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Lower Cell Door at Liberty JailCraig James Ostler, 2004
The prisoners
entered the "dungeon" by ladder through a hole in the
floor. If the guards wished to control how fast the
prisoners could enter or exit, a rope was used. Here
the prisoners spent most of their time and were
allowed on the upper floor only to take their meals. Under
these conditions they lived from December 1, 1838, to April
6, 1839.
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.
Replica of Underground Cell at Liberty JailCraig James Ostler, 2004
"We lean on the
arm of Jehovah," wrote Joseph Smith to his wife while
in Liberty Jail, "and none else, for our deliverance, and if
he doesn't do it, it will not be done, you may be
assured, for there is a great thristing for our blood,
in this state" (Personal Writings of Joseph Smith,
464:, spelling modernized).
Replica of Liberty JailMatt Reier, 2000
Liberty Jail was
a two-story building constructed of four-feet thick
walls. The outer wall was made of limestone and the inner
wall of solid oak. Loose rock and gravel was placed in
between the two layers to discourage attempts at
escape.
Double Door, Outer Entrance to Liberty JailSteve Mortensen, 2003
"The prisoners . . .
ascended the south steps to the platform. . . . The door was
open, and, one by one, the tall and well-proportioned forms
of the prisoners entered. The Prophet Joseph was the last of
the number who lingered behind. He turned partly around,
with a slow and dignified movement, and looked upon the
multitude. Then turning away, and lifting his hat, he said,
in a distinct voice, 'Good afternoon, gentlemen.' The next
moment he had passed out of sight. The heavy door swung upon
its strong hinges and the Prophet was hid from the gaze of
the curious populace who had so eagerly watched" ( Lyman
Omer. Littlefield, Reminiscences of Latter-day
Saints, 80).
Replica of Joseph Smith at Liberty JailVal Brinkerhoff, 2004
In a letter to
his wife, Joseph Smith described his experience at Liberty
Jail, saying: "I have been under the grimace of a guard
night and day, and within the walls grates and
screeching iron doors, of a lonesome, dark, dirty
prison. With emotions known only to God, do I write
this letter, the contemplations, of the mind under these
circumstances, defies the pen, or tongue, or Angels,
to describe, or paint, to the human being, who never
experienced what we experience" (Personal Writings of
Joseph Smith, 463 spelling modernized).
Liberty JailJ.T. Hicks, circa 1878
Joseph Smith and
several other Church leaders were betrayed into the
hands of a militia commanded by General Samuel D. Lucas in
Far West, Missouri, in late 1838. After a brief
incarceration in Richmond, the prisoners were brought
to Liberty Jail in December 1838.
