History of Nauvoo, Illinois
Encyclopedia
The known history of Nauvoo, Illinois
starts with the Sauk and Fox
tribes who frequented the area. By 1827 white settlers had built cabins in the area and the area became known as Commerce, Illinois. In late 1839 arriving Mormons bought the small town of Commerce and in April 1840 it was renamed "Nauvoo" by Joseph Smith, Jr.
, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement
. Nauvoo grew rapidly and for a few years was one of the most populous cities in Illinois. Within two years after Joseph Smith's assassination in 1844 most of the population, fleeing violence, departed. Most headed west
with the group led by Brigham Young
.
In 1849 Icarians
moved to the Nauvoo area to implement a utopian socialist
commune
. In the early and mid 20th century Nauvoo was primarily a Catholic town, and the majority of the population today is Catholic. Nauvoo today is an important tourist destination for Mormons
and others who come to see the numerous restored historical buildings and visitors centers.
A large village of Sauk and Meskwaki
lived along the Mississippi near what is Nauvoo, established in the late 18th century; this village had as many as 1,000 lodges. In 1823 or 1824, Captain James White purchased the village from Quashquame
, a Sauk leader. White gave Quashquame “a little sku-ti-apo [liquor], and two thousand bushels of corn” for the land. Quashquame's village moved to the west side of the river, merging with an existing Sauk village near what is now Montrose, Iowa
.
In 1841, Joseph Smith, Jr., living in Nauvoo, was visited by Sauk and Meskwaki from the Iowa village. "The ferryman brought over a great number on the ferry-boat and two flat boats for the purpose of visiting me. The military band and a detachment of Invincibles (part of the Legion) were on shore ready to receive and escort them to the grove, but they refused to come on shore until I went down. I accordingly went down, and met Keokuk, Kis-ku-kosh, Appenoose, and about one hundred chiefs and braves of those tribes, with their families." Smith then discussed the Mormon religion with them, followed by a feast and dancing by the Indians.
was created in 1825 and organized in 1829, eleven years after Illinois
became a state. In 1834, absentee investors A. White and J. B. Teas laid out and plotted the town of Commerce on a bend of the Mississippi River in Hancock County, some fifty-three miles north of Quincy
. By 1839, the town had failed to attract settlers and only a few frame houses had been built. The hopes of commercial success, based on the townsite being beside a necessary portage trail past seasonal rapids, were dashed by the fact that the site and surrounding lands were also most of the time, a malaria
l swamp
.
as a result of the 1838 Mormon War and a legal proclamation known as Missouri Executive Order 44 issued by Governor Lilburn W. Boggs. They regrouped in Quincy
, whose non-Mormon citizens were shocked by the harsh treatment given them in Missouri and opened their homes to the refugees.
Joseph Smith, Jr., Prophet and president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, remained imprisoned
in Missouri, but his chief counselor in the First Presidency
, Sidney Rigdon
, had been released and rejoined the main body of the church in Quincy. Church member Isreal Barlow
fled Missouri and entered Illinois further north than the main group of Latter-day Saints. Learning from Isaac Galland, a land agent, that a large amount of land was for sale in the Commerce area, he contacted church leaders. Galland approached Rigdon in Quincy, Illinois and offered church leaders title to land in Hancock County and additional land across the river in the Iowa Territory's
Lee County
. Church leaders purchased this land as well as the mostly vacant Commerce plat in 1839, and Latter Day Saints began to settle the area immediately.
Physically weak from months of imprisonment, Smith and other leaders were permitted to escape from prison in Missouri. They rejoined the Latter Day Saints in Commerce by May 1839. He renamed the town "Nauvoo", meaning "to be beautiful." Latter Day Saints often referred to Nauvoo as "the city beautiful," or "the city of Joseph."
Despite the name, the site was, at first, an undeveloped swamp. Epidemics of cholera
, malaria
and typhoid took their toll on the struggling Mormons until the swamp was drained. The smaller community of Commerce had few buildings so construction began promptly to meet the immediate demand for housing. Elements of Joseph Smith's generalized city plan, known as the "plat of Zion" (first introduced in 1833) were used in the street layout and lot allotments in Nauvoo. The community was characterized by wood frame homes with outbuildings, gardens, orchards and grazing plots on large lots laid out on an orderly grid system. In general, the buildings were detached single-family dwellings reminiscent of New England construction styles with commercial and industrial buildings in the same pattern.
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In the spring of 1840, John C. Bennett
, the Quarter Master General of the Illinois State Militia converted to Mormonism and became Joseph Smith's friend and confidante. Bennett's experience with Illinois' government allowed him to help Smith craft a city charter for Nauvoo Based closely on the Springfield, Illinois
, charter, the document gave the city a number of important powers, including the establishment of municipal court, the University of Nauvoo
, and an independent militia unit. At the time, the Illinois state government was closely balanced between members of the Democratic party
and members of the Whig party
. Both hoped to attract Mormon votes and both were quick to place the charter into effect. After the charter was passed, Bennett was elected Nauvoo's first mayor and Smith made Bennett a member of the church's First Presidency
. A militia unit, named the "Nauvoo Legion
" was established, and Smith and Bennett were made its commanding generals.
The city grew quickly as Mormons gathered. At its height Nauvoo's population was as large as Quincy's or Springfield's, although it remained smaller than contemporary Chicago. Many new residents came from the British Isles
, as a result of a successful LDS mission established there. The Latter Day Saints published two newspapers in the city, the religious and church-owned Times and Seasons
and the secular and independently-owned Wasp
(later replaced by the Nauvoo Neighbor
). Although it mostly existed on paper, the University of Nauvoo
was established, with Bennett as chancellor.
