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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

Mormons, monuments, Mormon studies

College

Religious Education

Department

Church History and Doctrine

Abstract

Joseph Smith was born December 23, 1805, at the Mack farm in Sharon, Vermont.1 Though his family moved when he was young, the influence of his Vermont heritage was important in the development of the young Prophet and subsequently on the restoration of the Gospel.2 After the exodus of the Saints to the west and their ensuing establishment in Utah, Elder Junius F. Wells returned to the east to seek out significant sites in the history of the Church. He lived at the Mack farm for years and conceived of the idea of erecting a monument.3 Work began on the erection of the monument, and countless challenges arose and were miraculously surmounted.4 On December 23, 1905, the dedicatory services for the Monument to Joseph Smith were presided over by President Joseph F. Smith. At the dedication, Elder Francis M. Lyman declared, “You will find that travel will increase over this road, and it will become one of the most famous spots of the United States.”5 The erection and dedication of the Monument created cordial feelings in the surrounding area, and President Smith and others were well received during their stay in the neighboring town of South Royalton. On the evening of the dedication they spoke to a friendly crowd before beginning a tour that would eventually take them through Boston and Chicago as well. On December 28, 1905, an entire page of the local White River Herald was dedicated to the efforts of the Mormons.6 Construction on the new Memorial began in 1960, and the visitor’s center opened in 1967.7 The Memorial brought renewed interest in the LDS Church, and is now part of various local and Church-sponsored bus tours.

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