When the Saints moved to Nauvoo the land next to the Mississippi, know as the flats, was a marsh. The marsh was fed by two springs on the bluff. Canals were dug to divert the spring water away from the flats. The flats eventually dried and the saints were able to build homes and businesses. Below is a picture of a stone arch bridge built in 1850 to span one of the drainage canals.
The Community of Christ Church, formally known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), owns and maintains several historical sites in Nauvoo. We went to their visitor center, then took a guided tour of five sites (descriptions are provided by them).
The Nauvoo House - In 1841 church members were commanded to build two "houses," a house for the Lord (the Nauvoo Temple) and a house for man to be known as the Nauvoo House. It was to be "a delightful habitation for man, and a resting-place for the weary traveler." Joseph Smith donated the property and a "Nauvoo House Association" was incorporated to sell stock and oversee construction. The $100,000 building was to be "L form, presenting a front on two streets of 120 feet each, 40 feet deep, and three stories high, exclusive of the basement story." Only the foundation and part of the first floor were completed during Smith's lifetime. Around 1865 Lewis Bidamon, second husband of Smith's widow Emma, began tearing down the original structure. The stone was used to build the Bidamon Stable to the north and the brick to complete the Nauvoo House as it appears today. Lewis and Emma eventually moved in and operated it as a hotel called the "Riverside Mansion" until Emma's death on April 30, 1879. Still known as the "Nauvoo House," the building today serves as a hostel for family reunions and youth groups.
The Homestead - This two-story, two-room log block house was located on the original 135 acres purchased from local farmer Hugh White and may date to 1803. Joseph Smith moved here in the spring of 1839 with his wife Emma; sons Joseph III, Frederick Granger Williams, and Alexander; and adopted daughter Julia. With the addition of a large room on the north side of the structure in 1840 this home became, for a time, the center of community life in Nauvoo. According to Joseph III, "Father's home in Nauvoo was generally overrun with visitors. There was scarcely a Sunday in ordinary weather that the house and yard were not crowded - the yard with teams and the house with callers." In 1858 a two-story addition was added to the west side of the house by Joseph Smith III and he lived here with his family until 1866. Joseph III served as justice of the peace during part of that time. While living here he also became president and prophet of the Reorganized Church, a position he held from 1860 to 1914.
The Mansion House - Completed in 1843, the Mansion House was the second Nauvoo residence of Joseph Smith and his wife Emma. A hotel wing was added and opened in late 1843. The hotel was leased to Ebenezer Robinson in January 1844. As part of the lease agreement, the Smith family maintained three rooms for their private residence. Internal confusion and conflicts with surrounding communities grew as Nauvoo increased in size. Joseph traveled to Carthage, Illinois to answer charges related to the destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor press. While in Carthage Joseph and his brother Hyrum were killed by an angry mob on June 27, 1844. Their bodies were returned to the Mansion House where they laid in state until the burial. Emma and her family continued to live in the Mansion House for a time, and she remained in Nauvoo until her death on April 30, 1879. By the 1890s the hotel wing had deteriorated and it was torn down. The foundation of the hotel wing can be seen on the east side of the Mansion House.
The Red Brick Store - The original Red Brick Store opened for business on January 5, 1842, with Joseph Smith as owner and proprietor. The main floor was a general store. At the back on this floor, Bishop Newell K. Whitney had an office where people could pay their bills and tithing. On the second floor was a small office for Joseph Smith and a large meeting room. Council meetings were held there as were Masonic Lodge meetings and the organizational meeting of the "Female Relief Society" with Emma Smith as president. Also in this room, "Endowments" as later practiced in the Nauvoo Temple were introduced and Joseph Smith III (son of Joseph Smith Jr. and church president and prophet from 1860 to 1914) was designated by his father as his successor. By the fall of 1860 the Olive Branch, an early congregation of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now Community of Christ) was meeting on the second floor. By 1890 the building had deteriorated to the point that it was torn down. It was reconstructed on the original site and opened to the public in April 1980.
Grave of Joseph Smith - Fearing the threats of grave desecration made by Joseph's enemies, Joseph and Hyrum's family placed sandbags in the caskets buried in the city cemetery. Jospeh and Hyrum's remains were secretly buried under the basement of the Nauvoo House. After Emma's death the Smith family disinterred Joseph and Hyrum's remains and interred all three under a shed on the property. There were no written records marking the graves and the exact location became lost from memory. In 1928, Joseph's family feared the rising Mississippi River would destroy the graves, so they commissioned an excavation to locate the bodies of Joseph, Emma and Hyrum and had them re-interred in a permanent plot in the Smith Family Cemetery.
Periodically there are archaeological digs in Nauvoo. This picture is of a dig at the Samuel Smith home site. Samuel was the younger brother of Joseph.
The fellow on the left introduced himself as a grandson of Samuel Smith. The stone foundations for the home and fireplace were visible. Coins, glass bottles, and pottery have been found. These artifacts are on display in the basement of the Red Brick Store.
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