Site of the Week - LDS Church History Tour

Liberty Jail - This week marks the anniversary of when Joseph Smith, jun., who was imprisoned in Liberty jail, Mo., wrote an excellent epistle of what is now D&C 121-123.

Thirteen miles north of the Independence Visitor’s Center, Joseph Smith was a prisoner here from December 1838 until he was allowed to escape in May 1839.  Conditions were harsh and made doubly so for Joseph because of the brutality of the Missouri Militia upon the Saints while he was there.  It was a growing experience for Joseph Smith and some of the greatest sections of the D&C were received there as mentioned above.
Alexander W. Doniphan, who courageously represented Joseph Smith as his lawyer here and in Richmond, is buried in the Liberty Cemetery, though he was a native of Richmond.  Those held prisoner at Liberty Jail were: Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Lyman Wight, Caleb Baldwin, Alexander McCrea.  Those held prisoner at Richmond Jail were: Parley P. Pratt, King Follet, Darwin Chase, Norman Shearer, Luman Gibbs, Morris Phelps.

For more Missouri Sites - See our Missouri/Nauvoo/Winter Quarter Tour Page

The Gadfield Elm Chapel near the village of Pendock in Worcestershire, England, is the oldest extant chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The structure was built in 1836 as a religious meetinghouse by the United Brethren, a group of breakaway Primitive Methodists led by Thomas Knighton. In 1840, Latter Day Saint missionary and apostle Wilford Woodruff preached among the United Brethren; ultimately all but one of the 600 members of the United Brethren were converted to Mormonism. After the conversions, the structure was deeded to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by Knighton and John Benbow.

As a chapel of the early Latter Day Saint movement, the building was a centre of activity for the church in the Malvern Hills area. The chapel was sold by the church in 1842 to help fund the emigration of British Latter Day Saints to America.

The building was privately owned until it was purchased in 1994 by the Gadfield Elm Trust, a group of LDS Church members interested in preserving the chapel. The Trust renovated and restored the chapel, and it was dedicated by LDS Church apostle Jeffrey R. Holland on 23 April 2000.

In 2004, the Gadfield Elm Trust donated ownership of the chapel to the LDS Church, and it was rededicated by church president Gordon B. Hinckley on 26 May 2004. The chapel is operated as a historical tourist site by the LDS Church and admission to the public is free.

For more information about other amazing British Isles sites, visit our England & Wale’s 400th Bible Commemoration Tour Page.

Oxford

Oxford is the site where many of the Bible Translators studied, and did actual work of translation.  One significant Bible translator and martyr, William Tyndale, was educated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford (now part of Hertford College, Oxford).  Tyndale was admitted to the Degree of Bachelor of Arts at Oxford University in 1512, the same year he became a subdeacon. He was made Master of Arts in July 1515, three months after he had been ordained into the priesthood. The MA degree allowed him to start studying theology, but the official course did not include the study of scripture. This horrified Tyndale, and he organized private groups for teaching and discussing the scriptures.

In celebration of the 400th anniversary of the publication of King James Bible, the Bodleian Library of Oxford is holding an amazing exhibition honoring the various individuals who contributed to its translation.

Highlights of the Oxford Bible Exhibition include:

• the sixteenth-century Bibles used in the making of the KJB ( such as the ‘Great’ Bible (1539), the Bishops’ Bible (1568), the Geneva Bible (1576) and Douai-Rheims (1582));
• an Old English manuscript with verse renderings of Genesis and Exodus;
• surviving leaves from Tyndale’s translation of the Pentateuch or five books of Moses (1530);
• a velvet bound Bishops’ Bible that belonged to Queen Elizabeth I (1568);
• a 1602 Bishops’ Bible annotated by some of the translators of the King James Bible;
• a copy of the 1611 King James Bible owned by James’ son Prince Henry;
• contemporary copies of the working notes of John Boys, one of the Cambridge translators;
• reference works from the libraries of John Rainolds and Henry Savile used for the translation, and more.

A Martyrs’ Memorial is also located in Oxford and commemorates the 16th-century “Oxford Martyrs”.
The actual site of the execution is close by in Broad Street, located just outside the location of the old city walls. The site is marked by a cross sunk in the road.

For more information about other amazing Bible Translator sites, visit our England & Wale’s 400th Bible Commemoration Tour Page.

Preston was the place that the church was officially established on British soil in 1837 & where this year (2011) a huge 400th Bible Anniversary Celebration is to take place which includes a 400-voice choir!

