While my family was here, we were able to rent a car and drive to Palmyra to visit the Church sites. It was such an awesome experience. Definitely worth the five and half hour drive. Sadly, Brian was not able to come because he had some work stuff to finish up that day. :( So we are planning on going again when he can come.
We went on Columbus Day, October 11. We only had the one day to do it in so we left at like 6:00 in the morning. We rented a suburban, which was really nice. We programmed our GPS (thanks Layne and Kris!) and off we went. Tyler did most of the driving that day with Kelsey navigating. Luckily the traffic wasn't too horrible in the city. It was still scary, and definitely different from driving in Idaho, but we made it out of the city without a problem.
Once we got out of the city, the countryside was gorgeous. Despite the long drive, it was a beautiful one, and I think we all enjoyed it.
There were tons of dairy farms on the way to Palmyra. We drove through parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and then back into upstate New York. The farms were so picturesque. Very neat and tidy and most of them had red and white barns. There were also lots of corn fields. Us country folk really enjoyed the scenery!
We made it to our first stop about noon. This is the Hill Cumorah Visitor's Center. I don't remember the names of the missionary couple that helped us, but they were from Utah and very friendly. They took us on a small tour of the building and gave us a map of the area.
My brother served a mission in the Phillipines and was reading from the Book of Mormon in the Tagolog language. It's crazy to hear my brother speak a different language.
After touring the visitors center, we headed outside and climbed the path to the top of the hill. It was a pretty steep climb, but the views were definitely worth it.
Inside the publishing site, you can go on a tour of the building where they take you through the different rooms and show you the publishing process.
They still had the original floors, ceilings, and brick of the store. It was awesome to walk on the same floors where Joseph Smith, E.B. Grandin, and others walked.
This is where all the type was stored. The type was so small!
The printing press with examples of finished printed pages in the lower left corner of the picture. They showed us how these pages where folded, pressed, and bound together to create a book. It was very cool.
This is actual ink still on the walls from when the publishing house was in operation.
After the books were bound, these tools were heated up and used to stamp the title on the outside cover.
These are the original paintings. Very neat to see.
The Palmyra Temple is located not far from the Joseph Smith Farm. It was a Monday so the Temple was closed but luckily the grounds were open. It is a beautiful temple. I'm definitely bringing Brian back during a time when we can attend a session.
Here is a group shot of everyone on the temple grounds. It was an awesome experience to get to see all of this with my family.
The Temple grounds were gorgeous! Near the temple, they were more landscaped with retaining walls, walkways, and mums everywhere. Then the grounds dissolved into a large, open grassy area leading to the forest. Definitely breathtaking views.
The Sacred Grove was hands down my favorite part of the whole trip. It was such a calm, peaceful place not to mention beautiful. Everything was so still and sacred. I could have stayed there forever. It is definitely a place where you can be close to the Spirit. It is amazing to be standing in the same area where Heavenly Father and Jesus appeared to Joseph Smith and answered his prayer.
This is the Smith's log home. It was so small! To think of all of those kids living in this two room house is incredible.
This is the Smith's frame home. I didn't know this but Alvin Smith was building it for his family once he got married, but he died before it was finished. The Smith's eventually finished it and then moved into it only for a short time. They actually had to sell it to be able to pay taxes and were renters in it for awhile before moving back to their log home down the road.
You can see the temple from the Joseph Smith Farm. It is such a beautiful place, especially with all the fall colors!
This is the site of Martin Harris' home. It is not his original house because it burned down. This one was built in its place. This house is neat because the outside is covered with river rocks. It's a very pretty building.
In Palmyra there is a corner as you turn onto the main street that is called the corner of the four churches. There are four different churches, one on each corner. Behind one of these churches is a small graveyard where Alvin Smith is buried. We were able to go into the cemetery and see his gravesite.
This is the original gravestone. The church put it in the back of the new marker in order to preserve it.
My whole life I've learned about the history of the Church and the Smith family, and now to actually see the places where these events took place was such a neat experience. The spirit in all of these places is incredible. It is such a peaceful place and you can just feel that it's rich with history and that important events truly happened here. If you ever get the chance to go, I encourage you to take it.
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