Ella and I made an impromptu decision
to take a road trip to visit some church history sites. Jared had been registered for months for
EFY, however when I registered him, the girls spots were already
filled. I kept checking back with EFY to see if anyone cancelled creating an open spot for Kate. Friday I got word that there was a
last minute opening so I quickly registered Kate. That meant that both
Kate and Jared would be off to EFY the next Monday thru Saturday
morning. This freed me up (and the van, since they both need a ride to
work) for the week. Friday I decided to take Ella with me and we left
the next morning at 6:30 am.
We took out all the seats in the van
except the two in the front, and we put down some foam and blankets.
We threw some clothes in a laundry basket and grabbed a cooler and headed north. In North Carolina stopped at a Walmart to buy food:
lots of fresh fruit and veggies, hummus, chips and guacamole, buns,
sliced meat and cheese, gum and sunflower seeds (we actually found
Spitz!). That way we always had something ready to eat in the van. We
made it to Gettysburg, PA late that Saturday night (it’s about 800 miles from home, close to
12 hours of driving). Unfortunately, there were no available hotel
rooms within 150 miles because of Harley Davidson’s Bike Week which was
going on. Ella was asleep in the back of the van and Jaremie was
at home trying to locating a hotel for us. I was almost asleep in the back with Ella when he found the last room in Williamsport, PA
another 2.5 hour (130 miles) north. By this time it was really dark,
and wouldn’t you know it Gettysburg has zero street lights and very
narrow roads. I missed my exit to the state road three times it was so
dark and there was no signage. That was probably the most frustrated I
was the entire trip. When we pulled into Williamsport, there was an
angry group of people outside the hotel (looking for a room) so the
front desk guy took us a back way to our room. I was grateful to have a
place to sleep.
That next morning we went to church at the
local ward, then headed out for Palmyra, NY another 3 hour drive through
hilly, tree lined country roads. It was a beautiful break from the
long and boring interstate we had traveled on the previous day.
We
stopped first at the Palmyra Visitors Center and watched some videos and
saw the displays. We then walked to the top of the Hill Cumorah and looked at the monument. It was a hot, sunny day. The pageant was not
playing that Sunday. Cumorah was very peaceful and quiet. We took our time strolling on the paths on the hill.
We
drove next to the Smith Family Farm in Palmyra. It was busy. A couple
bus loads of kids on a youth trip pulled up, plus it was the day
allotted to the cast of the Cumorah pageant to visit the sites. We
enjoyed walking through the old Log Home that the Smith family lived
in. We tried to imagine the Angel Moroni visiting Joseph in the
upstairs bedroom he shared with all his brothers. It was such a
small cabin, I can’t imagine two parents and eight kids living in it.
We saw the Cooper Shop where Joseph hid the plates a couple times and
the Threshing Barn. We also walked through the Frame Home. It is a
(relatively) large New England style farmhouse designed and planned by
Alvin. Construction began in 1823. Alvin died in November of 1823 and
construction slowed down for months. The family eventually moved in in
1825, however only two months after moving in, the last payment on the
farm was suddenly called due. The family was unable to make the payment
and they lost their property and returned, now as tenants to the log
home. That must have been so frustrating.
Below: Log home on the Smith Farm
Below: Note the wooden box sitting on the top of the dresser. The Golden Plates were kept in this same box for a while.
Ella and I walked
into the Sacred Grove. It really is quite large and there are many
paths, so its easy to loose the crowds of people and find yourself
alone. Like Cumorah, it was very peaceful and except for the singing
birds, very quiet. It was also much cooler than being out in the hot sun.
We thought about Joseph Smith and how this was the place that the
restoration of the gospel of Christ began. I am looking forward to returning again to the Sacred Grove.
We drove up to the
Palmyra temple, just a few minutes away, and ate our dinner sitting in the back of the van. By
now, it was late afternoon and the crowds of people/youth had left. We
had the temple grounds to ourselves as we walked around and took
pictures.
Our next stop was in town at the Book of Mormon
Publication Site. That was fascinating. I really enjoyed learning how
the printing process worked. Joseph Smith ordered a first run of 5000
books which was completely unheard of at the time. Most runs were for
100 to 200 books. We saw the printing press and learned how the type
was added and how it was printed. We also learned how the book was
bound. I highly recommend going.