Elder Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde went on the first England Mission and served from JULY 1837- APRIL 1838.  When they arrived in Preston it was election day.  Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, had ordered a general election for members of Parliament.  As they exited the coach they saw a flag flying that had on it the following motto: ‘TRUTH WILL PREVAIL.’  They decided to take make this the theme of their mission.

On July 30, 1837 (Sunday), in the River Ribble, nine souls were initiated into the kingdom of God.  They were the first fruits of the Gospel in a foreign land. Starting out with only 9 members, Preston caught on fire and the gospel continued to spread, igniting city after city.  The Preston Ward holds the honor of being the oldest continuously functioning LDS Church unit in the world.

In 1840, all the Apostles where called to serve as a quorum on a second mission to England.  During that time, they held several council meetings in Preston of which they set apart Willard Richards as an Apostle, agreed to choose and ordain a patriarch (Peter Melling, a native of Preston), made important decisions regarding Church publications, and discussed in some detail the all-important subject of emigration.

For more information visit our England Tour Page. Learn about the 400th Anniversary Bible Translation Commemoration!

Liverpool was England’s chief port and also the port of embarkation through which practically every emigrant from England passed. Over a hundred thousand Saints sailed from Liverpool to gather in Zion.  Situated on the east bank of the Mersey River, it was the exporting harbor for all the rest of Lancashire, the center of British manufacturing.

Elders John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff and Theodore Turley, the first of the Apostle missionaries to arrive in England, met in a special council Friday, January 17, 1840, with Joseph Fielding and Willard Richards of the presidency of the British Mission, and decided on their fields of labor. It was agreed that Elders Taylor and Fielding should go to Liverpool.  In Liverpool, Elder Taylor was the first LDS missionary to proselyte.  Elders Taylor and Fielding raised up a branch of about thirty members before the arrival from America of the other brethren of the twelve. This number rapidly increased and at the beginning of the year 1841 numbered more than two hundred souls. In March, 1842, the headquarters of the mission were transferred to Liverpool.

A few days after Christmas in 1840, Brigham Young  went on to Liverpool where he remained through most of January and February and where, in January, he completed indexing and publishing the Book of Mormon.

Tuesday, February 4, at 3:00 in the afternoon at the seashore was the time and place set for the first baptisms in Liverpool. Ten people were baptized that day in the chilly waters of the Irish Sea.

For more information visit our England Tour Page. Learn about the 400th Anniversary Bible Translation Commemoration.

Far more amazing visions and miracles took place in Kirtland than all other LDS sites combined!  There is so much information that we have had to dedicate an entire tour to this area with Kirtland renowned expert Karl Ricks Anderson.  There is far too much information for one entry.  This week marks the anniversary of a very important vision that took place at the Kirtland Temple which will be this week’s highlight.  (See this weeks Glimpse of Past entry for more details)

Kirtland Temple

Kirtland was the first temple of the Church and was constructed 1833-1836, by just a few hundred poor saints under conditions of great sacrifice.  “For thou knowest that we have done this work through great tribulation; and out of our poverty we have given of our substance to build a house to thy name” (D&C 109:5).  There were tremendous manifestations of the Spirit during construction, at the dedication and thereafter.   Lorenzo Snow enumerated blessings received in the temple during this period:  There we had the gift of prophecy – the gift of tongues – the interpretation of tongues – visions and marvelous dreams were related – singing of heavenly choirs was heard, and wonderful manifestations of the healing power, through administrations of the Elders, were witnessed.  The sick were healed – the deaf made to hear – blind to see and the lame to walk, in very many instances.  It was plainly manifest that a sacred and divine influence – a spiritual atmosphere pervaded that holy edifice (KRA p 170).  On January 21, 1836, Joseph Smith, his father, the First Presidency, the presidency of the Church in Missouri, the bishoprics in Kirtland and Missouri, and the Prophet’s scribe, Warren Parish, saw a vision of the Father and the Son as is recorded in D&C 137.  In April 1836, Joseph and Oliver received Priesthood Keys from Moses, Elias, and Elijah (D&C 110).  Also, there were at least four visits from the Savior (KRA p 174).

For more information visit our Week in Kirtland Tour Page.

Richmond

A most important place in Mormon Missouri history.  Here, after their arrest at Far West, Joseph Smith and others were put on trial under Judge Austin King, who was no better than a mobster himself.  The lawyer who defended Joseph was one of the truly great men in American history, Alexander Doniphan, whose statue is prominent in the town square.  This same Doniphan, in an effort to stop the persecution of the Mormons, succeeded as a member of the Missouri legislature in having two counties created just for the Mormons.  I.e. Caldwell (Far West area) and Davies (Adam-ondi-Aham).  As a brigadier general in the Missouri Militia, he prevented the execution by firing squad of Joseph and Hyrum at Far West by refusing to carry out that order from the commanding general.  He also represented Joseph Smith as his lawyer while he was in the Liberty Jail.

