Commission (1947), Series 19314, include beautification division minutes for January 7, 1947, recording approval to hire a competent person to write feature articles for newspapers and magazines.
Division reports from the Centennial Commission (1947), Series 19315, include a brief summary of the community beautification and planning publicity project in the Beautification Division Final Report

Container List

BoxFolderDescription
11Aurora; school grounds (before beautification); school grounds (after beautification)
12Beaver; Welfare Building and residence; sagging barn; unsightly barn; cemetery; race track; Roy's Auto Shop; center of town; old barn
13Cedar City; weed-ridden lot, residence; residence; vacant lot and structure; barn and ancient farm implements
14Dixie; ancient barns in poor repair; neat, well-kept home; unsightly view of dilapidated barn with St. George temple in background; residence
15Duchesne; sagging barns; neat, well-tended home; deteriorating recreation area; unkept yard
16Gunnison; community eyesore; well-kept home; Gunnison Park
17Hurricane; well-kept residence; vacant residence on unsightly corner; well-kept home; half-torn down building next to Dixie Hotel
18Kanab; new stables at race track; subdivision; cemetery; overflow from the reservoir flows into alfalfa fields
19Manti; dilapidated farm buildings on south entrance to city; Manti Park; unsightly view from Main St. with Manti Temple in background
110Milford; well-kept residence; eyesore; Union Pacific property around the town's eastern approach; library and grounds; planned site of new Legion Hall [negative included]; race track
111Parowan; tin-covered shack; well-planned, well-maintained residence; ramshackle building on Paragonah's main street; stone wall surrounding cemetery showing arched entrance
112Morgan; stoney landscape, potential park site; junk-strewn lot; residential street scene near city entrance; rail yard
113Richfield; dilapidated business building (Christensen Furniture Co.); Richfield Park; part of junk heap at Richfield's south entrance; cemetery; new water tower
114Roosevelt; decaying buildings and weed-ridden lots at eastern entrance; fairgrounds; rundown lot in center of business district; Masonic Temple in midst of remodeling project
115Vernal; planned site of community swimming pool; improved home, formerly a log cabin; planned site of field house, park and tennis courts, rose garden; unsightly shack on west entrance