Our final stop of the night was
to the Peter Whitmer farm in Fayette, NY, to visit the small log cabin
where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was officially
organized on April 6, 1830. Prior to that, in June of 1829, Joseph and
Oliver arrived and within a month they were able to complete the
translation of the Book of Mormon. The Whitmers provided space to work,
food and materials. It was at this farm that the three and eight
witness of the Book of Mormon were called and shown the plates. Ella
met a sister missionary named Sister Woodruff (from California)!
Busy
day! Ella fell asleep in the back of the van while I started out for
Kirtland, Ohio. It’s only a four hour drive, but I wanted to get part
of it done that night so the next morning it would be a short drive and
we could spend most of the time in Kirtland.
We loved our time
in Kirtland! So many revelations were given here. Our first stop was
the visitors center. We started with a movie about the Saints in
Kirtland, then joined with a small group and two sister missionaries who
took us on a tour of all the spots. We stopped at the Saw Mill and
Ashery, then walked through the Newel K. Whitney Store, then the Newel
and Elizabeth Ann Whitney House and finally to the Johnson Inn.
The
highlight by far was the Newel K. Whitney Store. NKW has fast become
one of my favorite people from church history; such faith, obedience and
devotion. The bottom floor is the store, the Target/Walmart of the
1830’s. They sold a little bit of everything. We looked in the Account
Book and found what Wilford Woodruff purchased. Upstairs has some
bedrooms and a room designated for the School of the Prophets. It was a
lovely, spiritual experience to sit in that room and read the
testimonies of those who participated in the School of the Prophets.
Below: A study room upstairs where Joseph received many revelations now included in the Doctrine and Covenants, including the Word of Wisdom, the
oath and covenant of the priesthood, and the command to build a temple
in Kirtland. Joseph also completed much of his inspired translation of
the Bible here.
Below: During the winter of 1832–33, the School of the Prophets was held in an
upper room of the store. The school was organized to teach gospel
doctrine and principles and to prepare members for ministry in the
Church. On one sacred occasion, members of the school beheld a vision of God the Father and the Son. There is a peaceful feeling in that room. I was surprised how small the room was.
At
the Johnson Inn, the church has computer set up that you can type in
the names of those you know were living in Kirtland, and learn something
about them. We looked up Wilford Woodruff, Sylvester Henry Earl, and
Anson Call. We have more ancestors who lived in Kirtland, but we didn’t want to hog the computer!
We
drove up the hill to the Kirtland Temple which is owned and operated by
the Community of Christ. We paid our $10 for a tour of the temple (the
Community of Christ was welcoming to all faiths, and our tour guide was
very well versed with LDS doctrine and was respectful in his
comments). We walked through the first level and sat in the pews on the
second floor. Apparently the temple isn’t too structurally sound and
can’t handle everyone standing in the same spot on the third floor (that
could be exciting), so we single file snaked our way through the third
floor. No pictures or video are allowed at the temple or in the
Community of Christ visitors center. I enjoyed seeing the inside of the
Kirtland temple and seeing how the room partitions (large canvas) could
be rolled down from the ceiling to separated the big room into smaller
rooms.
We stopped at the Isaac Morley Farm and then drove out
to the John Johnson Home. There was a log schoolhouse that the early
Saints used on the Morley Farm, but currently there are no structures. It
was at the Morley Farm that Joseph prophesied: ‘Brethren I have been
very much edified and instructed in your testimonies here tonight, but I
want to say to you before the Lord, that you know no more concerning
the destinies of this Church and kingdom than a babe upon its mother’s
lap. You don’t comprehend it, it is
only a little handful of Priesthood you see here tonight, but this
Church will fill North and South America it will fill the world.’
Interestingly, the Morley Farm (while Joseph was ordaining Lyman Wight
and Harvey Whitlock) is one of five places that both God the Father and
Jesus Christ appeared (the others are the Sacred Grove, School of the
Prophet at the NKW Store, Kirtland Temple and Johnson Farm revelation
contained in section 76).
The stop at the Johnson Farm in Hiram,
Ohio was our last for the day. We arrived just before closing. A large
bus full of a youth group from Arizona was finishing up. Ella and were
the last two. I know the senior couple who were there were tired, but
they agreed to a tour for just the two of us and I’m grateful for that.