The Nauvoo Legion, a militia, with 2,000 men was headed by the Prophet Joseph Smith who was given the commission of Lieutenant-general by Illinois' Governor Carlin. The Nauvoo militia consisted of a corps of riflemen.
On April 6, 1841, the Nauvoo Legion drilled in a great parade to honor the laying of the cornerstone for a new temple
and Sidney Rigdon
gave the dedicatory speech. The foundation of the Nauvoo Temple
was 83 ft (25 m) by 128 ft (39 m) and, when finished, its steeple rose to a height of over 100 ft (30 m). Church elder Alpheus Cutler
was put in charge of the construction of the ambitious stone structure. Another church committee began construction of a large hotel on the city's Water Street, to be called the Nauvoo House
. John D. Lee
was put in charge of constructing a meeting hall for the quorums of the Seventies.
In October 1841, a Masonic
Lodge
was established in Nauvoo in the building currently referred to as the Cultural Hall. George Miller
, one of the church's bishops, was made its "Worshipful Master" or leader. The lodge admitted far more members than was normal in Masonic practice and quickly elevated church leaders to high roles. This was the most significant time in which the Latter Day Saints were involved in Masonry.
, consisting of a Prophet and two Counselors. The Presiding High Council
(known as the Nauvoo High Council), led by Nauvoo Stake
President William Marks
was next in administrative authority, overseeing the church's legislative and judicial affairs. The church's "Traveling High Council" (or Quorum of the Twelve
) led by President Brigham Young
oversaw the church's missionary activities.
Joseph Smith, Jr. introduced and expanded a number of distinct practices while the Latter Day Saint church was headquartered in Nauvoo. These included Baptism for the dead
, Rebaptism
, the Nauvoo-era Endowment
, and the ordinance of the Second Anointing
. In addition, he created a new inner council of the church — containing both men and women — called the Anointed Quorum
.
Although not publicly acknowledged, Smith had been practicing plural marriage
for some time, and in Nauvoo he began to teach other leaders the doctrine. Controversy arose because Smith's counselor in the First Presidency and Mayor, John C. Bennett
, was caught in adultery (which Bennett considered and referred to as "spiritual wifery
" or having multiple "spiritual" wives) claiming that Joseph Smith endorsed it and practiced it himself. Bennett was subsequently expelled from Nauvoo in the summer of 1842 and Smith himself became the city's second mayor. Bennett's fall led to Brigham Young becoming more prominent among Smith's confidants. Young proved more loyal than Bennett, helping Smith promote the teachings of the Church and the practice of plural marriage with greater discretion.
Another key development was Smith's 1844 establishment of the Council of Fifty
based upon his political theory of Theodemocracy
. An extension of the Mormon belief of an imminent Millennium
, this council was meant to be a political organization which could immediately fill the roles of purely secular governments which would be destroyed at Christ's Second Coming
. The organization was meant to be fully functional only in the absence of secular government and its governing principles were to be based on the United States Constitution
. Overblown reports of the organization, which met in secret, helped fuel rumors of an aggressive theocracy with Joseph Smith as its king. The Council had little actual power, but remained in existence far after the Nauvoo period.
Nevertheless, Joseph Smith ran for President of the United States in 1844 advocating for a "theodemocracy
". He wrote: "I go emphatically, virtuously, and humanely, for a Theodemocracy, where God and the people hold the power to conduct the affairs of men in righteousness." (Nauvoo Neighbor, April 17, 1844).
and Carthage
, felt threatened by the political power of the growing Mormon bloc-voting
. In Nauvoo, Joseph Smith, Jr. was not only President of the Church, he was Mayor, head of the municipal court, and general of the militia. This power base, plus the fact that Mormons benefited from collective group efforts as opposed to the more isolated and independent non-Mormon farmer, caused many non-LDS in the nearby areas to become suspicious and jealous.
Throughout much of the Nauvoo period, officials from Missouri attempted to arrest Smith and extradite him on charges relating to the 1838 Mormon War. When he was apprehended, Smith would appeal to the Nauvoo Municipal Court, which would issue writs of habeas corpus
and force his release. The court occasionally did the same when non-Mormons tried to arrest Latter Day Saints on other charges. Although the local court exceeded their authority in some of these cases, in at least one instance Governor Ford honored the Nauvoo court's decision to deny extradition. (Allen and Leonard, pp. 180–181) Illinoisans, generally unaware of the Church's and Smith's legal history in Missouri, began to consider this a serious subversion of the judiciary which weakened the legal position of Nauvoo and the Latter Day Saint leadership.
Dissatisfaction with the perceived theocracy also arose from within. In 1844, First Presidency member, William Law
— an important merchant and counselor to Smith — broke with the church president over both the issue of plural marriage
and the legal issues in Nauvoo. Law was excommunicated and founded a reformed church called the True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
. He also established a newspaper named the Nauvoo Expositor
which threatened to expose the practice of plural marriage; only one issue was published.
On June 10, Smith held a meeting of the city council which, after two full days of meeting, condemned the Expositor as "a public nuisance" and empowered him to order the press destroyed. A portion of the Nauvoo Legion
, Smith's militia, marched into the office, wrecked the press and burned every copy of the Nauvoo Expositor that could be found.
The destruction of the press was seen as an opportunity by critics such as Thomas Sharp, whose paper in nearby Warsaw had been openly calling for destruction of the Church. Fanned by Sharp and others, public sentiment held that the action was illegal and unconstitutional. Some non-Mormons and disaffected church members in and around Hancock county, Illinois, began to call for Smith's arrest. Smith, his brother Hyrum
, and several other church leaders submitted to arrest. While awaiting trial in Carthage, the county seat, under assurance of safety from Illinois governor Ford, Joseph and Hyrum Smith were assassinated when a vigilante mob attacked the jail. (See Death of Joseph Smith, Jr.
