The Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial is a
granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...
obelisk
An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by An ...
on a hill in the
White River Valley near
Sharon and
South Royalton in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
. It marks the spot where
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, ...
was born on December 23, 1805. The monument was erected 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), which recognizes Smith as its first
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
and founding
prophet
In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...
. The LDS Church continues to own and operate the site as a tourist attraction.
History
In 1884, LDS Church leader
Junius F. Wells visited Smith's birthplace and conceived a plan to build a monument to the
Mormon
Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into severa ...
prophet. 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.
By 1907, Wells reported that there had been between seven and eight thousand visitors.
[
]
Description
The monument stands tall and weighs approximately . The shaft of the obelisk is 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" and "one of the largest polished shafts in the world".[See, e.g.]
Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial
churchofjesuschrist.org.
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.
Notes
References
*Gerry Avant
"Memorializing Prophet who was born here"
''Deseret Morning News
The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...
'', 2005-12-31, p. Z08.
*Keith A. Erekson
"The Joseph Smith Memorial Monument and Royalton’s 'Mormon Affair': Religion, Community, Memory, and Politics in Progressive Vermont"
''Vermont History'' 73:117–151 (2005).
* Susa Young Gates, "Memorial Monument Dedication", ''Improvement Era
The ''Improvement Era'' (often shortened to ''The Era'') was an official magazine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) between 1897 and 1970.
History
The ''Improvement Era'' was first published in 1897 as a replacement t ...
'', Feb. 1906.
* George Albert Smith
"The duty of sustaining home industries, and home institutions—Incidents of the journey to Vermont and return—Remarkable interest and kindness manifest to President Smith and party—Providential help in overcoming obstacles in erection of monument—The finished structure a credit to the Church, and to Junius F. Wells"
''Conference Report'', April 1906.
Further reading
*
*
External links
*
Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial
official website
{{LDSsites
1905 sculptures
Buildings and structures completed in 1905
History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Birthplace memorial
Monuments and memorials in Vermont
Obelisks in the United States
Properties of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Buildings and structures in Royalton, Vermont
Buildings and structures in Sharon, Vermont
Stone sculptures in Vermont
Tourist attractions in Windsor County, Vermont
1905 establishments in Vermont
Smith, Joseph