After their arrest at Far West, Joseph Smith and others were taken to Independence and put on display in a most humiliating manner.  This was before being tried or convicted of anything.  They were then taken to Richmond and incarcerated while awaiting trial with a number of others arrested at the same time. This lead to the rebuking of the guards incident recorded by Parley P. Pratt in his autobiography and presented in Richmond as a part of our Missouri tour.

The Richmond Old Mormon Cemetery has several important graves: Oliver Cowdery, Peter Whitmer Sr.; Mary Whitmer (only woman to see the plates), Jacob Whitmer (one of the eight witnesses).

Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer came here to live after they apostatized from the church.  Oliver practiced law in Richmond and is buried in the old Mormon Cemetery.  David Whitmer is buried in the large city cemetery on Highway 10.

For more Missouri Sites - See our Missouri/Nauvoo/Winter Quarter Tour Page

PALMYRA

• Smith Family Cabin and Farm - The Smith family lived here at the time of the First Vision.  Three years later (September 21, 1823), Moroni appeared here to Joseph Smith three times in the night and once the following day, prophesying, giving instructions, and telling him of the Book of Mormon plates.  The cabin was recently re-built and dedicated.

• Martin Harris Farm - Owned by Martin Harris when he met Joseph Smith.  Mortgaged for $3,000 to finance printing of the first 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon.  Harris ended up having to sell part of the farm to pay it back.

• Grandin Press - Owned and operated by E. B. Grandin.  Printed the first editions of the Book of Mormon.

• Alvin Smith Grave - Alvin Smith was the oldest of the Smith boys and much idolized by his younger brother Joseph.  He died tragically in November of 1823, at the age of 25, as a result of an over-dose of calomel administered as a medicine for “bilious colic.”  Alvin was obviously a great and noble soul - kind and caring, and a great support to Joseph in his work.  It is a curious thing that of all of Smith sons, the only one still living when the Saints left Nauvoo was William, an excommunicated apostate.  All the rest, Alvin, Hyrum, Joseph, Samuel Harrison, Don Carlos, who were faithful to the end and had made major contributions to the success of the early church, had died.  In fact, of these, only Hyrum lived to see his fortieth birthday.

For more New York Sites - See our Palmyra to Kirtland Tour Page

CAPERNAUM, Kefar Nahum (“town of Nahum”)

We honor the CHRISTmas season with our December sites of the week.

This week the famous city of New Testament times, Capernaum.  More of Christ’s miracles were performed here than in any other city.  Capernaum possibly had a population of 10,000.  Located on Galilee ten miles north of Tiberias.  Just 2.5 miles west from where the Jordan River enters Galilee.  Center of Christ’s activities for 18-20 months after he left Nazareth.  Home of Peter.  Jesus lived here most of the time during His ministry, beginning 30 AD.  He made it his home, “his own city” (Matt 4:13-15; 9:1; Luke 4:31; John 2:12; Mark 1:21).  Remains of Synagogue where the Lord preached (Mark 1:21; Luke 4:31-33) and healed are still there.  Archaeologists believe the foundation of the building (note the line along the outside of the foundation) date to Christ’s time.  The Synagogue now standing was built in 400 AD and was built by Jews, not by Arabs.  Impressive ruin, many artifacts, carvings recovered and on display.  Here Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James, John and Matthew.

For more Israel Sites - See our Israel Tour Page

HAIFA

Located on the Mediterranean Sea where Mt Carmel juts into the water forming a bay, Haifa is one of the most beautifully situated cities in the world.  From atop the mount, panoramic views of the Mediterranean Sea are similar to those of San Francisco.  Little existed here until 1933 when the British built a modern harbor which is now the main port of Israel.  The city now has the nation’s largest heavy industries.  Historically, Haifa was destroyed by Muslim conquerors in the seventh century, conquered by Crusaders in 1100, and destroyed in 1761 by Taher el Amar.  Today, Haifa is Israel’s ship-building center and third largest city.  There’s an Israeli saying: “Jerusalem prays, Tel Aviv plays, Haifa works.”  Thousands have come “home” to the promised land through the port of Haifa.

For more Israel Sites - See our Israel Tour Page