.)
became aware of it, he sent militia troops to disperse the gathering. However, as he later recalled:
Vigilante bands continued to roam the county, forcing Latter Day Saints in outlying areas to abandon their homes and gather to Nauvoo for protection.
When the Illinois state legislature met in December 1844, there was great support for the repeal of the Nauvoo Charter. Governor Ford conceded that the charter's privileges had been "much abused" by the Mormons, but he urged that the legislature merely amend the document, saying "I do not see how ten or twelve thousand people can do well in a city without some chartered privileges". However, on January 29, 1845, the repeal was overwhelmingly passed by a vote of 25-14 in the Senate and 75-31 in the House.
After its legal disincorporation, Nauvoo government and civil institutions were legally dissolved and the church administrative structure operated as a default government. This more theocratic organization was known informally by its residents as the "City of Joseph" while disincorporated. After a succession crisis
, Brigham Young gained support from the majority of church members and so controlled Nauvoo. Informal security procedures were established, including what were known as "whittling and whistling brigades." These were made up of Mormon men and boys who "whistled" while "whittling" with large knives held close to any suspicious strangers who entered Nauvoo. According to one witness:
Nauvoo's population peaked at about this time in 1845; it may have had as many as 12,000 inhabitants (and several nearly as large suburbs) — rivaling Chicago
, whose 1845 population was about 15,000.
By the end of 1845 it became clear that no peace was possible between LDS church members and antagonized locals. Mormon leaders negotiated a truce so that the Latter Day Saints could prepare to abandon the city. The winter of 1845-46 saw the enormous preparations for the Mormon Exodus via the Mormon Trail
. In early 1846, the majority of the Latter Day Saints left the city. After the departure of the Mormons, the temple stood until destroyed by arsonists on November 19, 1848.
159 years later, on April 1, 2004, the Illinois House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution of regret for the forced expulsion of the Mormons from Nauvoo in 1846.
, Joseph's widow, continued to live in Nauvoo with her family after the departure of the majority of the Latter Day Saints. In 1860, their son, Joseph Smith III
, claimed to receive a revelation to take his place as Prophet/President of a group known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He continued to live in Nauvoo, which functioned as headquarters of this church (now known as the Community of Christ
) until 1865. In 1866, Smith moved from Nauvoo to Plano, Illinois
, where the church's printing house had been established. He personally took over the editorship of the Saint's Herald, and Plano became the headquarters of the church. In his final years, members of the church began to move to Independence, Missouri
, which Smith's father had designated as the "center place" of the "City of Zion." Latter Day Saints had wanted to return to this theologically important ground since their expulsion in 1833.
moved to the Nauvoo area to implement a utopian socialist
commune
based on the ideals of French
philosopher Étienne Cabet
. At its peak, the colony numbered over 500 members, but dissension over legal matters and the death of Cabet in 1856 caused some members to leave this parent colony and move on to other Icarian locations in East St. Louis, Illinois, and Iowa and California
. Descendants of this Icarian colony still live in Hancock and McDonough counties. The Icarian historical collection is located at the Western Illinois University library in Macomb
.
On October 15, 1874 Sister Ottilia Hoeveler, and four other sisters came from St. Scholastica Covent in Chicago to start a girls school. Originally named St. Scholastica Academy it opened on November 2, 1874. Seven girls from Nauvoo and the vicinity were enrolled.
In 1879 the convent became independent of Chicago and the name of the school was changed to St. Mary's Academy and the convent became St. Mary's Convent. The convent was expanded in 1892 and a new school building built in 1897.
In 1907 a boys school, Spalding Institute, was built. Spalding did not last long and closed in 1920. In 1925 it was reopened as a new boy's school named St. Edmund's Hall. This school closed in 1940 and the building was used as the new convent named Benet Hall.
In the 1950s and 1960s many new buildings were built: Monastery (1954), High School (1957), Dormitory (1967). Enrollment fluctuated after the 1960s. Due to declining enrollment St. Mary's Academy closed in June 1997.
St. Mary's was sold and used as the Joseph Smith Academy
until the winter semester of 2006 and began to be torn down in September 2007.
Sts. Peter and Paul Elementary continues to provide education for grades PK-6.
Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...
starts with the Sauk and Fox
Meskwaki
The Meskwaki are a Native American people often known to outsiders as the Fox tribe. They have often been closely linked to the Sauk people. In their own language, the Meskwaki call themselves Meshkwahkihaki, which means "the Red-Earths." Historically their homelands were in the Great Lakes region...
tribes who frequented the area. By 1827 white settlers had built cabins in the area and the area became known as Commerce, Illinois. In late 1839 arriving Mormons bought the small town of Commerce and in April 1840 it was renamed "Nauvoo" by Joseph Smith, Jr.
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith was founder of what later became known as the Latter Day Saint movement or Mormons.Joseph Smith may also refer to:-Latter Day Saints:* Joseph Smith, Sr. , father of Joseph Smith...
, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...
. Nauvoo grew rapidly and for a few years was one of the most populous cities in Illinois. Within two years after Joseph Smith's assassination in 1844 most of the population, fleeing violence, departed. Most headed west
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
with the group led by Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
.
In 1849 Icarians
Icarians
The Icarians were a French utopian movement, founded by Étienne Cabet, who led his followers to America where they established a group of egalitarian communes during the period from 1848 through 1898.-European roots:Étienne Cabet was born in France in 1788...
moved to the Nauvoo area to implement a utopian socialist
Utopian socialism
Utopian socialism is a term used to define the first currents of modern socialist thought as exemplified by the work of Saint-Simon, Charles Fourier, and Robert Owen which inspired Karl Marx and other early socialists and were looked on favorably...
commune
Commune
Commune may refer to:In society:* Commune, a human community in which resources are shared* Commune , a township or municipality* One of the Communes of France* An Italian Comune...
