William Davenport — The Miracle of the Temple Iron

While serving as the master blacksmith for the St. George Temple construction, William Davenport faced a significant technical crisis. The iron available in the remote Southern Utah settlement was 'cold-short' or 'burnt' iron, which was notoriously brittle and prone to shattering when worked under a hammer. This material was deemed unsuitable for the heavy-duty hardware, such as the massive bolts and plates required for the temple's roof trusses and structural supports. Davenport, realizing that the progress of the House of the Lord was at stake, made the matter a subject of fervent prayer. He testified that through divine intervention, the brittle iron became miraculously malleable and strong under his tools. He was able to forge all the necessary hardware without a single piece failing or breaking. The resulting ironwork was of such high quality that it successfully supported the immense weight of the temple structure, a feat Davenport and his contemporaries attributed to the Lord's blessing upon the materials and his craftsmanship.