Mansion House

The Mansion House was the final home of Joseph Smith in Nauvoo. Here, the prophet had an upstairs office where he dedicated time to his religious and political work. The home was also a space where he could be among friends and family, acting as a father and husband while staying involved with the community.

Joseph and Emma Hale Smith, their four children, and Lucy Mack Smith, the prophet’s mother, moved into the Mansion House on August 31, 1843. The Mansion House served the Smith Family’s many needs. The Smith children and a few others attended school in the Mansion House. In the evenings, the adults entertained guests at dinner parties, dances, and other events. As Joseph Smith’s fame spread throughout the world, many visitors traveled to Nauvoo seeking an opportunity to meet the prophet. While the Smith family maintained several rooms for private use, beginning in January 1844 many of the rooms were leased to Ebenezer Robinson who operated a hotel to accommodate the many visitors. Lucy Mack Smith exhibited the Egyptian mummies purchased while the Saints were in Kirtland, Ohio, for guests willing to pay a small fee.

After Joseph and Hyrum were killed at the Carthage Jail on June 27, 1844, their bodies were brought back to the Mansion House where the Smith family and their friends grieved the brothers’ deaths; and prepared the bodies for burial. For several days, as the brothers laid in coffins next to each other in the hall of the Mansion House, thousands of Latter-day Saints and others from surrounding communities came to pay their respects and say a final farewell to Joseph and Hyrum.

Read about Joseph Smith’s family moving into the Mansion House and about some of the people who stayed with them in Saints, Volume 1 Chapter 41.

Read about the return of Joseph and Hyrum’s bodies to the Mansion House in Saints, Volume 1 Chapter 45.

The Mansion Home was owned and operated by Community of Christ as part of the Joseph Smith Historic Site. It transferred to Historic Nauvoo in 2024. We are grateful for the care of past stewards and for continuing collaboration with Community of Christ and other partners.

What to Expect

The Mansion House is only visited as part of a larger tour that includes the entire Smith Family Homestead. From the front door, visitors explore the upstairs bedrooms first, then return to the first floor and visit a model of the home to point out changes to the floor plan over time. Those who can’t physically climb the stairs can see pictures of the rooms at the model. Next people move to the public room of the hotel, and then to the parlor. Each of these rooms includes a story that lasts about five minutes. When the tour ends, people will exit through the kitchen and out the side door.