Back to the Beginning

My parents & I recently visited the Church history sites in and around Palmyra, New York. It's not my aim to sum up in their entirety the events that took place here, but instead to share some of my thoughts & feelings. The Church website is a much better resource for the history. The trip was really special for me & I thought I'd share some of the highlights in pictures. Sorry, it's a bit lengthy. Enjoy!


The Smith family's home where Joseph lived when he first began searching for the true church here on earth. It was to this home that he returned after the First Vision in the Sacred Grove.

The Palmyra Temple as it looks out over the Joseph Smith Farm towards the Sacred Grove. A temple worker told us that this gap in the trees miraculously opened one day, allowing a clear view.





A view of the farm. (By the way, Daddy took all these pictures. His composition is better than mine by far!)






An outbuilding. I think it's the one where they made barrels, whatever that's called. Either that or it's the barn. The Church has done a fantastic job recreating what these buildings would've been like in Joseph's time. After seeing how hard they worked, I can only say that they must have slept well at night!



The Sacred Grove. We were there in the late afternoon & the lighting could not have been more beautiful. I couldn't help but think that it was probably similar to what Joseph experienced, with the sun in the east of course. And I do not wonder that he picked that place to talk to Heavenly Father. So peaceful.



Me outside the Palmyra Temple. We were fortunate enough to be able to do baptisms for some family names. (Thanks, Mom!) As he welcomed us, the temple president drew a parallel between the work we were doing & the overall work of the Church in these latter-days. He pointed out that this is where it all began, as well as where it would begin for those for whom we were being baptized. It was a special experience to say the least!


Hallowed ground makes for some pretty flowers! That's something I always notice: how beautiful the landscaping is on the temple grounds. And how well everything grows!





The print shop in the Grandin Building where the first copies of the Book of Mormon were printed. This tour really put into perspective the significance of that job & how the Lord truly will move a mountain if necessary to accomplish His purposes. In this case, of course, it was the Erie Canal among other things that had less geographic impact.


The Hill Cumorah, namesake of our little hill. The view is better from this one though. Not to mention the whole plates being buried there, et cetera!





Peter Whitmer farmhouse. I must say that I felt the Spirit most strongly here, where the Church was organized. It was the last site we visited & the sister missionaries were so sweet. I'm glad we decided that we had time to drive down. Even though it's not the original house & it's "just a farm." (Yes, I said this. But so did Dad!)



Overall, it was a great trip & one that I highly recommend to anyone interested in knowing more about Church history. We stayed at the Palmyra Inn, essentially the only accommodations in the immediate area & it was nice enough. Also of note is the place where we had arguably the best Philly cheese steaks & meatball sandwiches ever. It's called Nima's, and it's literally half a block up the street from the Grandin Building. They bake the bread fresh daily, making it an absolute must. That is, if you're into that sort of thing!