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.

Significant Event: The Prophet Joseph, pleading for the thousands of Latter-day Saints being driven from Missouri, received an answer to his prayer, which he penned in a letter to the exiled Saints (D&C 121–23).