The old Rexburg pumphouse, located at 2nd East and 1st South, may be transformed in the near future.

The Rexburg Historical Society has been looking for a space to display Rexburg’s history since the Teton Flood museum temporarily closed while the Rexburg Tabernacle underwent renovations.

Since then, they have looked at the old pumphouse, also the original site of Rexburg's first school, as a visitor’s center. The pumphouse has been used by the city for landscaping storage for over 60 years, according to Rexburg mayor Jerry Merrill.  

“The possibility was brought up by the Rexburg Historical Society that that might be a possible location for a kind of Rexburg museum and community center where some of the historical things from the city, papers, books, and things like that could be kept," said Merrill. “And we really honestly don't know at this point in time if that's a good possibility or not. The building would need some remodeling and some repair, which would be fairly expensive because it's an old building.”

In a statement from Doug Ladle, the president of the Rexburg Historical Society, he shared that the building may be too small for a museum, but it would be more akin to a visitor’s center for the growing community.   

“The funding for this remodel would most likely come from local donations and grants we apply for and receive through help from the Idaho State Historical Society,” said Ladle. We look forward to working with the city to see if this option can become a reality.” 

It is unclear who actually owns the building, as the deed was lost many years ago, but the city is attempting to locate the owner of the property before the historical society can take possession of it.

If the historical society is able to acquire the building, Merrill estimates that it would be operable as a visitors' center within a year.

To learn more about the historical society and its mission, click here.