Church History Photographs

Contents
Introduction
Overview
1. Sacred Grove
2. Hill Cumorah and Palmyra-Manchester Area
3. Log House of Joseph Smith Sr.
4. Grandin Press and Print Shop
5. Susquehanna River
6. Peter Whitmer Sr. Home Site
7. Newel K. Whitney and Company Store
8. John Johnson Home
9. Kirtland Temple
10. Adam-ondi-Ahman
11. Far West Temple Site
12. Liberty Jail
13. Mansion House in Nauvoo
14. Joseph Smith Jr.’s Red Brick Store
15. Nauvoo Temple
16. Carthage Jail
17. Exodus to the West
18. Salt Lake Temple

Church History Photographs

Church History Photographs

Introduction
These photographs of important Church history sites portray the lands where early Latter-day Saints walked, where modern prophets have lived and taught, and where many scriptural events took place.
Overview
The map below shows the location of the photographs in this section. On the following pages, each numbered photograph is accompanied by a short description of the setting. Significant scriptural events from that area are then listed, along with scripture references so that you can know where to read more about those events.
1. Sacred Grove
The Sacred Grove is located in Palmyra and Manchester Townships, New York. This grove of trees stands just west of where the Smith family’s small log house was located in 1820.
2. Hill Cumorah and Palmyra-Manchester Area
Looking northward, this photograph shows the Hill Cumorah in Manchester, New York. The hill appears in the lower right-hand corner of the photograph and runs slightly over halfway to its top. The white monument visible on the north end of the hill honors the angel Moroni and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. The Hill Cumorah is located about 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) southeast of the Sacred Grove. Near the top of the photograph is Palmyra Village, 4 miles (6.5 kilometers) distant. The Smith farm and the Sacred Grove are situated at the upper left side of the photograph.
3. Log House of Joseph Smith Sr.
Replica of the Joseph Smith Sr. home, built on the site of the original log house near Palmyra, New York. The Smith family built the original 1½-story hewn-log home not long after they arrived in Palmyra. The family lived here from 1819 to 1825.
4. Grandin Press and Print Shop
The restored print shop of Egbert B. Grandin in Palmyra, New York, where the first edition of the Book of Mormon was published in 1830. Martin Harris mortgaged his farm and sold part of it to pay the cost of printing 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon. Typesetting began in August 1829, and finished copies were available March 26, 1830.
5. Susquehanna River
This photograph shows the Susquehanna River in Harmony Township, Pennsylvania.
6. Peter Whitmer Sr. Home Site
This log house represents the original Peter Whitmer Sr. home in Fayette, New York.
7. Newel K. Whitney and Company Store
The Newel K. Whitney store played a major role in the history of the Church in Kirtland. Joseph and Emma Smith lived here for a short while. Several significant revelations were received here. The School of the Prophets was held in the store from January 24, 1833, until sometime in April 1833.
8. John Johnson Home
The home of John and Alice Johnson was located in Hiram, Ohio. This room is on the second floor.
9. Kirtland Temple
The Kirtland Temple is located in Kirtland, Ohio.
10. Adam-ondi-Ahman
Looking south at the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, a quiet, beautiful valley located in northwestern Missouri near the community of Gallatin.
11. Far West Temple Site
The settlement of Far West, Missouri, became the home for 3,000 to 5,000 Saints who sought refuge from persecution in Jackson and Clay Counties. In 1838 the Lord commanded the Saints to build a temple here (see D&C 115:7–8). Mob persecution prevented them from doing so. On October 31 of that year, the Prophet Joseph Smith and other Church leaders were arrested and, after a committing trial in Richmond, imprisoned in Liberty Jail. During the winter of 1838–39, the Latter-day Saints were driven from Far West and other sites in Missouri and relocated in Illinois.
12. Liberty Jail
The jail in Liberty, Missouri, about 1878. Joseph Smith and five other brethren were unjustly imprisoned within its 4-foot (1.2-meter) thick walls from December 1, 1838, until April 6, 1839. (Sidney Rigdon was released at the end of February.) Confined to the lower level or dungeon portion of the building, they slept on the cold rock, straw-strewn floor with little light and scant protection from the cold winter.
13. Mansion House in Nauvoo
Joseph Smith Jr. and his family moved into the Mansion House in Nauvoo in August 1843. Later a wing was added to the east side of the main structure for a total of 22 rooms. Beginning in January 1844, Ebenezer Robinson managed the house as a hotel, and the Prophet maintained six of the rooms for his family. The house served somewhat as a social center of Nauvoo society. Important dignitaries were received here by the Prophet.
14. Joseph Smith Jr.’s Red Brick Store
This reconstruction of Joseph Smith Jr.’s store and office is located in Nauvoo, Illinois. It was one of the most important buildings in the Church during the Nauvoo period. Not only serving as a general store, it also became the center of social, economic, political, and religious activities. Joseph Smith maintained an office on the second floor.
15. Nauvoo Temple
The original Nauvoo Temple was built from local grayish-white limestone. The building measured 128 feet (39 meters) long and 88 feet (27 meters) wide. The top of the tower stood 158 feet (48 meters) above ground level. Church members made great sacrifices to build this beautiful temple, beginning the work in 1841. Some labored for months on the building; others sacrificed their money. Even though not fully completed, the temple was filled to capacity by members coming for ordinances during the months before their flight to the West. While many of the Saints left Nauvoo in the early spring of 1846 under threat of mob violence, a special crew stayed behind to complete the temple. On April 30, 1846, Elders Orson Hyde and Wilford Woodruff of the Quorum of the Twelve and approximately 20 others dedicated this house of the Lord. The temple was abandoned in September when the remaining Church members were driven out of Nauvoo; mob forces then defiled the sacred structure. The interior was destroyed by fire in October 1848. The rebuilt temple (pictured here), a faithful reproduction of the original, was dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley on June 27–30, 2002.
16. Carthage Jail
The jailhouse in the town of Carthage, Illinois.
17. Exodus to the West
The beginning of the evacuation of Nauvoo, Illinois, was planned for March–April, but because of mob threats President Brigham Young directed that the exodus of the Saints across the Mississippi River begin on February 4, 1846. President Young remained behind to administer endowments to the Saints and did not leave Nauvoo until mid-February.
18. Salt Lake Temple
The Salt Lake Temple, viewed from the northeast. A few days after the first pioneer company of Latter-day Saints entered the Salt Lake Valley, President Brigham Young struck the ground with his walking stick and proclaimed, “Here we will build the temple of our God.” Ground was broken on February 14, 1853. On April 6, 1853, the cornerstones were laid. The temple was completed and dedicated 40 years later on April 6, 1893. The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles meet here each week to deliberate and seek the direction of the Lord in administering and building the kingdom of God.