Adam-ondi-Ahman facts for kids
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Quick facts for kids Efforts halted in 1830s |
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 The declared site of a Latter Day Saint Temple, Joseph Smith dedicated the site in October 1838. However, efforts to build the temple were halted by the expulsion of the Latter Day Saints from Missouri. |
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Adam-ondi-Ahman is a special historic place in Daviess County, Missouri, in the United States. It's about five miles south of Jameson, Missouri. This area is along the bluffs (cliffs) next to the Grand River.
For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), this site is very important. They believe it's the place where Adam and Eve lived after they left the Garden of Eden. The church also teaches that this spot will be a gathering place in the future. Important religious leaders, including prophets from all time, and other good people, will meet here before Jesus Christ returns to Earth.
The Latter Day Saints once planned to build a temple at Adam-ondi-Ahman. However, these plans stopped in the 1800s because of a conflict called the 1838 Mormon War. This war led to the Latter Day Saints being forced to leave Missouri. Their belief that Adam-ondi-Ahman was a sacred place for a temple was a big reason for the conflict.
After the Latter Day Saints left, local residents changed the site's name to Cravensville. During the American Civil War, a small fight happened here on August 4, 1862. Union soldiers tried to stop Confederate soldiers from getting more help. Six Confederates were killed, and ten were hurt. The Union forces had five soldiers wounded.
Today, most of Adam-ondi-Ahman is owned by the LDS Church. It is mainly used as farmland.
History of Adam-ondi-Ahman
In the 1830s, Latter Day Saints were forced to leave Jackson County, Missouri. They settled in Caldwell County, Missouri, in a town called Far West. In February 1838, a man named Lyman Wight built a home and started a ferry service on the Grand River. This spot was known as "Wight's Ferry."
That spring, Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, visited the area. He announced that there were altars built by Adam at this site. One altar was called the "altar of prayer." It was near Wight's house on Tower Hill. This altar was described as being about sixteen feet long and nine or ten feet wide. It was about two and a half feet high at the ends and rose to four or five feet high in the middle. Another altar, called the "altar of sacrifice," was said to be a mile north on Spring Hill.
On May 19, 1838, Joseph Smith officially shared his belief that Adam-ondi-Ahman was where Adam and Eve went after leaving the Garden of Eden. On June 25, 1838, a Latter Day Saint settlement was formally started at Adam-ondi-Ahman. In just a few months, the population of this new settlement grew to 1500 people.
Other settlers in the area became worried. They feared that the Latter Day Saints would take control of Daviess County's politics. On August 6, 1838, some non-Mormons tried to stop Latter Day Saint settlers from voting in local elections in Gallatin. The Latter Day Saints fought back and won this small battle. This event, known as the Gallatin Election Day Battle, started the Mormon War.
During this conflict, groups of non-Mormon vigilantes from nearby counties came to Daviess County. They burned the homes of Latter Day Saints. Many Latter Day Saint families sought safety at Adam-ondi-Ahman. Latter Day Saints from Caldwell County also sent their own groups to respond to the attacks. Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs then issued an order. This order, called Missouri Executive Order 44, called for 2500 soldiers. It also threatened to "exterminate" (destroy) the Mormon community.
In October 1838, Joseph Smith and other Latter Day Saint leaders, including Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball, met. They dedicated the temple square on the highest part of the bluff. On November 1, 1838, Smith, Wight, and others surrendered. They faced various charges. After a court hearing in Richmond, Smith and Wight were moved to the jail in Liberty.
On November 7, 1838, the Latter Day Saints were told they had ten days to leave the settlement. They moved to Far West, Missouri.
On April 9, 1839, Smith was sent to the Daviess County Jail in Gallatin for another hearing. A grand jury formally accused him. On April 15, Smith was allowed by his guards to escape while traveling to Boone County, Missouri. This happened a day after he got supplies at Adam-ondi-Ahman. Most of the Latter Day Saints had already left Missouri by early 1839. The refugees gathered in Illinois and later formed a new center in Nauvoo. Many Latter Day Saints were put on trial for their part in the war. However, no non-Mormon vigilantes were brought to trial.
Because the Latter Day Saints had claimed their lands in Adam-ondi-Ahman by preemption, they lost all their rights and improvements when they were forced to leave. Their losses were recorded in documents called Mormon Redress Petitions. Most of the land in Adam-ondi-Ahman was bought by John Cravens. He renamed the town "Cravensville."
Today, the LDS Church owns and cares for 3000 acres (about 12 square kilometers) of Adam-ondi-Ahman. It is kept as a historic site and is still mostly undeveloped farmland.
Religious Importance
Adam-ondi-Ahman is mentioned in a special message, or revelation, that Joseph Smith received. This message is written in the Doctrine and Covenants. This book is a collection of scripture for the Latter Day Saint movement. The revelation says: "Spring Hill is named by the Lord Adam-ondi-Ahman, because, said he, it is the place where Adam shall come to visit his people, or the Ancient of Days shall sit, as spoken of by Daniel the prophet."
People who knew Joseph Smith said he taught that the Garden of Eden was near Independence, Missouri. After Adam and Eve were sent out of the garden, they went to Adam-ondi-Ahman.
According to another message from Smith, Adam met his children at this site three years before he died. He met them to give them his blessings. A leader of the LDS Church, Joseph Fielding Smith, has written about a future event. He said that before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, Adam will hold another meeting there. At this meeting, Adam will officially give the leadership of the human family to Jesus Christ.
Images for kids
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Valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman (the Grand River valley)
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Panorama of Adam-ondi-Ahman
See also
In Spanish: Adán-ondi-Ahmán para niños
