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Travel Tips for Kirtland
by Becky Cardon Smith

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Kirtland, sometimes called the “City of Faith and Beauty,” lies about 22 miles east of Cleveland in the northeast corner of Ohio. Located less than 7 miles from Lake Erie in the Lake County district, the city of Kirtland offers a wealth of Church historical sites, nature reserves, and beachfront recreation.

On a wintry day in February of 1831, Joseph and Emma arrived by sleigh at Kirtland, Ohio. About 300 members were living in the general area and with the arrival of the Prophet, Kirtland became the headquarters of the Church. In the next few months, many of the Saints in New York sold their farms, often at a loss, and joined the Prophet in Kirtland. During the next seven years, from 1831 to 1838, Church membership in the area grew to about 2,000. But of even greater importance were the many significant spiritual events that occurred in and around Kirtland during this important period in Church history. Among these: almost one-half of the revelations recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants were received here, the first edition of the Doctrine and Covenants was published, the organization of the Church headed by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve was established, the first stake was organized, the School of the Prophets was started, the first temple in this dispensation was built, and many marvelous spiritual manifestations were experienced.

KIRTLAND TEMPLE

The Kirtland Temple stands majestically atop the hill as a reminder of the sacrifices made by the early Saints while constructing this important edifice. When Joseph received the commandment to build the temple, the Church and its few hundred members were struggling financially. But despite their individual hardships, the Saints were united in building the House of the Lord. Men began plowing and preparing the land at the temple site soon after the revelation was received. The dimensions for the temple were also received by revelation, as was its purpose. The lower part was to be used “for your sacrament offering, and for your preaching, and your fasting, and your praying, and the offering up of your most holy desires unto me”, while the higher part was to be used “for the school of mine apostles” (D&C 95:14-17).

The first cornerstone of the temple was laid on July 23, 1833. Work progressed quickly as stone was chiseled from the nearby quarry and lumber was cut at the sawmill. Women made clothing for the temple workers and even donated their glassware, which was crushed to add sparkle to the exterior plaster. Though construction was greatly slowed by the formation of Zion’s Camp and the trek to Missouri, the temple was completed in less than three years.

Close to 1,000 people attended the dedication of the Kirtland Temple on March 27, 1836. Songs sung at the dedication included “Adam-ondi-Ahman,” and a special song written for this sacred occasion, “The Spirit of God.” In the dedicatory prayer, the Prophet spoke of the work that was done through great tribulation in order to “build a house to thy name, that the Son of Man might have a place to manifest himself to his people” (D&C 109:5). Several speakers at the dedication testified that angels were in attendance, while others who were present recorded that heavenly manifestations were both felt and seen. (Read the Prophet’s account of the Kirtland Temple dedication in HC 2:410-428 and the Kirtland Temple dedicatory prayer in D&C 109.)

Just one week later, on April 3, 1836 (Easter Sunday), the Savior appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the temple. He told them: “For behold, I have accepted this house, and my name shall be here; and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house” (D&C 110:7). The Prophet recorded that on that special Sabbath day, in addition to the Savior, three other personages appeared who restored important keys of the Priesthood: Moses, Elias, and Elijah.

Once the center of activity for Church members, the temple was abandoned in 1838 as the Saints again faced persecution and continued west.

SITES TO SEE

• LDS Visitors’ Center – Constructed in the style of a gristmill, the newly built visitors’ center is a wonderful place to begin your tour. Notice the photo gallery with pictures of early Kirtland, see the large mural of the Kirtland Temple being built, enjoy a 24 minute film covering the history of the Saints in Kirtland, and view some of the recently restored sites through a glassed-in observation room. This area is excellent for those limited in their walking or on stormy days. Be sure to pick up several informative handouts including one entitled, “Historic Kirtland.” Open Monday thru Saturday 9:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. and Sunday 11:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m. (closes at 5:00 p.m. in winter). Free guided walking tours of the sites in this immediate area are provided daily until dusk. Allow 90 minutes or more to stop at the visitors’ center and to take the walking tour of the nearby sites, now referred to as Historic Kirtland Village. The sawmill, ashery, inn, Whitney home and schoolhouse were dedicated by President Hinckley just two weeks ago. The center is located at 7800 Kirtland-Chardon Road; near the intersection of Routes 306 and 615. 440-256-9805.

