Nauvoo House Nauvoo, Illinois, United States of America

Joseph Smith received a revelation on Janu- ary 19, 1841 instructing the Saints to construct a boarding house named the Nauvoo House to “be a delightful habitation for man, and a resting-place for the weary traveler, that he may contemplate the glory of Zion.”1 Shortly thereafter, the Nauvoo House As- sociation was created on February 23, 1841 to help oversee the construction of the building. Less than six months later, the cornerstone of the Nauvoo House was laid and many items were deposited into it including the original manuscript copy of the .2 However, construction was halted in 1844 to devote more attention to The Nauvoo House building the . Construction was at- Photo courtesy of Alexander L. Baugh tempted again in 1845, but was halted due to per- 2 secution of the Saints in Nauvoo. “The Original Manuscript of the Book of Mormon,” Improve- ment Era, (November 1899). After the martyrdom of the Prophet Jo- 3 seph Smith and his brother Hyrum, their bodies , History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day were secretly buried in cellar of the uncompleted Saints, 7 vols., introduction and notes by B. H. Roberts (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Nauvoo House to protect the bodies from falling 1932-1951), 6: 628. into the hands of the mob. They were later moved 4 to a resting place near the Mansion House.3 Dean C. Jessee, “The Original Book of Mormon Manuscript,” With the death of the Prophet, the title of BYU Studies, (Spring 1970), 277. the Nauvoo House passed to . In the 1870s, after Emma married Lewis Bidamon, the the Original Book of Mormon unfinished portion of the house was used to con- struct the Riverside Mansion. Bidamon uncovered Manuscript the cornerstone and removed the contents includ- ing the original manuscript which had suffered 1 extensive damage. Much of the manuscript was Ebenezer Robinson thereafter acquired by members of The Church of “After the brethren had assembled at the Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.4 The Riverside southeast corner of the foundation, where the Mansion served as the home where both Bidamon cornerstone was to be laid, President Joseph Smith and Emma lived until their deaths. said: ‘Wait, brethren, I have a document I wish to The property was acquired by the Commu- put in that stone,’ and started for his house, which nity of Christ in 1909 and remains in its posses- was only a few rods away, across Main Street. sion today. I went with him to the house, and also one or two other brethren. He got a manuscript copy SOURCES of the Book of Mormon, and brought it into the room where we were standing, and said: ‘I will ex- 1 Doctrine & Covenants 124:60. amine to see if it is all here,’ and as he did so I 2 Nauvoo House, Nauvoo, Illinois, United States of America stood near him, at his left side, and saw distinctly foundation laid for the Nauvoo House. the writing, as he turned up the pages until he hast- I asked why the heavy and extensive foun- ily went through the book and satisfied himself dations around him were being torn up, he replied, that it was all there. . . . that he had bought the premises, and the rock was It was written on foolscap paper, and torn up to sell, as he was poor and otherwise would formed a package, as the sheets lay flat, of about not have been able to build. I said, I am interested two or two and a half inches thick, I should judge. in this foundation, because I remember there were It was written mostly in Oliver Cowdery’s hand- treasures deposited under the chief corner-stone. writing, with which I was intimately acquainted, He said, yes, I took up the stone box and having set many pages of type from his handwrit- sold it to Mr.—(I do not remember the name.) It ing, in the church printing office at Kirtland, Ohio. had been so long exposed to the wet and weath- Some parts of it were written in other handwrit- er that its contents were nearly ruined, I gave the ing. He took the manuscript and deposited it in the coin to Joe (Joseph) and told him he could have cornerstone of the Nauvoo House.” the pile of paper. He said it was the manuscript of the Book of Mormon; but it was so much injured Carthage Republican Newspaper2 that he did not care for it. “Last Tuesday, while Major Bidamon was While we were talking, Mr. Bidaman’s wife tearing down the walls of the eastern wing of the brought a large pasteboard box and placed it on my old ‘Nauvoo House,’. . . he came across the cor- lap. It contained a stack of faded and fast decaying ner stone, which was laid by the Prophet. . . at the paper, the bottom layers for several inches; were time the building was commenced, which was in uniform in size, they seemed to me larger than the year 1841. common foolscap, the paper was coarse in texture The stone was in the foundation, in the and had the appearance of having lain a long time southeast corner, and in the center of it was a in water, as the ink seemed almost entirely soaked square cut chest, about 10 x 14 inches, and eight into the paper, when I handled it, it would fall to inches deep, covered with a stone lid, which fit- pieces. ted closely in a groove or shoulder at the top, and I could only read a few words here and cemented around the edge with lead that had been there just enough to learn that it was the language melted and poured in the seam. of the Book of Mormon. Above this were some On removing the lid, which was done with sheets of finer texture folded and sewed together, some difficulty, the chest was found to be filled this was better preserved and more easily read, I with a number of written and printed documents, held it up, and said, ‘Mr. B. How much for this rel- the most of them mouldy and more or less de- ic?’ He said, ‘Nothing from you, you are welcome cayed.” to anything you like from the box.’ I appreciated the kindness, took the leaves that were folded and Sarah M. Kimball3 sewed together.” “I asked the lady friend with whom I was riding to call with me on Mr. Bidaman, a former Franklin D. Richards4 acquaintance; after learning where I was from, he “We were quite willingly shown all that re- recognized me and seemed pleased, we talked a mained of the Book of Mormon manuscript: . . little of times that were, and of persons gone. He .The paper is yellow with age and from the mois- made inquiries about Salt Lake City and its inhabit- ture sweated from its own hiding place. It is brittle ants, I referred to his home which is a temporary to the touch. Many of the leaves crumble like ashes four room building on the southwest corner of the and some of them are broken away. It is necessary Nauvoo House, Nauvoo, Illinois, United States of America 3 to handle them with the utmost care. The writing is December faint, and is not legible on many continuous lines, • Monday Through Saturday but fragmentary clauses, and even whole verses are • 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM occasionally discernible. . . . • Sunday, Closed When the proprietor saw the profound interest with which we regarded these things, he Admission: spoke to us about them with great respect and $2.00 preservation fee per person. generosity. We talked with him upon the subject of the writings at considerable length, and through his complaisance, when we came away we brought Further Reading Resources with us all of the manuscripts. . . and have them now in our possession.”

SOURCES “The Original Manuscript of the Book of Mor- mon,” Improvement Era, Vol. 3., No. 1, (Novem- 1 Quoted in Dean C. Jessee, “The Original Book of Mormon ber 1899). Manuscript,” BYU Studies, Vol. 10, No. 3, (Spring 1970), 264. Dean C. Jessee, “The Original Book of Mor- 2 Ibid, 265. mon Manuscript,” BYU Studies, Vol. 10, No. 3, (Spring 1970). 3 Quoted in “History of the Book of Mormon,” Contributor, Vol. 5, No. 10, (July 1884), 366.

4 Jessee, 267.

Visitor Information

Address: Water Street & S Main Street Nauvoo, Illinois 62354

Hours of Operation: January - February: • Friday and Saturday Only • 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

March - November • Monday Through Saturday • 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM • Sunday • 1:00 AM to 5:00 PM