John Johnson Farm facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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John Johnson Farm
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | Hiram Township, Portage County, Ohio |
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| Architectural style | Colonial |
| NRHP reference No. | 76001512 |
| Added to NRHP | 12 December 1976 |
The John Johnson Farm is a special old house listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It's in Hiram Township, Ohio, near the village of Hiram, Ohio. This house was built in 1828. It's very important in the history of the Latter Day Saint movement. Joseph Smith and his family lived here from September 1831 to March 1832.
While Joseph Smith lived at the farm, it was the main office for the Church of Christ. Many important messages, called revelations, were given to Joseph Smith and other Church leaders here. The Johnson Farm is also known as the place where Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon faced a difficult and unfair attack in March 1832.
The Smith family moved back to Kirtland in 1832. The Johnson family also moved to Kirtland the next year. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bought the farm in 1956. They started using it as a historical site. From 1971 to 2002, the land next to the farm was used to grow apples and strawberries. This was part of the Church’s program to help people. The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. It was made to look like it did originally in 2001. Today, it is still a place tourists can visit. Volunteers from the Church work there.
About the Johnson Family Farm
John and Mary Elsa Johnson came to Hiram in 1818. They had 10 children. They bought 100 acres of land on both sides of what is now Pioneer Trail. At first, they lived in a small log cabin. Then, in 1828, they built the larger colonial style house.
The Johnson family used their farm to grow apples and corn. They also raised dairy cows. They used the milk from the cows to make cheese. This cheese was sold all over the area, even as far away as New York.
The Johnsons sold their home and land to the Stevens family in 1833. This was when they moved to Kirtland. The farm stayed in the Stevens family for four generations. Then, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bought it in 1956. The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. It was fixed up to look like it did in 1828 between 1996 and 2001. Church president Gordon B. Hinckley officially opened it again in late 2001.
Important Teachings and Ideas
Many important messages, called revelations, were received by Joseph Smith and other Church leaders at the Johnson Farm. Sixteen sections of the book called Doctrine and Covenants were received there. These included section 1, which is the introduction, and section 76. Section 76 describes a vision of the degrees of glory, which are different levels in heaven.
In section 76, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon wrote about seeing Jesus Christ. They said, "And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of [Jesus Christ], this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father". Joseph Smith also worked on his special revision of the Bible while living at the Johnson home.