• Schoolhouse – The exact location of Kirtland’s first framed schoolhouse, built in 1819, was recently discovered. The school has now been rebuilt on the original site. Learn more about the education process in the early 1800s and compare it to our education system today. Phoebe Carter Woodruff, wife of Wilford Woodruff, was a teacher at this school. Not only a school, the building was also used for city council meetings, as a poll during elections, and as a church. The schoolhouse is located next to the entrance of the new LDS visitors’ center.

• Sawmill – Don’t forget to stop at the newly rebuilt sawmill located behind the visitors’ center. Joel Hills Johnson built the original water-powered sawmill in 1833. Lumber cut at the mill was used in the construction of homes, businesses, and the Kirtland Temple. The sawmill also provided much-needed employment for new converts moving into the area.

• Ashery – Rebuilt on the original site, the ashery was important for both practical and financial reasons. Newel K. Whitney originally owned the ashery and the Saints would sometimes bring their ashes to his store in trade for goods. At the ashery, the ashes were mixed with water and processed into a very marketable and desirable product called potash. While you are here: discover the purpose of the ashery, find out why it was so important to the Saints, discover why hardwood trees made the best ashes, learn about the process, and be surprised at what products were made from the end result. The ashery is located next to the sawmill and is the first of its kind to be restored in North America.

• Tannery – The home located just to the right of the Newel K. Whitney store is built on the foundation of what was once Sidney Rigdon’s tannery. Though he never used it as his home, Sidney Rigdon was given stewardship over the tannery under the United Order in 1833 (D&C 104:20). The home is owned by the L.D.S. Church and is used for housing and not available for tours.

• Newel K. Whitney & Co. Store – In 1988, President Ronald Reagan awarded the President’s Historic Preservation Award to the Church for its authentic restoration of the store. Drawing on Brother Whitney’s meticulous records, every effort was made to stock the shelves with items that would have been sold in the store during the 1830s. The southeast room served as the work and trade room as well as the Bishop’s Storehouse. Bartering was a common practice in those days and goods brought in for trade were stored here. Here too was the beginning of our modern day welfare system. In those days, the Saints would hold a fast and testimony meeting on the first Thursday of each month. Items donated from their fast were received at the store and in turn given out to those in need. The Prophet and his young family lived here from 1832 to 1834. In the kitchen, you can almost imagine Joseph, Emma, their surviving adopted twin daughter, and their tiny son, Joseph III, seated at the table. Going upstairs – the northwest room was Joseph and Emma’s bedroom. On the original tulip wood floor you can still see some of the buttermilk paint (pigment mixed with real buttermilk). Joseph III was born in this room. He later became president of the RLDS Church (now Community of Christ). The northeast room housed the School of the Prophets from January to April of 1833. Remarkable spiritual manifestations, doctrinal discussion, and revelation were received in this room. Joseph used the southeast corner room to run the affairs of the Church. The table in this room is believed to be the Prophet’s original table. Here too, the Prophet received the revelation known as the Word of Wisdom (D&C 89). Joseph also worked here on the inspired revision of the Bible.

• Newel K. Whitney Home – Once used as a visitors’ center, the home of Newel and Elizabeth Ann Whitney has been restored to its original condition both inside and out. After arriving from New York, Emma and Joseph lived here with the Whitney family for a few weeks (HC 1:145).

