Discover Nauvoo and Carthage
When the Saints gathered in the area they later named Nauvoo, it was little more than a swamp. Just six years later, the city of Nauvoo included over 10,000 residents and a magnificent temple stood prominently on the hill. The following resources will help you to understand this complex place and its diverse stories.
Historic Nauvoo and Carthage Jail are places of historic significance to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
The Nauvoo Temple was a place of learning and revelation where the early Saints received ordinances which fulfilled promises the Lord had made in earlier revelations.
Learn more about your ancestors who lived and worked in Nauvoo.
Learn About Nauvoo and Carthage
In a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord repeatedly called Nauvoo a “cornerstone of Zion.” Joseph and the community of Saints strived to follow Christ and create a strong foundation for the Church. As they built a city and a temple at home, members of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles travelled the world sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The following articles have been grouped into thematic overviews to help you better understand how the Saints in Nauvoo were guided by their commitment to build a new gathering place and follow the commandments of Jesus Christ.
The following articles have been grouped into thematic overviews to help you better understand how the Saints in Nauvoo were guided by their commitment to build a new gathering place and follow the commandments of Jesus Christ.
Nauvoo’s covenant community followed prophetic direction to build the house of the Lord, setting a pattern that the Church has built upon.
Learn how the Saints responded to the commandment from the Lord to build a temple in Nauvoo.
Learn more about how the apostles worked to spread the gospel globally as you visit their families’ homes in Nauvoo.
What began in Nauvoo as a way to follow Jesus Christ’s example and serve people in need has become the worldwide sisterhood of the Church.
Visitors to Nauvoo’s Main Street find stories of faith in the shops of craftsmen from the 1840s.
Learn more about how the pioneers lived their lives in Historic Nauvoo.
Read more about Joseph and Emma’s life in Nauvoo.
On June 27, 1844, a mob killed the Smith brothers. Despite this tragic end, the legacy of Joseph Smith’s ministry endures.
Learn about the pioneer trail that the Saints took after the exodus from Nauvoo.
Additional Learning Resources
Read an overview of Nauvoo as a Latter-day Saint community, including important revelations, teachings, ordinances, and events that occurred in the city.
Discover the story of settling Nauvoo told through the lens of an illustrated 1842 map.
Learn how Latter-day Saints overcame swampy conditions to build their Zion in this short video of a conversation between historians Matthew C. Godfrey and Spencer W. McBride.
Follow the story of the Latter-day Saints from the purchase of land in Illinois to the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith in nearby Carthage Jail.
Dive deeper into the Saints chapters with this podcast that provides insights from Church historians.
Explore the history and legacy of the temple constructed by Latter-day Saints in the 1840s in this eight-part miniseries from the Joseph Smith Papers.
Learn more about the historical events that led to the assassination of the prophet and his brother by a mob, as well as the aftermath of that tragic event in this eight-part miniseries from the Joseph Smith Papers.