Carthage Jail is a historic building in

Carthage, Illinois Carthage is a city and the county seat of Hancock County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,490 as of the 2020 census, Carthage is best known for being the site of the 1844 death of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint mov ...

, listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

(NRHP). It was built in 1839 and is best known as the location of the 1844 killing of

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, ...

, founder of the

Latter Day Saint movement The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by J ...

, and his brother Hyrum, by a mob of approximately 150 men. It was added to the NRHP in 1973 and is operated by

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

(LDS Church) as a historic site with an adjacent visitors' center.

History

The jail was built in 1839, constructed of red limestone quarried nearby. The building is rectangular and measures by . It is a gable-front building has two stories and an attic. Like other county jails built during the same period, Carthage Jail was built to incarcerate petty thieves and debtors and as a temporary holding place for violent criminals. The first floor contained a debtor's room in the northwest corner, and a dungeon, or "criminal cell", was located on the north side of the second floor. The living area for the jailer's family included a kitchen and dining room on the first floor and a bedroom on the second floor. A small "summer kitchen" was added later. In June 1844, Smith came to the jail to face charges relating to his ordering the destruction of facilities producing the '' Nauvoo Expositor'', a newspaper whose only edition had been critical of the Smiths' religious teachings. He was joined by his brother, Hyrum, and fellow Latter Day Saints John Taylor and

Willard Richards Willard Richards (June 24, 1804 – March 11, 1854) was a physician and midwife/nurse trainer and an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. He served as second counselor to church president Brigham Young in the First Presidency of th ...

. On June 27, a mob stormed the upper room of the prison and killed the Smiths. Taylor was badly wounded and Richards was scathed, but not seriously injured. Hyrum Smith was 44 years old in February 1844 and Joseph Smith was 38 in December 1843.

Restoration

The building continued to be used as a jail until 1866 and was afterwards used as a private residence. It was acquired by the LDS Church in 1903 and a partial restoration was completed in 1935. It was added to the NRHP on March 30, 1973. The church fully restored the jail in 1989, returning the building to its 1844 appearance. The restoration also included an expansion of the visitors' center and renovations to the entire block.

Ezra Taft Benson Ezra Taft Benson (August 4, 1899 – May 30, 1994) was an American farmer, government official, and religious leader who served as the 15th United States Secretary of Agriculture during both presidential terms of Dwight D. Eisenhower and ...

, president of the LDS church at the time, spoke in front of about 3,000 at a shrine dedication of the jail. Tours of Carthage Jail are available including the original door with a bullet hole, where the jailer and his family would have slept, and where the Smith brothers were held. In 2020, Carthage Jail and other historic sites in the Nauvoo area were temporarily closed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

.Toone, Trent
"Coronavirus: Church closes Latter-day Saint historic sites"
'' Deseret News'', 17 March 2020. Retrieved on 23 March 2021.

References

External links

Historic Sites: Carthage Jail
Official site
Library of Congress
Martyrdom of Joseph and Hiram Smith in Carthage Jail {{National Register of Historic Places 1839 establishments in Illinois Buildings and structures in Hancock County, Illinois Defunct prisons in Illinois Joseph Smith Government buildings completed in 1839 Jails on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Latter Day Saint movement in Illinois Museums in Hancock County, Illinois National Register of Historic Places in Hancock County, Illinois Prison museums in the United States Properties of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Significant places in Mormonism Jails in Illinois

History

Restoration

See also

References

External links