• John Johnson Inn – This was the first brick building in Kirtland. Originally built by Peter French as an inn, it was ideally located on a small piece of land at the intersection of Chillicothe and Kirtland-Chardon Roads. The Church purchased the inn from Peter in 1833 and John Johnson was later given stewardship of the building under the Kirtland United Order (D&C 104:34). After the printing press in Independence, Missouri was destroyed, a temporary printing office was set up here. On May 4, 1835, the Twelve Apostles departed from the Johnson Inn on their first mission (HC 2:219) The reconstructed inn, located on the original foundation, now features a small theater, exhibits on the legacy of Kirtland, a topographical model of Kirtland in the 1830s, and a hands-on computer station where visitors can check for ancestors who once lived here. Both the Whitney home and the Johnson Inn are part of the walking tour taken from the LDS visitors’ center.

• The Warren Parrish Home and the John F. Boynton Home – Both of these homes are located north of the Whitney Store. They are not available for tours.

• Isaac Morley Farm – Located about one mile northeast of the LDS visitors’ center, this once 260-acre farm was the home of a religious group led by Isaac Morley called “The Family.” After Isaac’s baptism in 1830, many of the early arriving Saints temporarily lived on his farm. Joseph and Emma lived here with the Morleys from March thru September of 1831 before moving to nearby Hiram. Many significant events occurred at this farm during their six-month stay. On April 30, Emma gave birth to twins, Thaddeus and Louisa, who died after three hours. Nine days later, Joseph and Emma received and adopted the Murdock twins, Joseph and Julia, whose mother had died while giving birth (HC 1:260). The fourth conference of the Church was held at the Morley farm from June 3 to June 6. At least one session took place in a small log schoolhouse located atop the hill. During this meeting, the Prophet Joseph “saw the heavens open and Jesus Christ sitting on the right hand of the Father” (Church History Fulness of Times, p. 100). The first high priests in this dispensation were called and ordained at this same conference (HC 1:175-176). Three years later, in 1834, Joseph prophesied in this same schoolhouse that the Church would fill the world and that the Saints would go to the Rocky Mountains. Revelations Joseph received here are recorded in D&C 45 –50, 52-56, 63 and 64. Though Isaac and Lucy’s home and the log schoolhouse are no longer standing, don’t miss the missionary guided tour of this special area. Tours at the Morley farm are given May thru October, from Monday thru Saturday 9:00 a.m.– dusk and Sunday 11:30 a.m.– dusk. To locate the farm, turn left as you leave the LDS visitors’ center onto Kirkland/Chardon Road. Then turn right onto Chillicothe Road (Route 615). The farm will be on your left, just one mile from the visitors’ center at 8605 Chillicothe Road. 440-256-2694.

• Kirtland Temple – Now owned by the Community of Christ (formerly RLDS), free tours of the temple begin next door at their visitors’ center. Allow one hour to view a brief video and to take the tour. In the assembly rooms located on the first two floors, notice the choir lofts, the four-tiered Melchizedek Priesthood pulpits located on the west end, and the Aaronic Priesthood pulpits on the east end. The bottom tiered pulpits have a drop-leaf table which was used for the sacrament. Rollers in the ceilings held curtains which could divide the rooms into four sections (although the curtains were never installed on the second floor). The benches in the assembly rooms could be moved to allow seating in either direction. The five rooms located on the third floor were used for offices, ordinances, and schooling for the early Saints. Joseph used the far west room, also known as The President’s Room, as his office. Many significant events took place in this room including: translation work, the teaching of Hebrew, and the receipt of several revelations received including the vision now recorded in D&C 137 concerning the doctrine of salvation. In this vision, the Prophet saw his beloved deceased brother, Alvin, in the celestial kingdom. (Read about this sacred experience in HC 2:379-382.) Inside the visitors’ center, notice part of the original temple weathervane, a portion of the original stucco, as well as other early artifacts and pictures from the 1830s. The visitors’ center is open Monday thru Saturday 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. and Sunday 1:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. Located one mile south of I-90 at 9020 Chillicothe Road (Route 306). 440-256-3318.