. In the early and mid 20th century Nauvoo was primarily a Catholic town, and the majority of the population today is Catholic. Nauvoo today is an important tourist destination for Mormons
Mormons
The Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, a religion started by Joseph Smith during the American Second Great Awakening. A vast majority of Mormons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while a minority are members of other independent churches....
and others who come to see the numerous restored historical buildings and visitors centers.
Sauk and Meskwaki
Meskwaki
The Meskwaki are a Native American people often known to outsiders as the Fox tribe. They have often been closely linked to the Sauk people. In their own language, the Meskwaki call themselves Meshkwahkihaki, which means "the Red-Earths." Historically their homelands were in the Great Lakes region...
lived along the Mississippi near what is Nauvoo, established in the late 18th century; this village had as many as 1,000 lodges. In 1823 or 1824, Captain James White purchased the village from Quashquame
Quashquame
Quashquame was a Sauk chief; he was the principal signer of the 1804 treaty that ceded Sauk land to the United States government...
, a Sauk leader. White gave Quashquame “a little sku-ti-apo [liquor], and two thousand bushels of corn” for the land. Quashquame's village moved to the west side of the river, merging with an existing Sauk village near what is now Montrose, Iowa
Montrose, Iowa
Montrose is a city in Lee County, Iowa, United States. The population was 957 at the 2000 census. The town is located on the Mississippi River. It is part of the Fort Madison–Keokuk, IA-MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
.
In 1841, Joseph Smith, Jr., living in Nauvoo, was visited by Sauk and Meskwaki from the Iowa village. "The ferryman brought over a great number on the ferry-boat and two flat boats for the purpose of visiting me. The military band and a detachment of Invincibles (part of the Legion) were on shore ready to receive and escort them to the grove, but they refused to come on shore until I went down. I accordingly went down, and met Keokuk, Kis-ku-kosh, Appenoose, and about one hundred chiefs and braves of those tribes, with their families." Smith then discussed the Mormon religion with them, followed by a feast and dancing by the Indians.
Commerce City
Hancock CountyHancock County, Illinois
Hancock County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 19,104, which is a decrease of 5.1% from 20,121 in 2000. Its county seat is Carthage. Hamilton is the largest city in Hancock County, with Carthage being the second largest...
was created in 1825 and organized in 1829, eleven years after Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
became a state. In 1834, absentee investors A. White and J. B. Teas laid out and plotted the town of Commerce on a bend of the Mississippi River in Hancock County, some fifty-three miles north of Quincy
Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, known as Illinois' "Gem City," is a river city along the Mississippi River and the county seat of Adams County. As of the 2010 census the city held a population of 40,633. The city anchors its own micropolitan area and is the economic and regional hub of West-central Illinois, catering a...
. By 1839, the town had failed to attract settlers and only a few frame houses had been built. The hopes of commercial success, based on the townsite being beside a necessary portage trail past seasonal rapids, were dashed by the fact that the site and surrounding lands were also most of the time, a malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
l swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
.
Nauvoo founded by the Latter Day Saints
In early 1839, Latter Day Saints were forced to flee MissouriMissouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
as a result of the 1838 Mormon War and a legal proclamation known as Missouri Executive Order 44 issued by Governor Lilburn W. Boggs. They regrouped in Quincy
Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, known as Illinois' "Gem City," is a river city along the Mississippi River and the county seat of Adams County. As of the 2010 census the city held a population of 40,633. The city anchors its own micropolitan area and is the economic and regional hub of West-central Illinois, catering a...
, whose non-Mormon citizens were shocked by the harsh treatment given them in Missouri and opened their homes to the refugees.
Liberty Jail
Liberty Jail is a former jail in Liberty, Missouri, USA where Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of Latter Day Saint movement, and other associates were imprisoned from December 1, 1838 to April 6, 1839 during the 1838 Mormon War...
in Missouri, but his chief counselor in the First Presidency
First Presidency
In the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency was the highest governing body in the Latter Day Saint church established by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1832, and is the highest governing body of several modern Latter Day Saint denominations...
, Sidney Rigdon
Sidney Rigdon
Sidney Rigdon was a leader during the early history of the Latter Day Saint movement.-Baptist background:...
, had been released and rejoined the main body of the church in Quincy. Church member Isreal Barlow
Israel Barlow
Israel Barlow was born in Granville, Massachusetts and died in Bountiful, Utah. Barlow was one of the founders of Nauvoo, Illinois and a noted early member of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. With four wives and twenty one offspring, Israel Barlow has more than 10,000...
fled Missouri and entered Illinois further north than the main group of Latter-day Saints. Learning from Isaac Galland, a land agent, that a large amount of land was for sale in the Commerce area, he contacted church leaders. Galland approached Rigdon in Quincy, Illinois and offered church leaders title to land in Hancock County and additional land across the river in the Iowa Territory's
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
Lee County
Lee County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 35,862 in the county, with a population density of . There were 16,205 housing units, of which 14,610 were occupied.-2000 census:...
. Church leaders purchased this land as well as the mostly vacant Commerce plat in 1839, and Latter Day Saints began to settle the area immediately.
Physically weak from months of imprisonment, Smith and other leaders were permitted to escape from prison in Missouri. They rejoined the Latter Day Saints in Commerce by May 1839. He renamed the town "Nauvoo", meaning "to be beautiful." Latter Day Saints often referred to Nauvoo as "the city beautiful," or "the city of Joseph."
