Palmira, New York

Peter Witmer Home - On April 6th, 1830 in Peter Whitmer's small log home in Fayette, New York, Joseph Smith and 5 others formally organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.


The Palyra Temple


This is us standing on the street Joseph Smith's family lived on, with the fabulous view of the Temple.

Book of Mormon Historic Publication Site - It is here that E.B. Grandin directed the printing of 5,000 copies of the first edition of the Book of Mormon.


This is a picture of one of the first-edition, leather-bound copy of the Book of Mormon and a Bible from the time period.

Inside the Printing office. The floor is original, but the bookshelves, books and furniture are replicas.



Joseph Smith's family's log home (actually a replica, but on the original foundation). His parent's had their room on the main floor, then all the children shared the 2 rooms upstairs, a boy's room and a girl's room.

This picture is the 4 of us upstairs where the Angel Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith.


Sacred Grove - At age 14, Joseph Smith felt a great desire to know which church to join. While reading the Bible, he came across James 1:5 - "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God." On a beautiful spring morning in 1820 he went to a nearby grove of trees to pray. In response to his prayer, God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph and directed him to join no church that was then established.

I've heard and read these accounts of Joseph my entire life and felt the truth of them. But to be there where it actually took place was amazing. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to see these places to strengthen my testimony of Joseph Smith and the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This is Joseph's home at the time and a view of the Sacred Grove behind


Joseph Smith's family lived here for about 3 years, it's just down the street from the log home. 80% of this home is original.

This is the fireplace where Joseph Smith hid the plates under the bricks when a mob was coming to steal them.



The Hill Cumorah - In A.D. 421 Moroni buried in this Hill a set of golden plates on which was recorded the history of his people. In 1827 Moroni returned to this
hill as an angel and delivered the plates to Joseph Smith, who translated and published them as the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

This is the 4 of us standing in front of the Christus in the visitor's center.

This is the monument on the top of the hill

The Visitor's center

The Hill Cumorah, see the monument at the top, on the left?


I took a lot of the narration from a pamphlet we picked up called Hill Cumorah and Other Historic New York Sites by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For more info, visit www.mormon.org