With my first year of medical school ending in May and Sandi having a very flexible working schedule. So we took a trip to Kansas City.
As you might know, the midwest is full of many Latter Day Saint (Mormon) church history sites. A lot of them our in Missouri. Sandi and I took a drive down to Liberty Jail. Liberty Jail is a former jail where Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was imprisoned from December 1, 1838 to April 6, 1839. It was a double walled, masonry and timber structure, twenty-two and a half feet long, twenty-two feet wide, and twelve feet tall. The outer walls were stone masonry construction, two feet thick. Try making your way out of that! The inner walls and ceilings were hewn oak logs, about a foot square. There was about a foot of space between the outside masonry walls and the inside oak walls. This space and the space above the upper ceiling were filled with loose rock to discourage escape.
A little Church history. Followers of Joseph Smith from Kirtland, Ohio were among the first settlers in the Kansas City metropolitan area, locating about 15 miles (24 km) southeast of the jail site in Independence, Jackson County, Missouri in 1831. After Smith proclaimed that Independence was near the location of the Biblical Garden of Eden and the City of Zion should be located there, settlers in the area feared that they would lose political control of the county to the growing numbers of immigrating Mormons. To suppress Mormon ambitions in the area, settlers destroyed a Mormon printing press. Tensions even led to violence. In 1833, Smith led the Mormons to resettle in Clay County. Then later in 1836, Smith followers then moved 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Liberty to establish Far West, Missouri in Caldwell County, Missouri. The turmoil between the Saints and other settlers continued to grow until on October 27, 1838, Lilburn W. Boggs, governor of the state of Missouri, issued an Extermination Order. "
The Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State if necessary for the public peace... their outrages are beyond all description." Joseph Smith surrendered to the Missouri Militia and was placed in Liberty Jail and the Saints were driven from Missouri to Nauvoo Illinois.
In Independence is also the Community of Christ temple. The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS). They are a break from the main Mormon Church. Some changes included the ordination of women to the priesthood, and open communion. Independence is also a center for several other small Latter Day Saint break off Churches like the Hedrickites which have the Church on Temple Lot.
After visiting Liberty Jail, Far West, and Independence. Independence also happens to be the home of Harry Truman (33rd President who grew up in Independence and famous for authorizing the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan). His home happens to be a National Park Site. We toured downtown to Kansas City and visited the National World War I memorial.
As you might know, the midwest is full of many Latter Day Saint (Mormon) church history sites. A lot of them our in Missouri. Sandi and I took a drive down to Liberty Jail. Liberty Jail is a former jail where Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was imprisoned from December 1, 1838 to April 6, 1839. It was a double walled, masonry and timber structure, twenty-two and a half feet long, twenty-two feet wide, and twelve feet tall. The outer walls were stone masonry construction, two feet thick. Try making your way out of that! The inner walls and ceilings were hewn oak logs, about a foot square. There was about a foot of space between the outside masonry walls and the inside oak walls. This space and the space above the upper ceiling were filled with loose rock to discourage escape.
A little Church history. Followers of Joseph Smith from Kirtland, Ohio were among the first settlers in the Kansas City metropolitan area, locating about 15 miles (24 km) southeast of the jail site in Independence, Jackson County, Missouri in 1831. After Smith proclaimed that Independence was near the location of the Biblical Garden of Eden and the City of Zion should be located there, settlers in the area feared that they would lose political control of the county to the growing numbers of immigrating Mormons. To suppress Mormon ambitions in the area, settlers destroyed a Mormon printing press. Tensions even led to violence. In 1833, Smith led the Mormons to resettle in Clay County. Then later in 1836, Smith followers then moved 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Liberty to establish Far West, Missouri in Caldwell County, Missouri. The turmoil between the Saints and other settlers continued to grow until on October 27, 1838, Lilburn W. Boggs, governor of the state of Missouri, issued an Extermination Order. "The Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State if necessary for the public peace... their outrages are beyond all description." Joseph Smith surrendered to the Missouri Militia and was placed in Liberty Jail and the Saints were driven from Missouri to Nauvoo Illinois.
In Independence is also the Community of Christ temple. The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS). They are a break from the main Mormon Church. Some changes included the ordination of women to the priesthood, and open communion. Independence is also a center for several other small Latter Day Saint break off Churches like the Hedrickites which have the Church on Temple Lot.
After visiting Liberty Jail, Far West, and Independence. Independence also happens to be the home of Harry Truman (33rd President who grew up in Independence and famous for authorizing the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan). His home happens to be a National Park Site. We toured downtown to Kansas City and visited the National World War I memorial.
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