Moe Heritage Tours Day 4: Carthage and Nauvoo

Saturday June 12, 2010

We loved Nauvoo but what made it even better was that we shared the day and the experiences with Craig, Kim and their four kids who were on their own trip and we managed to overlap one day and two nights in Nauvoo.  I love their family:  so quick to laugh and love. It is always good to be with them.

Driving in our Motor home to Carthage

Carthage: We drove to Carthage first thing in the morning. Carthage was a sacred place. It is hollowed ground and I could feel it. I felt a further witness from the Holy Ghost that Joseph was a prophet of God, that God knew Him and his days and they were not numbered less. He had done everything he needed to do, all of which is outlined in the Doctrine and Covenants, section 135, including the translation and publication of the Book of Mormon, the restoration of all of the keys of the priesthood including the sealing power used in the temple. I love the prophet Joseph. I look forward to the day when I can meet him and thank him for his great gift to me.

This is the main floor room where the Jailer's family lived.  They were kind to Joseph and his freinds.

This is the door to the actual "cell" on the top floor which was very hot so the jailer let Joseph and his freinds stay in their bedroom just next door to the jail on the top floor.

This is the actual cell where they should have been.  Willard Richards hid John Taylor(who was gravely injured) here until the mob was gone.  The missionary who gave our tour said that the hay layered on him probably saved his life as it helped to stop the flow of blood.

The mob ran up these stairs to get to Joseph.

This is the actual room where the martydom took place.

This is the actual door showing where the bullet came through and hit hyrum in the face as he was trying to hold the door closed to protect Joseph.

The mob came into the room and shot Joseph twice as he tried to get out through this window. He was shot two more times as he fell out of the window.

The window shown from the outside.

“To seal the testimony of this book and the Book of Mormon, we announce the martyrdom of Joseph Smith the Prophet, and Hyrum Smith, the Patriarch. They were shot in Carthage Jail, on the 27th of June, 1844….Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it…he lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord’s anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death, they were not separated!” D&C 135:1-3.

I am touched that Hyrum was martyred with Joseph; sad but somehow comforting too. We took pictures outside of Carthage Jail at the beautiful statue of Joseph and Hyrum with our sibling groups: sisters supporting each other; brothers/cousins supporting each other, including Craig and Randy…the grown-up brothers.

Nauvoo Village:  It rained while we were going to visit the stores and homes of Nauvoo so we didn’t enjoy the outside of each place…..but were happy to make it inside. There are senior missionaries and young sister missionaries in each home/store to teach about the period and the spiritual things. We went into John Taylor’s home which I loved. We also saw his printing office and the post office. We also went to the bakery. After about four stops, the kids had had enough of stories of the old times plus we were all sopping wet. We did stop at the “family living center” where we learned how to “cooper” and how to bake bread in a brick oven (really good bread….I have to look up the recipe on the Nauvoo website). I loved visiting the homes and shops and would have visited all of them, if the kids could have stood it. I loved the spirit that the Senior missionaries bring to the homes.

Print Shop:

John Taylor Home:

A picture of John Taylor including the cane he had to use after he was injured at Carthage.

John Taylor made this rocking horse for his son.  After they had left Nauvoo, his son was very sad about leaving the horse behind.  Eventually, John Taylor snuck back into Nauvoo to get the horse for his son and took it across the many miles to Salt Lake City.  There was an article about it in a recent issue of "The Freind" magazine.

Post Office and Dry Goods Store:

Scovil Bakery:

We each got a Gingerbread cookie at the bakery.

Family Living Center:

We learned the process of making barrells (coopering).  The Smith men were coopers.

We learned how to bake bread in a brick oven.  Yummy Bread.

The kids had had enough listening to stories and rain so we went to the visitor’s center to see if we could see any of the movies or shows. It worked out perfect for us to go eat lunch and then come back for the movie about Joseph, watch a musical performed by young musical theater students who are “called” to be performing missionaries for the summer, to go to the Smith Family property & walk down Parley Street, and then to go see a musical revue done by the senior missionaries.

Visitor Center Tour: While we were waiting for the Joseph movie to start, a young sister missionary who had the light of Christ in her eyes showed us around the visitor’s center and ended at the Christus to remind us what the prophets, organization of the church is all about: Jesus Christ and his role to help us return to live with Heavenly Father.

This Sister Missionary had the light of Christ in her eyes. 

One of two sunstones from the original Nauvoo Temple. 

The other one is at the Smithsonion in Washington DC

I loved this statue of the First Vision

A scale map of Nauvoo

A reminder that Christ is at the center of all that we believe.

The Joseph Smith Movie: The rain finally cleared up right before the movie was to start so I brought up the idea that we could go see some homes and shops or go on an oxen ride because we had seen this film at the Joseph Smith Memorial building in Salt Lake but a sister missionary overheard us and said there is something really wonderful about seeing the film here in Nauvoo where some of the events happened so we went to the movie and I am so glad we saw it. Again, I felt the spirit testify that Joseph was a prophet and it was very meaningful to see the events in Nauvoo while we were sitting in Nauvoo.


"Mississippi" Musical:   A group of very talented young men and women serve "summer missions" and put on this play.  It was enjoyable and everyone loved the young kid in the story. He was perfect. The play gave a sense of life in Nauvoo. I enjoyed talking to the performers afterwards. They are very talented.

Smith Family Property:  The Smith homes, store and burial site are owned by the Community of Christ church.  Since it had stopped raining we drove down to that area and saw the Mansion house and Red Brick store from the outside and visited the family burial plots.

Parley Street: The rain was still clear and we had time to walk Parley street before the next show. When President Hinckley dedicated the Nauvoo Temple, he encouraged all of the members of the church to walk down Parley street to reflect on how the Saints at that time felt as they left their beautiful homes and crossed the river to an unknown destination. It was good to stroll down the street and read the plaques along the way.

Krista didn't quite catch the "midwife" part of this sign and was apalled that someone had nine babies!

It was good to look back and see the temple that they had to leave behind.

Wilford Woodrumf talked about "looking upon the temple and City as they receded from view adn asked the Lord to remember the sacrifices of his saints."

I have difficulty imagining how difficult it must have been to leave their temple and their beautiful city behind.   

It was good to reach the Mississippi River and consider crossing it in the middle of winter, not knowing for sure where they would end up and certainly not knowing how long it would take to even cross Iowa.

A replica of the rafts they used to carry their wagons across the great Mississippi  river.

At the river there is a statue of Joseph and Brigham looking westward with maps in hand. The prophecies of Joseph concerning the saints in the rocky mountains and by the Great Salt Lake were amazing. He truly knew where the saints would go and eventually knew that he wouldn’t be going with them. Like Moses, he started the journey to the promised land but didn’t get to complete it.

We had a lot of fun together walking back up Parley Street.  We were glad to see the Motor Home pull up!

“Rendezvous with old Nauvoo”:  The surprise of the day was this play starring the senior missionaries. It was held in the cultural hall and it was so fun. It was kind of a comedy, musical revue with the story of Nauvoo intertwined. I loved it because the Senior Missionaries gave their whole hearts to it! They were wonderful.

The Cultural Hall

I went to Nauvoo expecting to strengthen my testimony of Joseph Smith as a prophet and of the restoration of the gospel but what I didn’t expect was to gain a very strong testimony of the importance of senior missionary work. They are the lifeblood of Nauvoo. They are the ones that bring the spirit of Nauvoo to life. They are the instruments through whom the spirit can testify of Joseph and Christ and the restored church.

What a lovely day we had in Nauvoo.