In original pictures of the St. George Temple notice the difference in how the spire looks today. The spire is very different from the Temple you are use to looking at in St. George.
At the very end of the building process of the St. George Temple, they builders had finished the spire, and it was the last step of building the temple. According to the records left by Brigham Young, the spire on top did not match the majesty of the rest of the St. George Temple, and the prophet did not like the end result of the spire.
Brigham Young loved the St. George temple, and was involved every step of its building process. When it came to the end, the spire was one of the last steps to finish the temple, and the Saints were in a hurry to get the temple finished. The health of Brigham Young was failing and they were running out of time for the temple before Brigham Young passed away.
There are records that indicate that Brigham Young did not love the end result of the spire and desired for the temple spire to be replaced by a spire that matched the rest of the temple.
Changing the St. George Temple Spire
People joke that Brigham Young made sure that the temple spire was changed, even though he had passed away before that change happened.
The St. George Temple was a huge undertaking for the Saints of St. George. The climate, the building materials, even getting food for the temple builders was challenging.
Finishing the building would have been a great relief for the Saints of St. George. Getting the Temple dedicated in a timely manner would have been top priority for Brigham and the Saints of the time, and redoing the spire would have taken time and more resources, it was left to be the “squatty spire” for the dedication of the temple.
Just a couple months after the temple dedication Brigham Young died. His health had not been good for some time, and it was not a surprise when he passed away. The Saint of St. George were extremely happy that President Young was able to see the temple dedicated before his passing.
Brigham Young Got the Temple Spire Changed
One night, not long after Brigham Young passed away, there was a thunder storm in St. George and the temple was hit by lightning.
The spire St. George temple was hit and burnt. Luckily, ONLY the spire of the temple experienced severe damage and had to be replaced completely, just like Brigham Young wanted in the first place! Brigham Young was very good at getting things done in this life, and it seems that he was working on the other side of the veil to get the Temple to look just the way he wanted in the first place!
Of course, we do not know if Brigham had a hand in the lighting hitting the temple and getting that new, bigger spire. One thing we do know, Brigham Young would be happy about the new, bigger spire that matches the majesty of the rest of the temple!
Places to Visit:
The St. George Tabernacle
Brigham Youngs Summer home
Jacob Hamblin Home