Despite the name, the site was, at first, an undeveloped swamp. Epidemics of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
, malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
and typhoid took their toll on the struggling Mormons until the swamp was drained. The smaller community of Commerce had few buildings so construction began promptly to meet the immediate demand for housing. Elements of Joseph Smith's generalized city plan, known as the "plat of Zion" (first introduced in 1833) were used in the street layout and lot allotments in Nauvoo. The community was characterized by wood frame homes with outbuildings, gardens, orchards and grazing plots on large lots laid out on an orderly grid system. In general, the buildings were detached single-family dwellings reminiscent of New England construction styles with commercial and industrial buildings in the same pattern.
Building up the city
John C. Bennett
John Cook Bennett was an American physician and a ranking and influential—but short-lived—leader of the Latter Day Saint movement, who acted as second-in-command to Joseph Smith, Jr., for a brief period in the early 1840s....
, the Quarter Master General of the Illinois State Militia converted to Mormonism and became Joseph Smith's friend and confidante. Bennett's experience with Illinois' government allowed him to help Smith craft a city charter for Nauvoo Based closely on the Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
, charter, the document gave the city a number of important powers, including the establishment of municipal court, the University of Nauvoo
Nauvoo University
Nauvoo University was a private academic institution organized by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo, Illinois...
, and an independent militia unit. At the time, the Illinois state government was closely balanced between members of the Democratic party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
and members of the Whig party
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
. Both hoped to attract Mormon votes and both were quick to place the charter into effect. After the charter was passed, Bennett was elected Nauvoo's first mayor and Smith made Bennett a member of the church's First Presidency
First Presidency
In the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency was the highest governing body in the Latter Day Saint church established by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1832, and is the highest governing body of several modern Latter Day Saint denominations...
. A militia unit, named the "Nauvoo Legion
Nauvoo Legion
The Nauvoo Legion was a militia originally organized by the Latter Day Saints to defend the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, . To curry political favor with the ambiguously-political Saints, the Illinois state legislature granted Nauvoo a liberal city charter that gave the Nauvoo Legion extraordinary...
" was established, and Smith and Bennett were made its commanding generals.
The city grew quickly as Mormons gathered. At its height Nauvoo's population was as large as Quincy's or Springfield's, although it remained smaller than contemporary Chicago. Many new residents came from the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
, as a result of a successful LDS mission established there. The Latter Day Saints published two newspapers in the city, the religious and church-owned Times and Seasons
Times and Seasons
Times and Seasons was a 19th-century Latter Day Saint periodical published monthly or twice-monthly at Nauvoo, Illinois, from November 1839 to February 15, 1846...
and the secular and independently-owned Wasp
The Wasp (newspaper)
The Wasp was a weekly newspaper edited and published by Latter Day Saint Apostle William Smith in Nauvoo, Illinois, United States, from April 1842 to April 1843...
(later replaced by the Nauvoo Neighbor
Nauvoo Neighbor
The Nauvoo Neighbor was a weekly newspaper edited and published by Latter Day Saint Apostle John Taylor in Nauvoo, Illinois from 1843 to 1845. While it was not an official publication of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Neighbor was consistently pro-Mormon and its primary target...
). Although it mostly existed on paper, the University of Nauvoo
Nauvoo University
Nauvoo University was a private academic institution organized by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo, Illinois...
was established, with Bennett as chancellor.
The Nauvoo Legion, a militia, with 2,000 men was headed by the Prophet Joseph Smith who was given the commission of Lieutenant-general by Illinois' Governor Carlin. The Nauvoo militia consisted of a corps of riflemen.
On April 6, 1841, the Nauvoo Legion drilled in a great parade to honor the laying of the cornerstone for a new temple
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
and Sidney Rigdon
Sidney Rigdon
Sidney Rigdon was a leader during the early history of the Latter Day Saint movement.-Baptist background:...
gave the dedicatory speech. The foundation of the Nauvoo Temple
Nauvoo Temple
The Nauvoo Temple was the second temple constructed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, commonly known as the Mormons. The church's first temple was completed in Kirtland, Ohio, United States in 1836. When the main body of the church was forced out of Nauvoo, Illinois in the...
was 83 ft (25 m) by 128 ft (39 m) and, when finished, its steeple rose to a height of over 100 ft (30 m). Church elder Alpheus Cutler
Alpheus Cutler
Alpheus Cutler was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement who served in several church positions under Mormon founder Joseph Smith, Jr...
was put in charge of the construction of the ambitious stone structure. Another church committee began construction of a large hotel on the city's Water Street, to be called the Nauvoo House
Nauvoo House
The Nauvoo House in Nauvoo, Illinois is a boarding house that Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, began constructing in the 1840s. The boarding house was never completed, but the structure was later converted into a residential home and renamed the Riverside Mansion...
. John D. Lee
John D. Lee
John Doyle Lee was a prominent early Latter-day Saint who was executed for his role in the Mountain Meadows massacre.-Early Mormon leader:...
was put in charge of constructing a meeting hall for the quorums of the Seventies.
In October 1841, a Masonic
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
Lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
was established in Nauvoo in the building currently referred to as the Cultural Hall. George Miller
George Miller (Latter Day Saints)
-External links:**...
, one of the church's bishops, was made its "Worshipful Master" or leader. The lodge admitted far more members than was normal in Masonic practice and quickly elevated church leaders to high roles. This was the most significant time in which the Latter Day Saints were involved in Masonry.
Developments in the church
At the time of Nauvoo's foundation, the church was led by a First PresidencyFirst Presidency
In the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency was the highest governing body in the Latter Day Saint church established by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1832, and is the highest governing body of several modern Latter Day Saint denominations...
, consisting of a Prophet and two Counselors. The Presiding High Council
Presiding High Council
In the Latter Day Saint movement, there are two Presiding High Councils, one said to be "standing," and the other "traveling." The Traveling High Council is generally known as the Quorum of Twelve Apostles...
