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.

Significant Events: On June 27, 1844, the Prophet Joseph and his brother Hyrum were shot and killed in Carthage, Illinois, and their bodies were brought to this house to lie in state prior to the funeral. They are buried in a small family cemetery plot just across Main Street, west of the old log home that Joseph lived in when he first came to Nauvoo. Emma Smith lived in the Mansion House until 1871. Then she moved into the Nauvoo House, where she died in 1879.