Kirtland, OH

Day 7 continued (Tuesday, July 14, 2009):  I honestly didn't think our vacation could get any better but then it did in Kirtland, OH.  We sure did a lot in one day here.  Our first stop was the Kirtland Temple built by the saints and dedicated by Joseph Smith.  Soo many amazing and wonder things happened right inside this very building but I sure felt sad as I walked through it. This building is owned by the "Community of Christ" church and it just feels soo empty inside.  I wanted so much to see the "glittering" walls that the early saints had donated their best china to be crushed into the stucco but the building has been painted over several times.  Nothing about the outside of the building is in its original state.  The tour guide was unable to answer simple questions about certain symbolism in the temple.  But as we crossed the street over the the Newel K. Whitney home and store site (that IS owned by the LDS church) everything became so much more important and inspirational.  I had heard of Newel K. Whitney before but being here in his hometown and hearing his whole conversion story and how he stayed faithful to the end was just amazing to me.  I have a WHOLE new appreciation for Newel and his wife Elizabeth Ann and their many sacrifices they gave for the Lord.  

The Newel K. Whitney Store:

"The center of the town--a gathering place for the townsfolk."

The Whitney Home:

Painted yellow because they were very wealthy 

and yellow was the most expensive paint color of

the day because it had to be imported from Europe.

Inside the Whitney home

This is a crib as used in that time.  The silver

thing is a baby bottle--made out of lead!!!

This is an upper room of the store where 

"The School of the Prophets" was held.

Several sections of the Doctrine and Covenants

was received here.  This small room fit 30-40 men at once!

 

Day 8 (Wednesday, July 15, 2009):  This morning we headed over to the Johnson Farm.  We wanted to hit one more church history site before heading back to Pennsylvania.  I was sure glad that we decided to do this because this ended up being my most favorite church history site we visited.  The events that happened here are both horrifying and amazing.  Once again I gained a much deeper appreciation for the Johnson family who also stayed faithful to the end.  They were also a very wealthy family--the 2nd wealthiest in the area.  They ran 5 businesses including a farm, dairy, and cheesery AND they had 9 children in this home--they ended up having 15 total children by the time they reached Salt Lake.  Here are some pics of the inside of the home that the church restored near perfectly as it is 85% original.

This is the original "feather painting" 

restored as Elsa Johnson had it.

The church matched the colors as perfectly

as they could to the original paint in the home.

All mantels are original as well--torn out over 

the years but left in the attic.

This was Joseph & Emma's room for a time.

The floor was originally painted this pattern.

This room was called a "Hallowed Ground" as

Section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants was received

here and God the Father and his son appeared in this very room.

Joseph and Emma lived here for a time.  This is the room that Joseph was forced out of one night and taken from his sick child and drug out a ways from the house by mobbers who beat him, tried to poison him, and tarred and feathered him and left him for dead.  They were trying to prevent him from preaching the next morning but it didn't work.  His wife and friends spent the rest of the night cleaning him up and he preached on the porch the next morning all scratched and bruised.  Here is a picture of the porch he preached on:

This whole place was just filled with the spirit.  What an awesome place to be.  To stand where I stood is an experience I will never forget.  My testimony of Joseph Smith has only grown stronger being here.  And I most definitely have a greater appreciation of the early Saints.  What amazing and extraordinary people they were.  I have soo far to go in my own life to even compare to these amazing people.