• Printing Office/Schoolhouse Site – Just behind or west of the temple (now part of the parking lot), stood a two-story building. The first floor was used as a schoolhouse and the top floor served as an office for the First Presidency, a meetinghouse, and a printing office. After the building was dedicated in 1834, the School of the Prophets was moved here from the Whitney Store (HC 2:169-171). The men worked on religious studies and also on grammar and penmanship. During a conference held here, the Twelve Apostles were called and ordained (HC 2:180-200). The building was destroyed by fire in January of 1838.

• Kirtland Safety Society Bank Site – The Safety Society building once stood south of the temple, where the circular walkway is presently located. On January 2, 1837, the Kirtland Safety Society was organized with Sidney Rigdon serving as chairman and Warren Parrish as secretary (HC 2:470). But soon after the first notes were issued, the business began to struggle, and ultimately had to close in November of that same year. Its failure can be attributed to many things including a nationwide panic in May of 1837 which brought the collapse of many other banks. (For additional information, see “Kirtland Economy” in Encyclopedia of Mormonism.)

• North Kirtland Cemetery – Many notable Saints are buried in the small cemetery located directly north of the Kirtland Temple. Hyrum’s first wife, Jerusha Smith, died in 1837 just 11 days after giving birth to their sixth child (HC 2:519). Also buried here is Mary Duty Smith, Joseph’s paternal grandmother. In May 1836, Mary, then widowed and 93 years old, made the difficult trip to Kirtland for a joyful reunion with her extended family, but died just ten days after her arrival (HC 2:443). Though the exact location of their burial sites is not known, a marker located in the middle of the cemetery honors these women. Others buried here include John Johnson, Oliver Granger (read D&C 117:12), and William Cowdery (Oliver’s father). Joseph and Emma’s twins (Louisa and Thaddeus) and Parley Pratt’s first wife (Thankful Halsey Pratt) are also probably buried here, though the exact locations are unknown.

• Joseph Smith Home – Joseph and Emma moved from the Newel K. Whitney Store into this home in February 1834. The Prophet received revelations here that are recorded in D&C 102, 103, and 108 and possibly 104 and 106. Joseph received many visitors in this home and also conducted Church business here (possibly organizing Zion’s Camp). For a brief time, Joseph also had a variety store located across the street. It is quite likely that his son, Frederick G. Williams Smith, was born here on June 20, 1836. The home is located at 8980 Chillicothe Road (front and possibly middle section of the home are original). It is owned by the Community of Christ and not available for tours.

• Sidney Rigdon Home – Sidney’s home (massively remodeled) is located across the street and just south from the Kirtland Temple. Sidney was a prominent minister in nearby Mentor when he was introduced to the gospel by Oliver Cowdery, Parley P. Pratt, and the other missionaries traveling from New York to teach the Lamanites (D&C 28:8). Sidney was baptized in 1830, as were many of those in his congregation. He later served as Joseph Smith’s first counselor. The home is owned by the Community of Christ and is not available for tours.

• Hyrum Smith Home – The Prophet’s beloved older brother was one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, marched with Zion’s Camp, and served as a counselor in the First Presidency. While living in Nauvoo, Hyrum was called as patriarch to the Church and told to “bear record of the things which I shall show unto him” (D&C 124:96). The home is located south of the Kirtland Temple and across the street from a Sunoco gas station at 9097 Chillicothe Road. (The newer front part of the home stands on the original foundation while the back part of the home is the original.) The home is owned by the LDS Church and is currently used as housing for missionaries and not available for tours.

• John Johnson Home – John Johnson and his family moved into this home after moving from their farm in nearby Hiram. The home is located southwest of the North Kirtland Cemetery at 7762 Maple Street. It is privately owned and not available for tours.

