The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicates the new Nauvoo Temple Visitor’s Center and the restored Brigham and Mary Ann Young Home on a historic day in Church history.
According to an announcement Tuesday, April 21, on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will preside over the dedication ceremony on Saturday, June 27, in historic Nauvoo, Illinois.
June 27th is the anniversary of the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith, who were murdered in Carthage, Illinois, on June 27, 1844. This day also commemorates the dedication of the rebuilt Nauvoo Illinois Temple on June 27, 2002.
This dedication will be a ticketed event for in-person attendees. It will also be broadcast live on ChurchofJesusChrist.org. The broadcast is also available at multiple locations in Nauvoo.
Nauvoo Temple Visitors Center
The new visitor center will feature historical artifacts, interactive exhibits, short films, Tiffany stained glass depicting Jesus Christ, activities for children, and more. Visitors can learn about the history of the original Nauvoo temple, the current Nauvoo Illinois Temple, and the importance of the House of the Lord in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
“Our hope is that all who come here will feel the love of Jesus Christ and gain a deeper appreciation of the sacred covenants and ordinances of the Lord’s holy house. Most of the covenants and ordinances performed in the temple today were first restored in Nauvoo,” Elder Kyle S. McKay of the General Authority Seventy, Church historian and recorder, said in the announcement.
Brigham and Mary Ann Young’s home
The recently restored Brigham and Mary Ann Young Home will also be rededicated at the same ceremony. The house was first restored in the 1960s, and the structure and program have since been updated. The new guided tour focuses on the Young family’s preparations to leave their home in Nauvoo and begin the long journey west.
Opening June 29th
Starting Monday, June 29, the Nauvoo Temple Visitor’s Center, 155 Wells Street, Nauvoo, Illinois, and the Brigham and Mary Ann Young Home, 610 Kimball Street, Nauvoo, Illinois, will be open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
Early Nauvoo
Latter-day Saints began gathering in Nauvoo in 1839, when it was little more than a swamp. Within six years they had built a prosperous city of over 10,000 inhabitants, including the building of the House of the Lord. Nauvoo was the church’s headquarters from 1839 to 1846.
In the early 1840s, Joseph Smith received several revelations, taught basic doctrine, organized Relief Society, and instituted temple ordinances.
The Lord directed the Saints to build the Lord’s house in Nauvoo in 1841. Despite the persecution of 1844 and the death of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, many received temple blessings before fleeing west in 1846. A fire and subsequent tornado destroyed the building. Church President Gordon B. Hinckley announced that the temple, dedicated on June 27, 2002, will be rebuilt on the historic site on April 4, 1999.
For more information about these and other historic sites in the Nauvoo area, visit the church’s website, ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
The dedication of the new Nauvoo Temple Visitor’s Center follows the Church’s acquisition of historic buildings, including the Joseph and Emma Smith House, the Smith Family Homestead, and the Red Brick Store, which will reopen for free public tours in 2024.
The last dedication ceremony at a Church historic site occurred last September when Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles rededicated the renovated Hill Cumorah Historic Site near Palmyra, New York.
