Taylor Home, Print Shop, and Post Office

Three large, two-story brick buildings along Main Street housed the John and Leonora Taylor family, the print shop, and the Nauvoo Post Office in 1845. Together these three buildings show how Nauvoo served as a communication hub for sharing the restored gospel of Jesus Christ with Church members and their friends and family around the world.

John and Leonora Taylor and their family lived in the two-story brick home for less than a year. James Ivins had built the home and the dry goods store next door. In May 1845, the Ivins family moved from Nauvoo and put both buildings up for sale. The Church purchased them and moved the Times and Seasons newspaper onto the property. Since John Taylor was the newspaper’s editor, his family moved into the home to be next to the print shop. Elias Smith, the print shop’s foreman and Nauvoo’s postmaster, also moved into the large house. Elias moved the post office into the print shop while John worked throughout the summer on a third brick building on the other side of his home that would serve as the newspaper editor’s office and post office.

The home, print shop, and post office were a hub of activity during the summer and autumn of 1845. Newspapers included passages of scripture and prophetic counsel alongside reprints of letters sent from missionaries serving in the United States, Canada, Europe, and even French Polynesia. The papers were mailed to readers in town and across the country and overseas. Letters inviting family members to share the names of deceased relatives with residents in Nauvoo also passed through the Post Office. Church members could perform sacred ordinances on behalf of their deceased family members in the Nauvoo Temple. Together the print shop and post office were a way to further the work of building up Zion.

What to Expect

The Taylor Home Print Shop and Post Office are three separate experiences. The print shop is a one-room tour and includes a demonstration of newspaper printing. The home is a two-room tour of the parlor and dining room. The upstairs rooms are available to see upon request. The post office is a one-room tour available only by request. After the Taylor Home Print Shop and Post Office, you are free to explore the rest of Nauvoo. You might be interested in the Calvin and Sally Pendleton Home and Schoolhouse, another Main Street Trade experience.

360 Walkthrough