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Red Brick Store facts for kids

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Joseph Smith Red Brick Store in Nauvoo
The original Red Brick Store around the 1840s

The Red Brick Store was a special building in Nauvoo, Illinois. It was built and owned by Joseph Smith, who started the Latter Day Saint movement.

The First Red Brick Store

Joseph Smiths Red Brick Store 1885
The Red Brick Store in 1885, looking a bit old

Joseph Smith built the Red Brick Store in 1841. This building became a very busy place for the Latter Day Saints. It was not just a store where people bought things. It was also a place for important church activities. The second floor even served as the main office for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for a while. Church members would visit the store to pay their tithing, which is a donation to the church.

Important Events at the Store

Many important things happened at the Red Brick Store in the history of the Latter Day Saint movement. These include:

  • The start of the Relief Society on March 17, 1842. This is the church's organization for women.
  • The first time the Nauvoo Endowment ordinance was performed. This happened on May 4, 1842.

The Store's Journey: From Old to New

NauvooStore
The rebuilt Red Brick Store in Nauvoo, Illinois

After Joseph Smith was killed, most of the Latter Day Saints left Nauvoo. The Red Brick Store then started to fall apart. Eventually, it was taken down. Its bricks were used to build other new buildings in Nauvoo.

In 1980, a church called the Community of Christ (which used to be known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) rebuilt the Red Brick Store. They built it right on the original foundation. This was part of their 150-year celebration. Today, the rebuilt Red Brick Store is owned and managed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They bought the building on March 5, 2024. This purchase was part of a bigger sale of old and important church properties.

Another Red Brick Store in Utah

In Manti, Utah, there is another building called the Red Brick Store. This building is the main office for a church called the True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days. They named their building the Red Brick Store to honor Joseph Smith's original store in Nauvoo.

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