On the beautiful grounds of Mapleton Old Towne Historic Park, a bronze statue of a pioneer man and woman working the fields together reminds viewers of Mapleton’s challenging beginnings. The statue could have rightly been named “Adversity,” “Resilience,” or “Perseverance.” However, the sculptor, Tyson Snow, chose the word “Unity.” If you look closely, you’ll see just how fitting that verbiage is for the beautiful bronze piece.
With an up-close view, you can see the careworn expression on the faces of the bronze pioneer couple. The husband’s brows furrow with worry as he pushes a hand plow through muddy terrain while his tired wife lays her head trustingly on his shoulder. She carries a satchel of seeds across her belly, which protrudes just enough to reveal that she’s expecting. Together they toil. Together they push through hardships. Together they prepare to reap the rewards of their labors.
To Mapleton resident Mary Fojtek, the Unity statue is a very special focal point for Mapleton Old Towne Historic Park. Mary served as the Chairman of the Mapleton Historic Society Committee for seven years. She and her husband, Jim Fojtek, decided they will officially retire at the end of this year.
Fojtek spearheaded and presented the plan for the Mapleton Old Towne Historic Park to Mapleton City back in 2015. The park now features a variety of restored and newly constructed buildings that stand as a tribute to the town’s early settlers and heritage. Four of Fojtek’s great-grandparents were settlers in Mapleton. Because of that history, she said that it gave her “a real tie to doing this.”
Today, the historic park features the Mapleton Heritage Museum, the original Levi Kendall Cabin (constructed around 1880), and the restored Relief Society Hall originally built in 1888. More modern projects include a barn and a blacksmith shop built in 2020 that contain items dating back to the 1800s.
Fittingly, Mapleton’s original name was Union Bench. In 1901, it was changed to Mapleton.
“When they came up the first time, the first thing they did was build a place where they could grow food, and that was a unity garden,” Fojtek said. “They all planted it, they all harvested it, they all shared in it. The same thing with their houses. With everything they did, it was shared and they worked together on every aspect. They had purpose.”
But unity isn’t just reserved for Mapleton’s founding days. It continues to be a value that Mapleton’s modern-day residents exude. With a smile on her face, Fojtek related how unity plays a key role in how the Mapleton Old Towne Historic Park came to be.
She said that Matt Stone, whose father and grandfather (Wayne and Leonard Stone) were born and raised in Mapleton, came to see the historic Bird house years ago on the 24th of July/Pioneer Day. Stone told Fojtek that he’d inherited his grandfather Leonard’s two-man bow saw and that he wanted to donate it to the Mapleton Historical Committee so it could be displayed. Fojtek recalls telling him, “Matt, we don’t have anywhere to display it. We need to build a barn.” In response, he told her, “Let’s do that. Let’s build a barn.”
Due to this, a monumental project that has blessed and enriched the lives of Mapleton residents ever since, was born. Today, Stone’s grandfather’s saw is on proud display in the historic barn.
Fojtek related how volunteers showed up in great numbers to help with the park however they could.
“People have gotten behind it,” she said. “They’ve come up and worked, they’ve donated money, they’ve driven by and made sure it was OK, and it’s just been miraculous. We didn’t take names. There was absolutely no recognition and they didn’t even care.”
In addition to the miraculous show of unity surrounding the project, the Fojteks remember many other little miracles – fulfilled by the hands of well-meaning individuals who unwittingly became angels on earth.
Once, it was someone calling to see if they could donate a forge just two days after Fojtek told her husband that they needed one for the blacksmith shop. Another time, it was two men who showed up unexpectedly to help hang the barn door. Fojtek explained that these and other miracles throughout the project were evidence to her that her “great-grandparents wanted this to happen.”
Fojtek said that the Mapleton Old Towne Historic Park project has been very tender and special. She expressed the difficulty of retiring, but said she hopes to be able to finish up an important Mapleton record-keeping project first with the historical committee, for which they are looking for volunteers.
The Mapleton Historical Committee is trying to finish the town’s historical photograph paperwork. They welcome any volunteers who would like to help make that happen. Their current goal is to finish by the end of the year. It’s a sit-down computer job, but volunteers don’t even need to know how to use the computer.
“We need someone to sit by us who can pick out the photograph, measure it, tell us the dimensions, who took it, etc. So, if we can work in companions, it really helps speed up the process,” Fojtek said.
Volunteers will be trained and the committee will furnish the computers they need to get things done.
Anyone interested in volunteering is invited to contact Mary Fojtek directly at gmbakbak@gmail.com
Those who want to see the Mapleton Old Towne Historic Park can take a virtual tour or schedule a tour by emailing (parksandrec@mapleton.org).
