Kirtland, Ohio

Our first stop in Kirtland, OH was at the visitor's center.  There they have a 2 hour tour of sites right near the Newell K Witney store which was at the heart of Kirtland when the LDS church was headquartered there.  

Newell K Whitney and his wife Ann were quite religious.  They studied the bible together and prayed together.  They were also very generous and kind.  When there were people in trouble, they were the first to lend a hand.  They had a very successful store and were able to provide for the needs of many through their generosity.  Newell K Whitney was called to be a Bishop in Kirtland and was able to extend his charitable spirit with that calling.  After Joseph and Emma Smith came to Kirtland, the Whitney's put them up in their home and gave Joseph several rooms upstairs in which to do teaching and record revelations.  

In this home, the small room on the right is the summer kitchen.  A summer kitchen had a deeper fireplace allowing the heat to go outside, instead of into the house in the hot summer months.  In this home, Emma Smith and Ann Whitney decided to have a feast of the poor and they invited all the struggling families from Kirtland and surrounding areas to attend.  For 3 days they cooked and fed over 300 people. 

This is the Johnson Inn.  It became the temporary printing headquarters after the press in Independence was destoyed by a mob. 

In the sawmill and adjoining woodshop, much of the woodwork of the Kirtland temple was completed.  These are replicas of the pulpits that are in the temple.  Near the sawmill stands and ashery.  They were both owned by Newell K Whitney and he deeded both to the church.  Any proceeds that were made from these operations, he willingly donated to the church to help pay for the temple.  He and his wife were driven from Kirtland by the mobs.  They went with the Saints to Nauvoo and on to Salt Lake City.

 Our next stop was the Kirtland Temple.  It is no longer owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it is owned by the Community of Christ which was one of the churches that was raised up after the saints were driven from Nauvoo.  It is beautifully preserved.  The Community of Christ has a nice presentation and a great tour.  Because we were with a small group, we were able to visit all 3 floors of the temple.  There is no photography allowed inside the temple, however. 

We drove out to the Isaac Morley farm just outside Kirtland.  Isaac and his wife were never prominent figures in the church.  They were the rank and file members doing their part.  On this site, they had built a school house because they wanted their children to be educated.  In that schoolhouse, Isaac Morley let Joseph Smith come and teach those who wanted to know more.  At the schoolhouse site, the missionary told us the history of Isaac Morley and his family and bore his testimony to us.  He then did something really cool.  He gave Eileen and I a few minutes alone to share our thoughts and feelings with each other.  It was very tender.

This is the John Johnson home.  John and Mary Johnson were very prosperous.  Mary Johnson did much to make her home exceptionally beautiful.  The home is 80% original.  The interior has been restored using original paint colors and wherever possible the original furnishings are displayed.  It was a very lovely and functional home.

This is an example of feather painting.  She painted all the woodwork throughout the house with this technique.  It is truly stunning. In the picture below, note the floor.  She hand-painted the boards in that checkerboard pattern to add beauty to the room.  This was the formal parlor where they would hold events like weddings and funerals.  They also had a bed in here so that when important people came to visit, they could sleep in the best room.  John and Mary gave this room to Joseph and Emma.  They came here shortly after adopting the Murdock twins after their own twins had died.

It was here in this room, while Joseph and Emma were caring for the twins, who had measles, that a mob came and dragged Joseph into the winter night and beat him and tarred and feathered him.  The baby boy, who was exposed to the cold night in his weakened condition, died 5 days later.  John Johnson also provided Joseph with rooms upstairs in which to teach and to work.  It was in this home that much of the work was done on the translation of the Bible.  Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon had an hour long vision of the Plan of Salvation in this home--Doctrine and Covenants section 76.