Nauvoo, Illinois
by Becky Cardon Smith
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• Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of articles spotlighting things to see and do in and around Nauvoo, Illinois.

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NAUVOO

In our last article, we focused on the LDS visitors’ center and many homes restored by the Church. Also located in this same area are several other “must see” homes of special significance. Two former homes of the Prophet Joseph Smith, the mansion house and the homestead, are now owned by the Community of Christ (formerly the RLDS). To tour these homes, you will need to take the one-hour free guided tour that starts at the Joseph Smith Historic Site. Tour hours are Monday thru Saturday 9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 1:00 p.m.- 5:00 p.m. (Check for winter hours.) Tours begin at 9:10 a.m. and leave every half hour with the last tour beginning at 4:10 p.m. (there is not a 12:40 p.m. tour).

·         Joseph Smith Historic Site – Each tour begins here with a 12-minute video presentation. Also located inside are a museum and bookstore. Items to notice in the museum include: copies of the death masks of Joseph and Hyrum (on display from October-April only), a stone from the original Nauvoo Temple, a cornerstone from the Nauvoo House (see section below on Nauvoo House), fragments of Emma’s burial dress, Lucy’s bonnet, and one of the canes of martyrdom. These canes were made from the oak coffin that carried the body of Joseph Smith back from Carthage. Emma gave the canes to family members and close friends. Also notice the paintings by David Hyrum Smith, son of Joseph and Emma. David was born five months after his father was martyred. The paintings he did, showing Nauvoo in the 1840s, were helpful in the restoration process. 

·         Mansion House – This house was started in 1842 as a home for Joseph and his family; a hotel wing was later added for additional income. Many visitors who came to Nauvoo for Church or other business stayed here. The Smith family moved into the home in 1843. In June of 1844, after the Prophet was martyred, the bodies of Hyrum and Joseph lay in state in the dining room as thousands of the Saints came to pay their respects. The dining room was located on the east side of the existing home where you can still see the remains of the foundation. Lucy Mack Smith, mother of the Prophet, passed away while living here with Emma.

·         Nauvoo House – D&C 124:23 states that a house should be built “that strangers may come from afar to lodge therein.” Though started in 1841, the house was not completed in Joseph’s lifetime. Originally planned to be four floors high and able to house 300 hundred, it was eventually completed (after Emma married Lewis C. Bidamon) with a much smaller capacity. Emma passed away on April 30, 1879 in the SE corner bedroom on the second level. During the early construction on the home, Joseph Smith put the original manuscript of the Book of Mormon in the SE cornerstone of the house on October 2, 1841. When Lewis C. Bidamon discovered the manuscript over forty years later in 1882, it had been badly damaged by water leaking into the cornerstone. The manuscript pages are now owned by several groups, including the LDS Church and the Community of Christ (formerly RLDS). The Nauvoo House is currently used as a hostel.

·         Joseph Smith Homestead – This is one of the few buildings that existed when the Saints first settled in Nauvoo. Joseph and Emma lived here from 1839 until they moved into the Mansion House in 1843. Two sections were added to the original home; Joseph added the northern section and his son Joseph III added the western part.

·         Smith Family Cemetery – When Joseph and Hyrum were killed, there was concern that the bodies would be desecrated. Coffins, filled with sand, were publicly buried, but the bodies were secretly interred in an unfinished area of the cellar inside the foundation walls of the Nauvoo House. (Located near the area where the limestone stable now stands.) Several months later, the bodies were again moved and buried nearly 8 feet below ground level in the well house next to the Homestead. This was done with great secrecy in the middle of the night. In 1928, the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum were relocated one more time. The Smith Family Cemetery now serves as the final resting place for Joseph, Hyrum, Emma, Lucy Mack, Joseph Sr., and thirteen other family members. Also buried here are Lewis C. Bidamon and a few other close friends.

·         Red Brick Store – Built in 1841 as a general store, Joseph used the second floor of the store as his office, headquarters of the Church, and as a meeting room. It was here on March 17, 1842 that the Female Relief Society was organized. Here too, the first endowments were given and Joseph worked on the translation of the Book of Abraham. The red brick store was named not because of the red brick exterior but because of the red color paint inside the store. This color was created by mixing ox blood with buttermilk! Notice the lock on the front door of the store. When the store was being rebuilt, the original key to the store was discovered during excavation. This new lock was specially made to fit the original key. Inside the store is a museum with articles from the store, homestead, and mansion house. Also notice Newel K. Whitney’s desk that was brought from Kirtland, Ohio. The gift shop sells items typical of the 1840s including toys, lavender powder, scented soap, and pottery. The Red Brick Store is closed December through March. 

·         Times and Seasons Foundation – Just past the red brick store is the foundation of one of the buildings that published the Times and Seasons. The Prophet was one of the editors of this publication but due to his many responsibilities, he turned the assignment over to John Taylor (HC 5:193).           

There are several other sites of interest that are within close proximity of the historic restored homes.

·         Pioneer Burial Ground – There is a peaceful and reverent feeling in this wooded area, located just a few miles from the restored homes. Many of those buried here are children and the statue of a pioneer family mourning the loss of a recently buried child causes you to reflect on the many trials of our pioneer ancestors. Though only a portion of the original markers remain, some of the inscriptions are still legible.

·         William Weeks Home – Born in April 1813, William Weeks was the architect of the Nauvoo Temple. Brigham Young had intended that William should also be the architect for the new temple in Salt Lake City, but William Weeks left both Utah and the Church in 1848 (see our guidebook for more details). Tours were once given of this home but it is currently used to house missionaries. The home is located east of the Historic Nauvoo visitors’ center on Young Street (between Partridge and Durphy Streets).

·         Kraus Furniture Store – The Nauvoo Expositor building once stood in the area where the furniture store now stands. The Prophet and other council members traveled to Carthage to face charges concerning the destruction of the printing press of this anti-Mormon newspaper. Joseph and Hyrum were both killed while in the Carthage Jail. The store is located at 1255 Mulholland.

·         Stone Arch Bridge – South of Nauvoo and just past Water Street is a rest area and sign marking Fischer Point. Walk down the steps and you will see a bridge that was built after the Saints left Nauvoo. It is here that the drainage from the irrigation system built by the Saints flows into the Mississippi River.

·         Icarian Museum – After the Saints had been driven from Nauvoo, a group of about 500 French Icarians briefly lived here in a communal lifestyle. View some of their artifacts and learn more about their utopian society at the museum that is located at Parley and Winchester. Open by appointment, 217-453-2437.

Next week: The Nauvoo Temple.

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