Joseph Smith Buildings

It is so sad how little the Community of Christ doesn't acknowledge the presents of Joseph Smith. They talk alot about Emma and then there son Joseph Smith III. I guess it's becuase they really started when he passed away but they are missing so much. Anyway, we went on a tour of the Joseph Smith buildings. You have to pay $3 to go on the tour (to go inside the buildings), which are poorly taken care of anyway and you only go into three of the buildings. The Mansion Home the Homestead duplex and the upstairs of the Brick Store. The rest you can see from outside. The other thing is you can't take pictures. I felt like the whole time we were on the tour they talked down the prophet and then how amazing Emma was for just staying with him.

They have no idea what they are missing. Joseph Smith was a great man. We have learned from so many journals of his dimeanor and his service to the saints of the church. We also learn of his serving nature and understanding with those that persecuted him so much.

So all the pictures I have are from the outside that I drove around right before we left Nauvoo and took. I know the Mansion House above is hard to see but the sun was right behind it. I really like that you can see the actual sun rays in the picture though.

This was going to be the Nauvoo Hotel. The Smiths lived in it for a while but then the Mansion home was built for them and they moved over there. We didn't go into this building because the Community of Christ rents it out for parties and family reunions. I'm not sure how I feel about that. If you walk to the other side on of the windows has blue curtains and they say that is where Emma took her last breaths. I really wish that they would have stopped pointing out all the cool little facts and tell me more of a story of everything that happened in that home. Kind of like what the church does in all of there buildings.

These next pictures are of the Smith cemetary. Not all the graves are marked and they say that some of their dear friends were also burried in here. Emmas second husband lays to rest in the cemetery as well. They told a story about how the remains of Joseph and Hyrum were burried here unmarked for fear that the mob would come and dig them up and disrespect the bodies. A couple years later the river was flooding and someone was digging down by the river to keep it from coming up onto the land and they found the remains of Joseph and his Brother Hyrum. They are now in their final resting places that I took pictures of.

This is a list of who they now are in the cemetary.

This plaque is right in front of their grave sights.

This is the homestead duplex something or other. The smiths lived here for a while before they moved into the Nauvoo Hotel.

These are the grave markers for Emma, Joseph, and Hyrum. When you stand in front of these markers you can feel the spirit so strongly. Cemetaries are very peaceful places with alot of spirit and to add a Prophet of the Lord to that just makes it that much more amazing. I can't describe it. I can tell you though if you have any doubt that Joseph was called of God as well as Hyrum and Emma. All your doubt will dissapate standing by their graves and you will know in your heart that they were true messangers of God.

They rest right next to eachother connected. It represents to me of what the hereafter will be like. We will be right next to our family, side by side for all eternity. Emma never once left her husbands side in everything even at the hardest times. I hope to be as faithful as she was not only to my husband and family but to the church and to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

As we ended a tour. One of the ladies on the tour asked whey Emma stayed in Nauvoo. The answer that this girl gave upset me so much. She said that the reason Emma stayed was becuase of Polygamy. She just couldn't except it and couldn't go on with the church. It shows how little they think of the church but also of Emma, Joseph and the love that they had for eachother.

No one can say why Emma stayed behind but I do know this. Emma knew that polygamy was called of God and even though she might not have liked it. (Who wouldn't like it) She trusted and had Faith in her Father in Heaven and in her Husband that she loved very much.

If I were asked to give an opinion of why Emma stayed behind it would be this. She went through so much and had lost so many children on the way that she just couldn't leave the last love of her life on the trail and who can blame her.

The community of christ came a few years after the saints had left Nauvoo. I really feel that for the majority the saints that stayed behind in Nauvoo had no intention of starting a new church. But, all the leadership had gone onto Salt Lake and they needed the church. So trying to do the best they could they started a church but without the leadership it became what it is today. Now I could be very wrong and I know Emma had some problems with Brigham Young. I just have a really hard time believing that Emma just hated the way the church was ran so she decided to do something differant. After all it gave her Joseph and gave her the knowledge and ability to have them for all eternity.