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Joseph Smith's Red Brick StoreB. H. Roberts Collection, circa 1885
Here Joseph wrote
a letter to the editor of a Chicago newspaper
containing a brief history of the Church and a 13-statement
declaration of beliefs now known as the Articles of
Faith.
Joseph Smith's Desk in the Red Brick StoreTimothy L. Taggart, 1982
Here, in his
final meeting with the Apostles, the Prophet explained
"that he had received every key, every power and every gift
for the salvation of the living and the dead, and he
said, 'Upon the Twelve I seal these gifts and powers
and keys from henceforth and forever. . . . And I lay
this work upon your shoulders'" ("The Temple Workers'
Excursion," Young Woman's Journal, Aug. 1894,
513).
The Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa area of the USAChurch History Maps.
1. Independence:
Identified as the center place of Zion (see D&C
57:3). A temple site was dedicated on 3 August 1831. The
Saints were driven from here in 1833.
2. Fishing River:
Joseph Smith and Zion's Camp traveled from Kirtland,
Ohio, to Missouri in 1834 to restore the Jackson County
Saints to their land. D&C 105 was revealed on the
banks of this river.
3. Far West: This
was the largest Mormon settlement in Missouri. A site
for a temple was dedicated at this location (see D&C
115). On 8 July 1838, the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles received a call from the Lord to serve
missions in the British Isles (see D&C 118).
4.
Adam-ondi-Ahman: The Lord identified this place in upper
Missouri as the site where a future great gathering
will take place when Jesus Christ comes to meet with
Adam and his righteous posterity and receive keys (see
D&C 78:15; 107:53-57; 116).
5. Liberty Jail:
Joseph Smith and others were falsely imprisoned here
from December 1838 to April 1839. In the midst of troubled
times for the Church, Joseph called on the Lord for
direction and received D&C 121-23.
6. Nauvoo:
Located on the Mississippi River, this area was the
gathering place for the Saints from 1839 through 1846.
Here a temple was built, and ordinances such as
baptism for the dead, the endowment, and the sealing
of families began. Here the Relief Society was organized in
1842. Revelations received include D&C 124-29.
7. Carthage: Here
the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were
martyred on 27 June 1844 (see D&C 135).
8. Winter
Quarters: The headquarters settlement for the Saints
(1846-48) en route to the Salt Lake Valley. The Camp
of Israel was organized for the westward journey (see
D&C 136).
9. Council Bluffs
(Kanesville): The First Presidency was sustained here
on 27 December 1847, with Brigham Young as President.
Nauvoo, IllinoisWarner and Beers; Union Atlas Co., 1876.
Map of Nauvoo, Illinois
as it looked in 1876. The temple plot is visible in the
center of the city and the Homestead, Mansion House, Nauvoo
House and Red Brick Store are located near the Smith
Cemetery along the southern river bank.
Upper Room of Red Brick StoreVal Brinkerhoff, 2004
On May 4, 1842,
the Prophet "spent the day in the upper part of the
store . . . attending to washings, anointings, endowments .
. . and all those plans and principles by which any
one is enabled to secure the fullness of those
blessings which have been prepared for the Church of
the First Born" (History of the Church,
5:1–2).
Red Brick StoreVal Brinkerhoff, 2004
To the west of
the Homestead, along the banks of the Mississippi Joseph
Smith owned and operated the Red Brick Store. It served as
Church headquarters for a time and was a social hub of
activity, making it one of the most important
buildings in Nauvoo.
Interior of Joseph Smith's Red Brick StoreVal Brinkerhoff, 2004The Prophet's dry goods store was located on the ground floor, along with the office of Bishop Newel K. Whitney. The Whitneys, who had provided Joseph a home in Kirtland, lived in the upper level of Joseph's Red Brick Store for a time, thus fulfilling a prophecy uttered by Joseph in Kirtland. Elizabeth Whitney recalled the prophecy as follows: "Even as we had done by him . . . when he was without a home; even so should we in the future be received by him" ("A Leaf from an Autobiography," Woman's Exponent, Nov. 15, 1878, 91).Red Brick StoreTim Taggart
Joseph Smith
organized the Relief Society here in the upper room on March
17, 1842, with Emma Smith as president. "This Society shall
rejoice," he said on that occasion, "and knowledge and
intelligence shall flow down from this time henceforth"
(<i>History of the Church</i>, 4:607).
