Joseph Smith Historical Site

Unfortunately all the buildings previously owned by Joseph Smith are now owned by the reorganized Church which is now called the Community of Christ. You can walk around, but don't get a tour unless you go to their visitors center. I wanted to do it, but it was over an hour and a half and there was no way the kids would have sat for that. But we did wander around and saw some things on our own.

We saw the Red Brick Store where the Relief Society was organized. It was actually a reconstruction, but was exactly like the first one. I chatted a bit with worker and found a couple things out about the reorganized church. Very interesting.

We went to the Smith Family Cemetery. We saw the graves of Joseph, Lucy and Hyrum. We learned that they Joseph and Hyrum were burried somewhere the mob wouldn't find them, then they moved them to the foundation of a little shed like structure on the property-the pic is under the following 2 pics. I don't remember when the finally made the permanent grave site where the bodies are now.

The bodies were once in the foundation of this building.
A few more pics. The one in the bottom right corner is inside the Homestead.

The Mansion house.

When I walked past the house, it was open. I saw some other people walk in, so I did too!! I was so excited-Joseph Smith's home...well, I know that the furnishings are probably not original, but the building is, so I was in a building where the Prophet once lived-where he ate, prayed, read scriptures, spent time with his family...where he lived. It was so amazing.


I think it's amazing that the stone is still there. And everytime I get lost in DC, I wish that they would have laid DC out like Nauvoo!! Well, what Darin and I really wish was that they had Brigham Young plan DC and the area. I wouldn't get lost as much.