Capitol, Salt Lake City. To learn more about the cities on our 2014 tour, visit cspan. Org localcontent. We continue now with our look at the history of Salt Lake City. This is American History tv on cspan3. I would like to welcome you to the tabernacle here on Temple Square in Salt Lake City. This is the home of the mormon tabernacle choir. Some might call it americas choir. The mormon tabernacle choir was firstzed in 1847 when the pioneers came into this valley. It was a small group of people a bowery type building, very rustic, and they asked for a choir to perform, but it was in 1849 that welsh pioneers came to the valley and they saying in fourpart harmony. They saying in wells, and that decided youam young needed to be the nucleus of the great choir, so it really started in 1847 and 1849. They used to sing in a building over on the square that was is a temporary link, but they called it the tabernacle, and that is how the name came, the mormon tabernacle choir. When that was too small, they started building this particular building, which was in the late 1860s, it was completed at the end of the civil war, and the choir moved into this building at that time, and the tabernacle here has been the home of the choir ever since. Come tove visitors Temple Square, we invite them into the tabernacle, one of the things they first notice is that imposing instrument that is behind me, the organ. Stock,y early pioneer and it becomes the centerpiece for people to begin to look at and think wow, this is really an amazing experience. And they see the choir in front of them, and it is a great picture. Whenever you see a photograph of the choir, this organ is right there in the center of the foreground and it has been accompanying be choir ever since the organ was put it in 1867 because the choir has been around that long and even longer. The oldest building on Temple Square. It is even older than the temple itself. And the oldest thing inside of the tabernacle is this organ case, so these gold pipes next to me here have looked down on decades and decades of history and has seen all kinds of things, lots of american president s have spoken from the pulpit and has seen the choir perform here, so there is a lot of history in this organ case and in the building. The sound of the tabernacle organ is really unique. This instrument most of the skinnerre built by the Organ Company in 1948, and it was considered their magnum opus. The president of that company considered this one of their finest if not the finest that they built, and part of that was that the pipes are so room,fully voice for the but part of it is the room itself. It is a domed ceiling that of a projecting even the softest sound of the organ with great clarity to the back of the room, so the sound and envelops you. It is like a warm bath when you hear this played. As you can imagine, when you are accompanying a choir this large and this welltrained and is passionate about what theyre doing, it is a hairraising experience every time. Whenever i sit said on this bench and i hear those voices, this huge wall of sound going over me and then going out into the room and it is still electrifying. I have been accompanying be choir for i think 23 years now, thrilled as much as i was the first time i heard them. One great story has to do with helen keller, who was here back and spoke at1900s the pulpit just behind where i am seated here, and if you can call it speaking. We know that her situation she was deprived of her eyesight and learned to speak in a very guttural voice, but she came here and gave a presentation to a packed house, and when she had finished, they asked if there was anything she would like, and she said i would like to hear your famous organ play, and so the organist came over and he saints,ome, come ye and the president of the church water up to the organ case and placed her hand on the wood of the case, and a person who was there at the time said that t as sheller just wep felt the throbbing of the great instrument and the sounds of the pipes playing the song of the pioneers of the came across the plains. Aboutis something unique this choir that comes across to audiences, and i think it is a combination of things. It is not just the size of the choir, it is not just how well trained they are, how versant how professional they are. I think it is their sincerity about their methods, and when they turn to the audience at the end of any performance or broadcast to sing god be with you till we meet again, i see tears in the eyes of the people out there, and i know the stories of the choir members, i know what theyre going through with their families, and i know they are really singing from the heart, and that comes across when the audience hears them sing. Our local content Vehicles Team traveled there to learn about its rich history. Learn more about Salt Lake City at cspan. Org. American history tv all weekend every weekend on cspan 3. Coming up next,ed to groce. President and ceo Georgia Historical Society speaks at the Opening Ceremony of the 150th anniversary. Of the civil war. He talks about the motivation of both unionists and federalists for fighting and argued the fall of atlanta have over time, to march the symbolic end of the antebellum ay of life in the south. The commission sponsored this event. His remarks are under half an hour. Thank you so much for that kind introduction. Thank you for that very warm welcome. I am delighted and honored to be here today for this kickoff event and want to thank the city of atlanta and the commission for inviting me to speak today. I want to take my friend, david moore, thank you for asking me to be here today. Speaking of honors, it is an honor for me to share the voting for you today. Thank you for your service to our nation. Your leadership has helped to change the United States and get all of america to live up