Tithing Home

In early LDS pioneer settlements, tithing offices and bishop’s storehouses served a critical civic and religious function. Most tithing in the pioneer era was paid “in kind” rather than in cash — farmers and families would bring produce, grain, livestock, and other commodities to the local tithing office, where the bishop would receive, store, and redistribute these goods to support community needs.

These buildings typically included a main office along with outbuildings such as granaries, hay barns, potato cellars, and corn cribs. The Relief Society sisters also collected wheat that was stored in separate granaries on the tithing grounds. Tithing orders could be drawn on tithing offices across the region, creating an interconnected network of community resources throughout the LDS settlements of Arizona and Utah.