(known as the Nauvoo High Council), led by Nauvoo Stake
Stake (Mormonism)
A stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregations in denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. A stake is approximately comparable to a diocese in the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations...
President William Marks
William Marks (Mormonism)
William Marks was a leader in the early days of the Latter Day Saint movement and was a member of the First Presidency in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints...
was next in administrative authority, overseeing the church's legislative and judicial affairs. The church's "Traveling High Council" (or Quorum of the Twelve
Quorum of the Twelve
In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Quorum of the Twelve was one of the governing bodies of the church hierarchy organized by the movement's founder Joseph Smith, Jr., and patterned after the twelve apostles of Christ In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Quorum of the Twelve (also known as the...
) led by President Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
oversaw the church's missionary activities.
Joseph Smith, Jr. introduced and expanded a number of distinct practices while the Latter Day Saint church was headquartered in Nauvoo. These included Baptism for the dead
Baptism for the dead
Baptism for the dead, vicarious baptism or proxy baptism is the religious practice of baptizing a living person on behalf of one who is dead, with the living person acting as the deceased person's proxy...
, Rebaptism
Rebaptism (Mormonism)
Rebaptism is a practice in some denominations of the Latter Day Saint or Mormonism movement.The Latter Day Saints were headquartered in Nauvoo, Illinois. Many who were already baptized members of the church, were rebaptised either to show a renewal of their commitment to the movement or as part of...
, the Nauvoo-era Endowment
Endowment (Mormonism)
In Mormonism, the endowment is an ordinance designed to prepare participants to become kings, queens, priests, and priestesses in the afterlife. As part of the ceremony, participants take part in a scripted reenactment of the Biblical creation and fall of Adam and Eve...
, and the ordinance of the Second Anointing
Second Anointing
In the Latter Day Saint movement, the second anointing, also known historically and in Latter Day Saint scripture as the fulness of the priesthood, is an obscure and relatively rare ordinance usually conducted in temples as extension of the Nauvoo Endowment ceremony. Founder Joseph Smith, Jr...
. In addition, he created a new inner council of the church — containing both men and women — called the Anointed Quorum
Anointed Quorum
The Anointed Quorum, also known as the Quorum of the Anointed, or the Holy Order, was a select body of men and women who Joseph Smith, Jr. initiated into Mormon temple ordinances at Nauvoo, Illinois, which gave them special standing in the early Latter Day Saint movement...
.
Although not publicly acknowledged, Smith had been practicing plural marriage
Plural marriage
Polygamy was taught by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890.The Church's practice of polygamy has been highly controversial, both within...
for some time, and in Nauvoo he began to teach other leaders the doctrine. Controversy arose because Smith's counselor in the First Presidency and Mayor, John C. Bennett
John C. Bennett
John Cook Bennett was an American physician and a ranking and influential—but short-lived—leader of the Latter Day Saint movement, who acted as second-in-command to Joseph Smith, Jr., for a brief period in the early 1840s....
, was caught in adultery (which Bennett considered and referred to as "spiritual wifery
Spiritual wifery
Spiritual wifery is a term first used in America by the Immortalists in and near the Blackstone Valley of Rhode Island and Massachusetts in the 1740s...
" or having multiple "spiritual" wives) claiming that Joseph Smith endorsed it and practiced it himself. Bennett was subsequently expelled from Nauvoo in the summer of 1842 and Smith himself became the city's second mayor. Bennett's fall led to Brigham Young becoming more prominent among Smith's confidants. Young proved more loyal than Bennett, helping Smith promote the teachings of the Church and the practice of plural marriage with greater discretion.
Another key development was Smith's 1844 establishment of the Council of Fifty
Council of Fifty
The Council of Fifty was a Latter Day Saint organization established by Joseph Smith, Jr...
based upon his political theory of Theodemocracy
Theodemocracy
Theodemocracy is a political system that combines elements of theocracy and democracy.One concept of theodemocracy was theorized by Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement...
. An extension of the Mormon belief of an imminent Millennium
Millennium
A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
, this council was meant to be a political organization which could immediately fill the roles of purely secular governments which would be destroyed at Christ's Second Coming
Second Coming
In Christian doctrine, the Second Coming of Christ, the Second Advent, or the Parousia, is the anticipated return of Jesus Christ from Heaven, where he sits at the Right Hand of God, to Earth. This prophecy is found in the canonical gospels and in most Christian and Islamic eschatologies...
. The organization was meant to be fully functional only in the absence of secular government and its governing principles were to be based on the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
. Overblown reports of the organization, which met in secret, helped fuel rumors of an aggressive theocracy with Joseph Smith as its king. The Council had little actual power, but remained in existence far after the Nauvoo period.
Nevertheless, Joseph Smith ran for President of the United States in 1844 advocating for a "theodemocracy
Theodemocracy
Theodemocracy is a political system that combines elements of theocracy and democracy.One concept of theodemocracy was theorized by Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement...
". He wrote: "I go emphatically, virtuously, and humanely, for a Theodemocracy, where God and the people hold the power to conduct the affairs of men in righteousness." (Nauvoo Neighbor, April 17, 1844).
Growing hostility towards Mormons
As Mormon population grew, non-Mormons in Hancock County, especially in the towns of WarsawWarsaw, Illinois
Warsaw is a city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,793 at the 2000 census. The city is notable for its historic downtown and the Warsaw Brewery, which operated for more than 100 years beginning in 1861...
and Carthage
Carthage, Illinois
Carthage is a city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,725 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hancock County. Carthage is most famous for being the site of the murder of Joseph Smith in 1844.- History :...
, felt threatened by the political power of the growing Mormon bloc-voting
Voting bloc
A voting bloc is a group of voters that are so motivated by a specific concern or group of concerns that it helps determine how they vote in elections. The divisions between voting blocs are known as cleavage...
