The Tithing Office

The Tithing Office was the first building constructed on Kanab's Public Square and was located on the northwest corner of the square. This single-story brick building, built between 1871 and 1875, consisted of two rooms with a basement/root cellar underneath. It was built about the same time the first houses in Kanab were erected. Two barns, used for storing hay and other items, were just to the east of the Tithing Office. The primary purpose of the Office was to house, tithing offerings and records; it was also used as a conference room, a center of commerce, a quarantine space, a cultural center and a school. , , In the early days of the settlement, tithing was often paid in produce, most of which was sold for cash to be used as needed. The rest was given away as charity or in exchange for labor. During times of crisis, such as floods in 1883 and 1909, the in-kind tithes were given to stricken citizens as relief when crops were ruined or during times of poor harvest. , , Throughout the latter part of the 19th century, the tiny building and barns played a quiet role in the larger scheme of history. The Tithing lot was the starting point of John Wesley Powell's survey of the American Southwest. Powell and his team were headquartered there for a time. , , Between 1914 and 1917 the Tithing Office was used as an overflow school classroom for the nearby Academy. After World War I, the Office was also used to quarantine returning soldiers because of the Spanish Flu epidemic. Finally, the Tithing Office was used as a kindergarten during the 1920-30s. The precise time the building was torn down has not been documented, but it was likely gone by 1945. In 1954 a new elementary school was built on the northern part of the public square where the Academy and Tithing office previously stood. Additional information is available at the Kanab Heritage Museum.