Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial | |
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Location | White River Valley, Sharon, Vermont, United States |
Coordinates | 43°49′26″N72°28′21″W / 43.823783°N 72.47252°W |
Dedication | December 23, 1905 |
Governing body | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
The Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial is a granite obelisk on a hill in the White River Valley near Sharon and South Royalton in the U.S. state of Vermont. It marks the spot where Joseph Smith was born on December 23, 1805. [1] The monument was erected by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), which recognizes Smith as its first president and founding prophet. The LDS Church continues to own and operate the site as a tourist attraction.
In 1884, LDS Church leader Junius F. Wells visited Smith's birthplace and conceived a plan to build a monument to the Mormon prophet. [3] Under the direction of church president Joseph F. Smith, Wells oversaw the construction of the monument and cottage house in 1905. The Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial was dedicated by Joseph F. Smith on the 100th anniversary of Joseph Smith's birth, on December 23, 1905. [2]
By 1907, Wells reported that there had been between seven and eight thousand visitors. [2]
The monument stands 50 feet (15 m) tall and weighs approximately 100 short tons (91 t). The 40-short-ton (36 t) shaft of the obelisk is 38.5 feet (11.7 m) long: one for each year of Smith's life. The obelisk was quarried in Barre, Vermont, and it has been cited as a "remarkable engineering feat" [4] and "one of the largest polished shafts in the world". [5]
A visitors' center and an LDS Church meetinghouse sit on the same property as the memorial. Admission to the visitors' center and tours of the memorial site are free.
Royalton is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,750 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Royalton, South Royalton, and North Royalton. Vermont Law School, the state's only accredited law school, is located in South Royalton.
Oliver H. P. Cowdery was an American religious leader who, with Joseph Smith, was an important participant in the formative period of the Latter Day Saint movement between 1829 and 1836. He was the first baptized Latter Day Saint, one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon's golden plates, one of the first Latter Day Saint apostles and the Assistant President of the Church.
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This is a timeline of major events in Mormonism in the 20th century.
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Florence Smith Jacobsen was an American religious leader associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who served as the sixth General President of the Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association (YWMIA) from 1961 to 1972.
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The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the life and influence of Joseph Smith:
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