Nauvoo House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nauvoo House |
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|---|---|
The Nauvoo House (at right)
and neighboring Bidaman Stable |
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| General information | |
| Address | 950 South Main Street, Nauvoo IL 62354 |
| Coordinates | 40°32′24″N 91°23′29″W / 40.5401°N 91.3914°W |
| Construction started | 1841 |
| Construction stopped | 1844 |
The Nauvoo House in Nauvoo, Illinois, was planned to be a large boarding house or guesthouse. Joseph Smith, who started the Latter Day Saint movement, and his followers began building it in the 1840s. The guesthouse was never fully finished. Later, it was turned into a home and called the Riverside Mansion. Today, the Nauvoo House is part of the Nauvoo Historic District, which is a special National Historic Landmark.
Contents
Building the Nauvoo House
Starting the Project
In January 1841, Joseph Smith received a special message. It gave instructions to build a house in Nauvoo. This house was meant to be "a resting-place for the weary traveler." The message also said the building should be named the Nauvoo House. It even explained how to get the money to build it.
Four people were chosen to manage the project: George Miller, Lyman Wight, John Snider, and Peter Haws. They created a group called the Nauvoo House Association on February 23, 1841.
A Special Cornerstone
Construction of the Nauvoo House began later in 1841. Joseph Smith placed the first handwritten copy of the Book of Mormon inside the building's cornerstone. Building continued until 1844. At that time, workers and materials were moved from the Nauvoo House. They were needed to finish the Nauvoo Temple instead.
Changes and Challenges
In June 1844, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum died tragically. To keep their bodies safe, they were first buried quietly in the cellar of the unfinished Nauvoo House. Later, their bodies were moved and buried near their home. Even later, they were moved again to the nearby Smith Family Cemetery.
From Guesthouse to Home
The Riverside Mansion
After Joseph Smith's death, his wife Emma Smith still owned the Nauvoo House. Most members of the Latter Day Saints church moved away from Nauvoo in the late 1840s. The house was still not finished.
In the 1870s, Emma and her husband Lewis C. Bidamon changed the unfinished guesthouse. They made it into a smaller home called the Riverside Mansion. It was also sometimes called the Bidamon House. Lewis Bidamon took down parts of the original building to use the materials. Some of these materials were used to build the nearby Bidamon Stable.
A Damaged Treasure
During these changes, Lewis Bidamon took the original Book of Mormon manuscript from the cornerstone. Water had leaked into the stone, badly damaging the manuscript. Small, broken pieces were sometimes given to visitors by the Bidamons. Emma and Lewis Bidamon both lived in the Riverside Mansion from 1871 until they passed away.
Who Owns the Nauvoo House?
In 1909, the Community of Christ church bought the property. This church used to be called the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church). The building was used by the church as a place for groups to stay. It was also a stop on their guided tours of the Joseph Smith Historic Site. This continued until March 2024.
On March 5, 2024, it was announced that the Nauvoo House had been sold. Other important historical buildings and items, like the Kirtland Temple, were also sold. The Community of Christ sold them to another church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
