The Greystone, first known as the Monroe Utah First Presbyterian Historical Mission School, holds historical importance for both the local community and the broader history of Utah. It was constructed in the early 1880s over a decade before Utah Territory achieved statehood. One of four similar mission schools constructed across rural towns from Manti to Monroe under the direction of Reverend Duncan McMillan, this particular building was nicknamed The Greystone because of the stone’s relatively grey color compared with the more yellow or peach colored stone of its sister structures.

At that time, the city of Monroe (originally called Fort Alma) was still a new settlement in the Utah Territory. The mission school served as a beginning for education, community gatherings, and religious activities. It was a vital institution in a time when educational opportunities were rare. Years later it was purchased by a local family with a love of music. The Greystone became their home and a place where many local residents took music lessons. String concerts and piano and organ recitals were some of the events these stone walls have seen.

Before The Greystone was built, school was taught in a small house just to the west. One of the earliest instructors was Miss Carrie Decker, who arrived with her mother from Troy, NY in 1883. Miss Decker requested a larger schoolhouse, but was informed that there were no funds for such a building. She wrote to her friends in Troy, who raised a collection and sent it back to Monroe along with a large bell. Those funds resulted in The Greystone’s construction, and that bell still rings today.