You are about to receive a virtual tour of Mayfield, Utah. Now that we have lived here for an entire week, I feel as though I know the place well enough to offer some small descriptions. I hope you enjoy this snapshot into one of the most well preserved country living towns I’ve ever had the privilege to explore.
The post office: Due to the fact that Mayfield doesn’t provide home delivery service for mail, everyone in town visits the post office on a daily basis to retrieve and send mail, and to socialize. The post office is the hub of town for day to day chit chat, and catching up on the latest news. On my first visit I learned all about the most recent haystack fire, on my second I got details on an upcoming wedding. If there’s something going on, you’ll find out about it at the post office.
Town hall: Next door to the post office is Mayfield town hall. A beautiful and modern building, my only experience here so far involved the end of summer reading program. All the young families in town gathered on Wednesday night to watch their children perform little skits from stories they had read over the summer. We met several families that are a lot like us. Once again, everyone was very friendly and excited to get to know us. The town hall is not large, just big enough to hold maybe 100 people. Apparently there is a basement about the same size because a little idea has been floating around the community that the Barlow’s should set up their theater down there. The nearest movie theater is in Gunnison, 7 miles away, and it is under renovation. Wouldn’t it be neat to have a mini theater right in Mayfield town hall?
The cemetery: Just a few blocks west of our house on our road is the cemetery. We took a little drive around the place Thursday evening to have a look. Sorensons, Petersons, Michelsons, Olsons, Nelsons, Christiansens, etc. Most of Sanpete was settled by Scandinavian pioneers, and it seems Mayfield is no exception. I wonder if it would be a scandal to have a Barlow buried there. Maybe we could change the name to Barlowson. There are also several Whitlocks, which I found out yesterday are related to my grandpa Gene. What a small Scandinavian world.
The order: When Mayfield was settled, a small portion of the community continued practicing the united order. They were the folks on the north end of town, and so to this day the north side is called “the order”. I met a young mother at story time on Wednesday and when I asked her where she lived, she simply said “I live in the order.” My neighbor had to clarify where that was and why it’s called that. It is a fun bit of history that has been preserved. Some names just stick.
Mayfield estates…aka Stonehenge: What do you know, there is a new part of town. It has been hard for new people to move into Mayfield because people hold on to their land here. But over the last few years a subdivision called Mayfield estates has opened up on the north side of town. Beautiful, large, modern homes are going up there, and they seem almost out of place. I’m glad though, because if we decide we like it here guess where we will be building. Some people like to refer to the area as “Stonehenge” due to the boulder work at the entrance of the subdivision. The landscape does leave something to be desired – maybe Mike can do something about that.
Cobble heaven: The canyon road leading east from town travels through a beautiful area of farms and fields referred to as cobble heaven. Heaven seems like an appropriate description of the area. It is so serene and lovely.
Frog hollow: The West side of town is called Frog hollow. Rae Lou Olsen told me that before they put in the irrigation canal there were streams and ponds all over around there that spawned frogs. All the adults in the area have fond memories of catching frogs around there when they were kids. Maybe there are still some frog ponds around – I know my boys would just love that.
The merc: As you roll into town, the first public building you come to is a little market with a single gas pump called “the merc”. I think the name has officially changed to 16 mile market, or something like that, but everyone still calls it the merc. I haven’t actually been in there yet, but according to a neighbor it used to have a café inside that was “really hopping”. My neighbor Holly especially liked their scones. But, alas, the café is closed down now and it is just a little market.
Mayfield Manor: On the block south of the post office and town hall is a large building that as far as I can tell is sitting vacant. It used to be a rest home, but the place was so run down and gross that now it seems to be nothing. I wonder if someone will try to renovate it, if it will be torn down, or if it will just be left to sit for who knows how long.
The park: Mayfield has one of the most beautiful parks I’ve seen in Utah. It’s obvious that the community really takes pride in the green beauty there. The place has beautiful old shade trees as well as lots of young trees. Mike loves that they are planning for the future. The play equipment is fairly new, and the local Lions club just installed a fabulous toy train with bell and all. Everyone in town is proud of the work the Lions club has done at the park. There is an amphitheater and two covered pavilions as well as baseball and basketball areas. Mayfield has a lovely public park.
The Whitlock house: Last but not least, I introduce you to the Whitlock house. This is where we live. I think it’s the cutest house in town. We are renting it from Dale Whitlock, who says it has been in his family since it was built in the 1900s. Several people say they remember playing here when they were children. The place has a lot of history. It also has a lot of quirks. We call it “the rabbit hole” because it reminds us of Alice in Wonderland. Everywhere you turn there is something a little odd. But all that just gives it character.
That concludes my little tour of Mayfield, Utah. I hope you enjoyed seeing a snapshot of what we are now surrounded by on a daily basis. If you ever feel inclined to come and visit, please do! Everyone will be so glad you came.
