The Utah State Historic Preservation Office is managing several initiatives to preserve the state's cultural heritage, including the maintenance of a statewide cemetery database and the designation of significant architectural landmarks like the Arnoldus House in Moroni.
Statewide Cemetery Documentation
Under Utah state law, the Utah State Historic Preservation Office is mandated to collect burial information and maintain it within a public database. According to the office, this information is provided by individual cemeteries and is sometimes supplemented with additional research to ensure complete records. The office also maintains a comprehensive list of cemeteries and provides basic contact information for these sites.
Management of Burial Records
The office encourages cemetery managers to update their information via an online contact form. For those seeking to submit burial records, the office provides a template and accepts submissions in Excel format via email. This data collection is part of a broader effort to preserve the history contained within Utah's burial grounds.
National Register of Historic Places
In addition to cemetery documentation, the National Register of Historic Places serves as the official federal list for properties significant in American history, architecture, archaeology, or engineering. The National Register allows for individual listings, historic districts, or multiple property and statewide thematic categories. The Utah State Historic Preservation Office provides resources for researchers to investigate historic properties and submit nominations for potential inclusion.
Historic District Research
The office also manages the review process for the State National Register Review Committee. Residents and researchers can use interactive maps to search for National Historic Districts within Utah or to view current nominations being reviewed for the National Register.
Preservation Grant Opportunities
The office also facilitates financial support for preservation through cemetery grants. Applications for these grants are accepted annually between February 1 and May 31. Eligible projects for funding include surveying, GIS mapping, and the digitization of records. However, the office specifies that these funds are intended for reimbursement upon receipt of a final report and cannot be used for general maintenance or beautification projects.
Architectural Significance in Moroni
The office also preserves significant architectural history, such as the Arnoldus House located in Moroni, Sanpete County. Published on July 22, 2026, documentation from the office notes that the house is locally significant under Criterion C for its architecture. Constructed around 1892, the house is the only example of the Italianate architectural style in the Moroni community and is one of a limited number of such examples in rural Sanpete County.
Restoration of the Arnoldus House
The Arnoldus House features distinct Italianate characteristics, including a two-story structure, a low-pitched hip roof, a three-part bay window on the façade, and paired brackets along the eaves or cornice. It also features brick arches over the window and door openings and a vertical emphasis in the window design. While the house underwent various interior and exterior changes during the 1960s and 1970s, the current owners have spent the last three decades reversing those alterations to restore the home to its original 1890s appearance.
