Trip back to Utah - Day 2

After Kirtland we headed to Palmyra, New York. First we went to Hill Cumorah. We walked up to the top of the hill, and it was a steep hill. The view was beautiful from the top, and there was a neat feeling there. Someday we want to go back to see the pageant.



After we headed to the Sacred Grove visitors center. We were able to go on a tour to see where the Smith family lived. They first lived in a small log home and then later moved into the family home. In the family home we were able to see places that Joseph actually hid the plates. One of the places was underneath the bricks in the hearth and the actual bricks were there. There was also a replica of the cooper shop where the plates were hidden.



After the tour we made the walk to the Sacred Grove. This may sound ridiculous but I always thought Joseph had to walk aways to the Sacred Grove, but it was a lot closer than I thought. We walked for a while and then had some alone time as well. There is really a very, very, very neat feeling there. It was also interesting because the missionaries told us the pictures we always see of the Sacred Grove is not completely accurate. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph in the early spring and in New York the pictures below are more of what New York in the early spring looks like, so they said. We also had fun thinking of which trees might have actually been there and taking pictures with the ones we thought were most likely there.


Once we had soaked up enough of the Sacred Grove we stopped by the Palmyra Temple. It was a Monday so there was no one there and it was really peaceful. The windows were amazing! They were stain glass and represented the Sacred Grove. The view from the temple was also beautiful of the Sacred Grove.



We then went to find the grave stone of Alvin Smith. We found the cemetery and it took us a little while to find the grave because we started on the other side of the cemetery. Alvin was such a great example and it was so neat to find the grave. We then headed to the Grandin Press where the first copy of the Book of Mormon was printed. We were able to have a tour and see the process they went through to produce one book. It was quite time consuming and I would be exhausted if I were in their shoes. They also had a first edition Book of Mormon copy in the museum. Our last stop was to the Peter Whitmer farm where the church was first organized. It was amazing to see where the early saints met to hold their meetings and I was surprised at how small the space was. I don't know how all of them could fit inside.