. In Nauvoo, Joseph Smith, Jr. was not only President of the Church, he was Mayor, head of the municipal court, and general of the militia. This power base, plus the fact that Mormons benefited from collective group efforts as opposed to the more isolated and independent non-Mormon farmer, caused many non-LDS in the nearby areas to become suspicious and jealous.
Throughout much of the Nauvoo period, officials from Missouri attempted to arrest Smith and extradite him on charges relating to the 1838 Mormon War. When he was apprehended, Smith would appeal to the Nauvoo Municipal Court, which would issue writs of habeas corpus
Habeas corpus
is a writ, or legal action, through which a prisoner can be released from unlawful detention. The remedy can be sought by the prisoner or by another person coming to his aid. Habeas corpus originated in the English legal system, but it is now available in many nations...
and force his release. The court occasionally did the same when non-Mormons tried to arrest Latter Day Saints on other charges. Although the local court exceeded their authority in some of these cases, in at least one instance Governor Ford honored the Nauvoo court's decision to deny extradition. (Allen and Leonard, pp. 180–181) Illinoisans, generally unaware of the Church's and Smith's legal history in Missouri, began to consider this a serious subversion of the judiciary which weakened the legal position of Nauvoo and the Latter Day Saint leadership.
Dissatisfaction with the perceived theocracy also arose from within. In 1844, First Presidency member, William Law
William Law (Mormonism)
William Law was an important figure in the early history of the Latter Day Saint movement, holding a position in the early church's First Presidency under Joseph Smith, Jr...
— an important merchant and counselor to Smith — broke with the church president over both the issue of plural marriage
Plural marriage
Polygamy was taught by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890.The Church's practice of polygamy has been highly controversial, both within...
and the legal issues in Nauvoo. Law was excommunicated and founded a reformed church called the True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
The True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or Reformed Mormon Church was a denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement. It was founded in the spring of 1844 in Nauvoo, Illinois by leaders dissenting from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.The Reformed Church's president...
. He also established a newspaper named the Nauvoo Expositor
Nauvoo Expositor
The Nauvoo Expositor was a newspaper in Nauvoo, Illinois that published only one issue, which was dated June 7, 1844. Its publication set off a chain of events that led to the death of Latter Day Saint movement founder, Joseph Smith, Jr....
which threatened to expose the practice of plural marriage; only one issue was published.
On June 10, Smith held a meeting of the city council which, after two full days of meeting, condemned the Expositor as "a public nuisance" and empowered him to order the press destroyed. A portion of the Nauvoo Legion
Nauvoo Legion
The Nauvoo Legion was a militia originally organized by the Latter Day Saints to defend the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, . To curry political favor with the ambiguously-political Saints, the Illinois state legislature granted Nauvoo a liberal city charter that gave the Nauvoo Legion extraordinary...
, Smith's militia, marched into the office, wrecked the press and burned every copy of the Nauvoo Expositor that could be found.
The destruction of the press was seen as an opportunity by critics such as Thomas Sharp, whose paper in nearby Warsaw had been openly calling for destruction of the Church. Fanned by Sharp and others, public sentiment held that the action was illegal and unconstitutional. Some non-Mormons and disaffected church members in and around Hancock county, Illinois, began to call for Smith's arrest. Smith, his brother Hyrum
Hyrum Smith
Hyrum Smith was an American religious leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the original church of the Latter Day Saint movement. He was the older brother of the movement's founder, Joseph Smith, Jr....
, and several other church leaders submitted to arrest. While awaiting trial in Carthage, the county seat, under assurance of safety from Illinois governor Ford, Joseph and Hyrum Smith were assassinated when a vigilante mob attacked the jail. (See Death of Joseph Smith, Jr.
Death of Joseph Smith, Jr.
The death of Joseph Smith, Jr. on June 27, 1844 marked a turning point for the Latter Day Saint movement, of which Smith was the founder and leader. When he was attacked and killed by a mob, Smith was the mayor of Nauvoo, Illinois, and running for President of the United States...
.)
The "Mormon War in Illinois" and the Mormon Exodus
After Smith's death, the agitation against Mormons continued. The conflict escalated into what has sometimes been called the "Mormon War in Illinois." Opponents of the Mormons in Warsaw and Carthage began to agitate for the expulsion from Illinois of the Latter Day Saints. In October 1844, a great gathering was announced in Warsaw. Although it was purported to be a "wolf hunt," it was known that the "wolves" to be hunted were the Mormons. When Governor Thomas FordThomas Ford (politician)
Thomas Ford was the eighth Governor of Illinois, and served in this capacity from 1842 to 1846. A Democrat, he is remembered largely for his involvement in the death of Joseph Smith, Jr., and the subsequent Illinois Mormon War...
became aware of it, he sent militia troops to disperse the gathering. However, as he later recalled:
- "The malcontents abandoned their design, and all the leaders of it fled to Missouri. The Carthage Greys fled almost in a body, carrying their arms along with them. During our stay in the county the anti-Mormons thronged into the camp and conversed freely with the men, who were fast infected with their prejudices, and it was impossible to get any of the officers to aid in expelling them".
Vigilante bands continued to roam the county, forcing Latter Day Saints in outlying areas to abandon their homes and gather to Nauvoo for protection.
When the Illinois state legislature met in December 1844, there was great support for the repeal of the Nauvoo Charter. Governor Ford conceded that the charter's privileges had been "much abused" by the Mormons, but he urged that the legislature merely amend the document, saying "I do not see how ten or twelve thousand people can do well in a city without some chartered privileges". However, on January 29, 1845, the repeal was overwhelmingly passed by a vote of 25-14 in the Senate and 75-31 in the House.