• Vinson Knight & William Marks Home – This home was owned (at different times) by both William Marks and Vinson Knight. William Marks was baptized in New York in 1835. He once served as president of the Kirtland Stake and later in the same position in the Nauvoo Stake. He left the Church and later assisted in starting the RLDS Church (now Community of Christ), serving as a counselor to Joseph Smith III. Vinson Knight served as counselor in a bishopric in Kirtland, and was called as acting bishop in Adam-ondi-Ahman. The home is located on the northwest corner at 7741 Joseph Street. The home is owned by the Community of Christ and is not available for tours.

• William Miller Home – William was baptized at Kirtland in 1834. He followed the Prophet from Kirtland to Missouri, and then on to Nauvoo. Brother Miller once left the Nauvoo Temple dressed as Brigham Young and was arrested by the waiting marshals. After arriving in Carthage, his captors eventually discovered they had captured a “bogus Brigham.” His home (heavily remodeled) is located at 7799 Joseph Street (2nd home on your right). It is owned by the Community of Christ and is not available for tours.

• Temple Stone Quarry – It is still possible to see the old drill marks in what is now called the Chapin Forest Reserve Park. The park is located just 2 miles south of the Kirtland Temple and makes a great recreational stop for families with its picnic tables, hiking trails, and benches near a small pond. Admission to the park is free and it is open daily from sunrise to sunset. To find the quarry, head south on Chillicothe Road (also known as Route 306); the entrance will be about 2 miles from the temple on your right. Turn right after entering and park. The gravel path to your right (north) will lead you to a wooden walkway along the old quarry.

• Fairport Harbor Lakefront Park – This is a both a Church historical site and a fun recreational stop. Fairport Harbor is located about 12 miles northeast of Kirtland and once was an important port for early Church members. Many of the Saints coming from New York, traveled by flatboat on the Erie Canal to Buffalo, continued by ship to Fairport, and then rode/walked the 12 miles from the harbor to Kirtland. Arriving Saints included Lucy Mack Smith with her children, the Colesville Saints, and Joseph’s maternal grandmother – Mary Duty Smith (HC 2:442). Those departing on missions also used this port. In 1835, the Twelve Apostles sailed from Fairport on a mission to the eastern states (HC 2:222). Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, and others also left from this port en route to their missions to England in 1837 (HC 2:493). The park is open year round from dawn to dusk. It includes a wonderful beach with lifeguard on duty from Memorial Day thru Labor Day, a picnic area w/ bbq grills, playground, concession stands and restrooms. Admission: $3/car. The park is located at 301 Huntington Beach Drive.

THINGS TO DO

• “This is Kirtland!” – The 2005 production runs on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays between June 30 – July 23. Curtain time is 7:30 pm. Performances are held at the beautiful Kirtland stake center, a short distance up the street from Historic Kirtland on State Route 306. Admission is free and there is ample parking. Overnight accommodations and restaurants are available within a mile. Reservations are requested for groups of 20 or more; several youth conferences and tour groups have already reserved seats for this year. For reservations, directions, or more information, please call Historic Kirtland at 440-256-9805.

• Penitentiary Glen – The 422-acre park includes a hands-on nature center, wildlife reserve, butterfly garden, hiking trails (some stroller-friendly) including a 1-mile path to see the gorge, and picnic areas. Entrance to the nature center is free and open daily 9:00 a.m.–5 p.m. The park is open daily from sunrise to sunset. Located at 8668 Kirtland-Chardon Road. (Turn right as you leave the LDS visitors’ center and go about 2 miles.) For more information call 440-256-1404 or 440-639-7275.

• Other activities in this area include: the Holden Arboretum, James A. Garfield National Historic Site, the civic center water park and ice skating rink, Mentor Headlands State Park, Six Flags Amusement Park, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and a nearby Amish community.

• Things of interest in nearby Cleveland include: the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Browns Stadium, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For more information, contact the Cleveland Tourism Department at 800-321-1001.