Temple Stones Pavilion

The pavilion stands on a half-acre property once occupied by the Jones family who lived here from about 1841 to 1846. The Joneses belonged to Nauvoo’s covenant community. Like others, they made great sacrifices to help build the House of the Lord in the 1840s. Today, an activity pavilion uses modern tools to demonstrate the work of excavating, shaping and setting the stone used to build the Nauvoo Temple.

William and Elizabeth Jones married in 1825, converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while living in Cincinnati, and moved to Nauvoo by December 1840. Elizabeth gave birth to their eleventh and final child while they lived on this property.

William Jones was a skilled stonecutter who shaped the first moonstone for the Nauvoo Temple. William was from Bristol Township (which later became part of Philadelphia), Pennsylvania, and Elizabeth was born in New York City, New York. Elizabeth Jones joined the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo at its first meeting on March 17, 1842. She was authorized to collect donations for the Relief Society that helped finance temple construction and she further supported temple laborers by mending shirts. On January 31, 1846, William and Elizabeth Jones received their endowments in the Nauvoo Temple.

What to Expect

The Temple Stones Pavilion is an interactive space with activities such as sawing, chiseling, polishing, and lifting limestone. Missionaries will provide protective glasses and gloves, and activities must be done under their supervision.