NAUVOO, Illinois — With their school not in session for a few days, Latter-day Saint parents Adam and Megan George, of Cody, Wyoming, decided to bring their six children on a trip to Nauvoo.
Their timing could not have been better, as it coincided with the beginning of free public tours at the newly reopened Joseph and Emma Smith Mansion House, the Smith Family Homestead and the Red Brick Store — historic buildings transferred from Community of Christ to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on March 5.
The George family participated in tours of the historic buildings on a rainy and windy Monday, March 25, then returned to see more on Wednesday, March 27. As they approached the Mansion House on Wednesday, they encountered President Daniel Mehr and his wife, Sister Rebecca Mehr, mission leaders of the Church’s Illinois Historic Sites, who asked the family about their experience. “What are you feeling? What is coming to mind?” President Mehr said.
“You feel a hallowed ground kind of spirit. They left a part of their spirit here,” said Megan George of the city’s early Latter-day Saints, adding that it reminded her of similar feelings she has felt at the handcart pioneer historic sites close to their home.
“There is a lot of neat history here,” said Adam George, Megan’s husband. “The Red Brick Store, for me, was personally cool because I didn’t realize that is where the first endowment was shared. … To think of the sacred things that happened in that building.”
As they continued to talk, other historic events were mentioned, such as the organization of the Relief Society and when thousands came to the Mansion House to pay their respects following the deaths of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum. As the conversation concluded, Adam George expressed gratitude for the opportunity to bring his family.
“It was pretty neat to be here and see this,” he said.
The George family were among the nearly 200 visitors who toured the buildings on Monday. Visitors were lighter midweek, but larger crowds are expected to flood Nauvoo this summer.
‘Come, see and learn’
Elder Hugo E. Martinez, a General Authority Seventy who serves as assistant executive director of the Church History Department, and his wife, Sister Nuria Martinez, participated in a tour of the historic structures on Monday and were uplifted by the experience and spirit they felt.
“Being there this time brought in a closer realization of their hardship, devotion and their faith,” said Elder Martinez, who also conveyed deep respect for Community of Christ and their continuing relationship with the Church. He also expressed gratitude for all those in the Church History Department who have sacrificed — “sleepless nights in great anticipation” — to prepare for the transition.
The Church leader invited Latter-day Saints and others to “come, see and learn.”
“Come, see and learn of Jesus Christ through what happened there in Church history,” he said. “Bring your children and grandchildren with you, because it is a marvelous experience to be there and understand what happened.”
Connecting with the past
“Have you ever sat at your grandparent’s knee and heard a story, and in the spirit, you feel a connection?”
President Mehr asked the question while sitting next to Sister Mehr in the living room of the Mansion House.
“When you feel a historical connection with them, you feel like you belong. That’s what happens here,” he said. “The members of the Church come here, and they feel like they’re connected and they belong to something — something powerful and important.”
Nauvoo receives approximately 75,000 visitors a year, President Mehr said.
The Mehrs have six children and 27 grandchildren who will soon pay them a visit in Nauvoo. The mission leaders look forward to sharing stories of Joseph and Emma with their family and others.
“We celebrate Joseph, and we celebrate Emma. The love story is intense, it’s beautiful, and it’s real, and you feel it here.” President Mehr said. “These are spiritual moments for us — they are truth — and when you feel that, you feel connected.”
Joseph Monsen, a senior manager of historic sites, says “It’s so exciting to be able to share Joseph and Emma’s properties and tell the stories.”
“It’s really was meaningful to be able to stand in the Red Brick Store and talk about the Relief Society and the endowment,” he said. “It’s exciting to be in the Mansion Home and talk about Joseph and the revelation around the eternal nature of families. Those are exciting messages, and this is a really neat place to tell that story.”
Monsen believes there is “incredible power” in visiting and learning about these historic sites.
“When you walk where someone else walked, you connect differently, your mind is transported to another place,” he said. “There is real power in connecting with the story of the past here, and it’s applicable to us today. What family doesn’t have challenges? Who doesn’t struggle with work and life balances?”
Elder Dennis Davis and Sister Jeri Davis, a senior couple serving in Nauvoo, reflected on receiving the news about the additional historic sites and described the weeks leading up to the new tours as “bedlam.” They were thrilled to have the opportunity to guide tours at the Smith Family Homestead and Red Brick Store during the final weeks of their mission.
“It may have been windy and rainy on Monday, but it didn’t dampen our spirits at all,” Dennis said. “It was very festive and spiritual.”
Having these additional historic sites will provide a more complete experience for visitors who want to learn about Church history and the gospel, said Sister Davis, who added, “The Spirit is strong here.”
The Smith Family Homestead
The Smith Family Homestead was one of the few existing structures when the Latter-day Saints moved to Nauvoo as religious refugees from Missouri. Joseph and Emma lived there from 1839 to 1843 before moving into the Mansion House.
A gun similar to what would have been used by the Nauvoo Legion hangs over the fireplace. A walking stick believed to have belonged to Lucy Mack Smith and Emma Smith stands in the corner.
The home was often a meeting place for the Latter-day Saints.
When many caught malaria, Joseph and Emma moved to a tent in the yard so others could be cared for inside. Joseph also fell sick but recovered and immediately gave blessings to heal others who were sick.
The Mansion House
From the Smith Family Homestead, Joseph and Emma moved across the street to live in the Mansion House, a much larger home also intended to be a hotel, in August 1843. The Mansion House tour features a more intimate look into their lives.
“This home represents a lot of what Joseph and Emma went through in their life, which was continual turmoil,” Monsen said.
Along with seeing furniture and items that belonged to Joseph and Emma, visitors will learn how the Prophet said farewell and gave blessings to his children before departing for Carthage Jail and his eventual death.
The story of Jane Manning James, a free Black Latter-day Saint woman who walked 800 miles from Connecticut to Nauvoo, is also told.
Red Brick Store
Down the street from the Mansion House is the reconstructed Red Brick Store, which served as Church headquarters for a time and was a social hub of activity, making it one of the important buildings in Nauvoo.
The building served as a general store but also became a center of social, economic, political and religious activities. Joseph Smith worked in an office on the second floor, and it was likely there that he wrote a letter to newspaper editor John Wentworth that featured the Articles of Faith and the Standard of Truth.
Several significant events took place there. Before the temple was completed, the upper room of the store was used as an ordinance room, where the first full endowments were given. Joseph organized the women of the Church into the Relief Society on March 17, 1842.
Nauvoo House
Visitors can see the exterior of the Nauvoo House, but it is not currently available for tours inside.
In 1841, the Lord commanded the Saints to build the temple. In that same section of the Doctrine and Covenants, they were also commanded to build the Nauvoo House, a large boarding house where people could learn about Zion.
Finishing the temple was a higher priority, and the Nauvoo House was not finished before the Saints left Nauvoo.
In 1871, Emma’s second husband, Lewis Bidamon, converted the unfinished structure into the Riverside Mansion, where Emma lived the last eight years of her life.
The Smith Family cemetery remains with Community of Christ.
What to take away
What should visitors take away when they leave these historic sites?
“I hope they take away what Joseph lived and fought for — a testimony that Jesus Christ lives, that He is our Savior, our Redeemer,” Monsen said. “If He can take a young boy like Joseph, who just has faith, and then turn him into a prophet in a short period of time, what can He do to me? What can He help me become? And I hope that in all of the interaction with the history, which is really cool, I hope people recognize and feel the Savior’s love, which I think is overwhelming here.”
