Browning Gun Shop

Jonathan Browning was an expert gunsmith living in Quincy, Illinois, in 1839. Once he accepted the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, he used his blacksmithing skills to build up Nauvoo. His wife Elizabeth was no less determined to live her religion and teach truth to her large family. Stories of faith and work come together in the Browning home and gun shop.

Since the Browning family only lived in this home for about a year, the place tells a story of how people and businesses came and went on Nauvoo’s busy main street throughout the 1840s. The two-story brick home was built by Benjamin and Margaret Bird in 1843. After living in it for just a few months, the Birds sold it to the Brownings. Jonathan added a smithy—or blacksmith’s workshop—and extra rooms to the building before he sold the property. Later, after the Brownings lived here, the Church acquired the house in 1844 for Lucy Mack Smith to use. Here she began dictating her family’s history, in particular the life and prophetic ministry of her son Joseph.

The Brownings became curious about the Church after meeting Latter-day Saints in Quincy, who were fleeing Missouri in the winter of 1838–1839. The family was well established. It was not a small thing to decide to be baptized and later move a family of nine children to Nauvoo. But both Jonathan and Elizabeth stayed true to the covenants they made at baptism. When it became clear that they would leave Illinois, Jonathan prepared for the journey by packing his tools and selling property in both Hancock and Adams counties. He re-established his gun shop in Council Bluffs, Iowa, to help outfit other travelers to the American West.

What to Expect

Browning Gun Shop is a five-room guided tour of the parlor, sitting room, gun room, kitchen, and workshop. The tour includes a demonstration of gun barrel making. Upon request, you may tour the log cabin behind the home. After the tour of Browning Gun Shop, you will walk or drive over to the Taylor Home Print Shop and Post Office.

360° Walkthrough