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Carthage Jail and Visitors' Center |
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LOCATION: Marion Street and Highway 136 in Carthage, Illinois HOURS: September 8 - May 15, 2010: Open every day; Monday-Saturday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm; Sun 12:30 pm - 5:00 pm All Sites, Tours, Shows, and Rides at Historic Nauvoo are FREE! Family Friendly - Wheelchair Accessible  Visit the restored Carthage Jail, where Joseph Smith, the first President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his brother Hyrum were murdered. Tours begin at the Visitors' Center with an 18-minute film on Joseph Smith's life, Portraits of a Prophet. You can also enjoy a walk through the beautiful gardens, where a life-sized statue of Joseph and Hyrum Smith pays tribute to the brothers. Trouble for Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo increased when the Nauvoo city council issued orders to destroy a newspaper press that had printed criticisms against the Church. This act angered the newspaper's supporters and neighboring citizens.  To bring calm, Governor Thomas Ford promised the council members full protection if they would submit to arrest and go to Carthage for a trial. Notwithstanding the promise of protection, Joseph Smith felt that he was "going like a lamb to the slaughter."Joseph and Hyrum Smith arrived at Carthage on June 24, 1844. The next day they were released on bail, but they were detained after being falsely charged with treason, a charge stemming from their activating the Nauvoo Legion to protect the citizens of Nauvoo. Although only Joseph and Hyrum were under arrest, others remained with them in the jail.  On June 27th, four men were held in the jail's upper bedroom: Joseph, Hyrum, John Taylor, and Dr. Willard Richards. They noticed a large group of men with disguised faces and guns rush toward the jail. The four men tried to hold the door against the mob, but Hyrum was immediately shot and killed. The mob forced the door open just as Joseph turned to leap out the window. He was shot twice in the back and twice in the chest as he fell from the second-story window. John Taylor was shot four times but miraculously survived. Willard Richards escaped without even a hole in his clothing. The Saints in Nauvoo grieved the loss of Joseph and Hyrum, but remained at Nauvoo for almost two more years.The jail was constructed in 1839-40. In later years it was converted into a house. It remained a private home until 1903, when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bought it,then restored it in 1938. A beautiful bronze statue of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, memorial quotes, and new landscaping were dedicated in 1989. |
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