The first thing I noticed was how large the farmhouse is. I’ve was
expecting a small home like all the rest I had been in, feeling
constrained with low ceilings and tight quarters. This home is spacious
and is decorated with bright colors. Each room has fireplace, mantle
and wood trim in bright colors. The bedroom near the front door (where
Joseph and Emma and the twins slept) has a bright three color
checker-box design. It is a beautiful home.
Below: It was in the bedroom in the front of the house that
Joseph was attacked in the middle of the night on March 24, 1832. He
and Sidney were tarred and feathered. I learned that they also put tar
in his mouth, which was a blessing in disguise because some of the mob
had poison that they tried to put in Joseph’s mouth, but the tar
prevented the poison from getting in. I guess you count your blessings
where you can find them. Five days later, Joseph Murdock (the adopted
son of Joseph and Emma) died from exposure during that night.
Below: Joseph and Emma
(and Sidney Rigdon) moved to Hiram in September 1831 and stayed at the
Johnson’s home, which served as the headquarters for the church from
September 1831 to September 1832. There is a back door and immediately a
steep staircase leading up to a room that Joseph and Sidney used. It
was in this room that Joseph Smith received section 76; a magnificent
vision of the Father and the Son and the three degrees of glory. This
vision turned upside down the common belief of a choice of either heaven
or hell. Joseph also continued his translation of the bible in this
room.
I’m
grateful we stopped in Hiram and we were able to see the Johnson home
and get such an awesome, private tour! It helps me understand and
remember better when I have an experience to go with it. It was about
8:45 pm when we finally left Hiram and the Fireflies were out! Ella caught a couple but then it started to rain and we headed out. Ella slept in
the back of the van and I drove for as long as I could to cut some time
out of the 10 hour drive to Nauvoo. Jaremie once again found us a hotel
along the way somewhere in Indiana (or was it Ohio? or Illinois?). I
wasn’t ever sleepy-tired when driving, my back and neck pain kept me wide eyed. It’s not
like driving I-15 which is long, boring and nowhere to stop. I was
driving on a toll road that was very busy with trucks and big rest stops
along the way. We stopped at one of these “super centers”. It’s like
an airport with shops selling neck pillows, treats, magazines, drinks.
There was also a food court. I parked the van next to a line up of
about 50 big trucks. Ella thought that was hilarious.
It was a
long drive to Nauvoo the next day. We got a late start and my gps
messed me up and I had to back track 45 minutes. I wasn’t feeling so
good that day. I started getting a sore throat and a stomach ache,
which complemented the constant throbbing in my back and neck and numb left leg. I was
looking forward to a couple days of walking and no driving. We arrived
in Nauvoo in the late afternoon. We did a quick tour of the visitors
center, got a map, figured out the lay of the land and made a plan for
the next day. All the historic sites close at 6 pm. At 6:30 we went to
an outdoor concert called “Sunset on the Mississippi”. It’s a
performance by the Young Performing Missionaries (apx. 20 band members,
20 singers/dancers, and a few technical missionaries). They audition
and are called and set apart for a church-service mission for the four
summer months in Nauvoo. They are amazing and very talented. The show
was awesome! It was patriotic in the beginning and then very funny and
light-hearted. Both Ella and I laughed and laughed!
After
“Sunset on the Mississippi” we walked down to the pageant. There was
about 45 minutes before the pageant started and we spend the time
walking through the very active and busy 1840s frontier county fair
pre-show activities. Think of the very best stake activity for pioneer
day, then multiply it by 1000. It was so fun. Lots of activities, all
staffed by volunteer families (think Mom, Dad and kids of all ages) in
period costume. These volunteers are also in the pageant. The activities
included dancing, making dolls, making toys, braiding fabric into
decorations, walking on stilts, stick pull, etc. We didn’t make it past
the stilt walking as Ella was very determined to master it (while
wearing her flimsy sandals). The stilt walking ended with a fall and a
very bruised and swollen big toe. I got her a bag of ice and she iced
her toe while we watched the pageant. For the next day, she dragged her
foot along after her as she hobbled through Old Nauvoo.
