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Fairport Harbor Fairport, Ohio, USA Fairport Harbor Was Important for the Lat- Ter-Day Saints Coming to and Leaving Kirtland, Ohio Fairport Harbor Fairport, Ohio, USA Fairport Harbor was important for the Lat- ter-day Saints coming to and leaving Kirtland, Ohio. Fairport lies approximately twelve miles northeast of Kirtland on the shores of Lake Erie. Oliver Cowdery described Fairport as “an excellent har- bor, and [it] affords a safe moorage for shipping.”1 Many Saints passed through Fairport Harbor on their way to Kirtland to join with the other mem- bers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who were gathering there. Likewise, many missionaries left through Fairport harbor on their way to preach the message of the restored gospel, including the fi rst mission of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to the Eastern States in 1835 and the Church’s fi rst mission to England in 1837. Additionally, Joseph Smith was reunited with his ninety-three-year-old grandmother in Fairport after she traveled to see her children and grandchildren.2 Joseph gave her a blessing and referred to her as “the most honored woman on earth.”3 In 2003, the Mormon Historic Sites Foun- The Fairport Harbor Monument & Lighthouse dation funded this historic plaque, to be placed Photo courtesy of Alexander L. Baugh near the prominent Fairport lighthouse. Mayor Frank Sarosy helped unveil the marker, which pays tage (Salt LakeLake City: Deseret Book Co.,Co., 1971), 114. tribute to the more than 3,000 members of the 4 4 Edna Davis, “Fairport Honors Pioneers,” LDS Church Church who passed through the harbor. A mu- News, September 6, 2003. seum exhibit entitled “Fairport Harbor: Gateway to the Gathering” is on display at the Fairport Har- bor Museum during the spring and summer and Jared Carter’s Account of will be displayed at the Lake County Historical So- Calming a Storm on Lake Erie ciety during the fall and winter. SOURCES “We had not gone far before we met with a stiff headwind which made us in considerable dan- 1 Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and. T. Jeffrey Cottle, Old Mor- gerous sailing. So that the captain informed us of mon Kirtland and Missouri, (Santa Ana, California:California: Fieldbrook the danger, but at length we reached to Erie where Productions, Inc., 1991), 93. the boat was tied by fonts, to wait for the wind... 2 Fred E. Woods, “Mormon Migration on Lake Erie and There was an infl uence as a voice speaking through Fairport Harbor,” Inland Seas, 300. with me. Go and command the winds in the name of Christ to cease. I immediately arose and went 3 Richard Lloyd Anderson, Joseph Smith’s New England Heri- out of the hearing of the wicked crowd and said 2 Fairport Harbor, Fairport, Ohio, USA in the name of Jesus Christ, I command the winds to cease, and the wind from that moment began to cease and in about fi fteen minutes it was stopped and the boat then soon started and we, in a few hours landed in Ohio, at Fairport.” SOURCES 1 Fred E. Woods, “Mormon Migration on Lake Erie and through Fairport Harbor,” Inland Seas, Vol. 60, No. 4, 294. Visitor Information Address: 129 Second Street Fairport, OH 44077 GPS Coordinates: N41° 45.416’ W81° 16.618’ Hours of Operation: Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Legal Holi- days from 1:00PM - 6:00PM Phone Number: (440) 354-4825 Admission: Adults - $3.00 Children 6-12 - $1.00 Under 6 - Free Seniors - $2.00 Additional Reading Resources Edna Davis, “Fairport honors pioneers,” LDS Church News, September 6, 2003. Fred E. Woods, “Mormon Migration on Lake Erie and through Fairport Harbor,” Inland Seas, Winter 2004, Vol. 60, No. 4, 291-305..
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