There
are two different musical productions-the Nauvoo Pageant and the British
Pageant. We saw the Nauvoo one the first night and the British one the
second night. They were both amazing. The Nauvoo Pageant tells the
story of early Latter-day Saint Church member who, in 1839 fled to
Nauvoo to escape persecution. The British Pageant tells the story of
early Mormonism in the British Isles. Both pageants scripts are based
on actual journals and historic records. The second night we were wise
and brought our jackets and blankets with us. The pageants made for
very late nights; we got back to our hotel by 11:45 pm, but very well
worth it.
Our first night in Nauvoo we stayed in a terrible dive of a hotel. It
was just awful (but the price was right). The smell of our room nearly
knocked my over. We couldn’t return, so we found a room in a much nicer
hotel for the second night.
Our day two in Nauvoo was spent
trying to visit as many historical sites as we could. We got to maybe
half. Our first stop was Wilford Woodruffs house, where Ella signed the
“descendants book”. I introduced her as “Ella Woodruff” every where we
went, because if there is any town that is going to appreciate her
being a Woodruff, it’s in Nauvoo!
Visiting the historical sites
(Scovil Baker, Brickyard, Gun-shop, Heber C. Kimball home, Post Office,
Lucy Mack Smith home, just to name a very few) is less about being on a
tour of old houses, and more about having a devotional at each site and
hearing the testimony of those who lived there and ultimately had to
leave. Sure, we learned how they made bricks and the very interesting
gun shop and what it’s like to run a bakery with a brick oven, but
mostly we learned about the unfailing faithfulness of the early Saints,
their obedience and their sacrifice. It’s a weird thing to say that we
had a great spiritual experience in a bakery, but we did.
Half
way through the day we took a wagon ride through the country side. I
don’t know if Ella and I loved being near the beautiful and strong four
legged missionaries (team of horses) or hearing the stories of Saints on
the land. We stayed and talked to the horses for a
bit after, even giving them a nice spray with the water hose (now Ella
wants some big work horses ... so do I). The oxen were nearby, so we stopped and learned about wagons pulled by oxen. After that, we had tickets for a musical put on by the Young Performing Missionaries.
That evening Ella and I walked down
Parley Street toward the muddy Mississippi. As we walked we read the
testimonies of those who lived and then left Nauvoo. We then walked
back up to the Nauvoo temple. No one was there and we got to walk
around the temple and sit for a few quiet moments. I didn’t realize how
big the Nauvoo temple is! My only regret is that we didn’t have time
to go into the temple and have Ella do baptisms. That would have really
made the trip perfect! Oh well, next time.
Below: The Nauvoo Temple as originally built between 1841-45 but was abandoned as mobs drove the Mormons out of Illinois in 1846. Damaged first by fire and then a tornado, the structure was no longer standing by 1853. The LDS Church eventually reacquired the land in 1962 and rebuilt the temple on the original footprint between 2000-2002. The exterior of the current temple is nearly a replica of the original structure.
I loved being in
Nauvoo. It has a strong feeling of family there. A feeling of unity
and Zion. You really can’t mistake the feeling. I loved walking the
streets, seeing the temple and learning about the people who lived
there. Kirtland, Ohio was a place of revelation; Nauvoo is a place of
family and unity.
The next day was Thursday and we left town
and drove to Carthage Jail. It was busy with families, but surprisingly
very reverent. We had to wait about 30 minutes for our tour to begin.
We saw all the rooms in the jail and sat for a few minutes in the room
where Joseph and Hyrum were shot. Outside the temple, Ella and I read
D&C 135. It was a nice end to our church history tour.
We
didn’t make it to Independence, MO. We ran out of time. I drove the
17 hours home from Carthage Jail in two days, arriving home Friday night
at 7 pm (I had an 8 am seminary training meeting the next morning I
didn’t want to miss). 3300 miles. I felt very blessed and protected. I
never felt too tired to drive. Absolutely nothing went wrong with the
van. I saw a car in front of me almost go off the road one night, but
it didn’t come close to us. I didn't get lost. We didn’t hit an animal
on the road at night. Each evening we stopped at just the right time. We
had some rain, but overall road conditions were good. Everything went
as smoothly as I could have hoped for. I really feel blessed to have
been able to make the trip. I really want to take Kate and Jared now.