After its legal disincorporation, Nauvoo government and civil institutions were legally dissolved and the church administrative structure operated as a default government. This more theocratic organization was known informally by its residents as the "City of Joseph" while disincorporated. After a succession crisis
Succession crisis (Mormonism)
The succession crisis in the Latter Day Saint movement occurred after the violent death of the movement's founder, Joseph Smith, Jr., on June 27, 1844....
, Brigham Young gained support from the majority of church members and so controlled Nauvoo. Informal security procedures were established, including what were known as "whittling and whistling brigades." These were made up of Mormon men and boys who "whistled" while "whittling" with large knives held close to any suspicious strangers who entered Nauvoo. According to one witness:
- "The process of whittling out an officer was as follows: A great tall man by the name of Hosea StoutHosea StoutHosea Stout was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement, a Mormon pioneer, and a lawyer and politician in Utah Territory....
was the captain of the Whittling society, and he had about a dozen assistants. They all had great bowie knives and would get a long piece of pine board and get up close to the officer and pretend to be cutting the pine board, but would cut over it and cut near the officer. In the meantime, small boys would get tin pans, old bells and all sorts of things to make a noise with and surround the officer. No one would touch or say a word to him, but the noise drowned all that he would say".
Nauvoo's population peaked at about this time in 1845; it may have had as many as 12,000 inhabitants (and several nearly as large suburbs) — rivaling Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, whose 1845 population was about 15,000.
By the end of 1845 it became clear that no peace was possible between LDS church members and antagonized locals. Mormon leaders negotiated a truce so that the Latter Day Saints could prepare to abandon the city. The winter of 1845-46 saw the enormous preparations for the Mormon Exodus via the Mormon Trail
Mormon Trail
The Mormon Trail or Mormon Pioneer Trail is the 1,300 mile route that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled from 1846 to 1868...
. In early 1846, the majority of the Latter Day Saints left the city. After the departure of the Mormons, the temple stood until destroyed by arsonists on November 19, 1848.
159 years later, on April 1, 2004, the Illinois House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution of regret for the forced expulsion of the Mormons from Nauvoo in 1846.
Subsequent history
Emma Hale SmithEmma Hale Smith
Emma Hale Smith Bidamon was married to Joseph Smith, Jr., until his death in 1844, and was an early leader of the Latter Day Saint movement, during Joseph Smith's lifetime and afterward as a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints...
, Joseph's widow, continued to live in Nauvoo with her family after the departure of the majority of the Latter Day Saints. In 1860, their son, Joseph Smith III
Joseph Smith III
Joseph Smith III was the eldest surviving son of Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and Emma Hale Smith...
, claimed to receive a revelation to take his place as Prophet/President of a group known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He continued to live in Nauvoo, which functioned as headquarters of this church (now known as the Community of Christ
Community of Christ
The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , is an American-based international Christian church established in April 1830 that claims as its mission "to proclaim Jesus Christ and promote communities of joy, hope, love, and peace"...
) until 1865. In 1866, Smith moved from Nauvoo to Plano, Illinois
Plano, Illinois
Plano is a city in Kendall County, Illinois, United States near Aurora, with a population of 5,633 at the 2000 census. The city is rapidly growing with new subdivisions such as Lakewood Springs completed and several other developments under construction or in the planning stages. Former Speaker...
, where the church's printing house had been established. He personally took over the editorship of the Saint's Herald, and Plano became the headquarters of the church. In his final years, members of the church began to move to Independence, Missouri
Independence, Missouri
Independence is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Clay. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
, which Smith's father had designated as the "center place" of the "City of Zion." Latter Day Saints had wanted to return to this theologically important ground since their expulsion in 1833.
Icarians
In 1849, IcariansIcarians
The Icarians were a French utopian movement, founded by Étienne Cabet, who led his followers to America where they established a group of egalitarian communes during the period from 1848 through 1898.-European roots:Étienne Cabet was born in France in 1788...
moved to the Nauvoo area to implement a utopian socialist
Utopian socialism
Utopian socialism is a term used to define the first currents of modern socialist thought as exemplified by the work of Saint-Simon, Charles Fourier, and Robert Owen which inspired Karl Marx and other early socialists and were looked on favorably...
commune
Commune (intentional community)
A commune is an intentional community of people living together, sharing common interests, property, possessions, resources, and, in some communes, work and income. In addition to the communal economy, consensus decision-making, non-hierarchical structures and ecological living have become...
based on the ideals of French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
philosopher Étienne Cabet
Étienne Cabet
Étienne Cabet was a French philosopher and utopian socialist. He was the founder of the Icarian movement and led a group of emigrants to found a new society in the United States.-Biography:...
. At its peak, the colony numbered over 500 members, but dissension over legal matters and the death of Cabet in 1856 caused some members to leave this parent colony and move on to other Icarian locations in East St. Louis, Illinois, and Iowa and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Descendants of this Icarian colony still live in Hancock and McDonough counties. The Icarian historical collection is located at the Western Illinois University library in Macomb
Macomb, Illinois
Macomb is a city in and the county seat of McDonough County, Illinois, United States. It is situated in western Illinois southwest of Galesburg. The population was 18,588 at the 2000 census. Macomb is the home of Western Illinois University.- Geography :...
.
Catholic history
In the early and mid 20th century Nauvoo was primarily a Catholic town, and the majority of the population today is Catholic.On October 15, 1874 Sister Ottilia Hoeveler, and four other sisters came from St. Scholastica Covent in Chicago to start a girls school. Originally named St. Scholastica Academy it opened on November 2, 1874. Seven girls from Nauvoo and the vicinity were enrolled.
In 1879 the convent became independent of Chicago and the name of the school was changed to St. Mary's Academy and the convent became St. Mary's Convent. The convent was expanded in 1892 and a new school building built in 1897.
In 1907 a boys school, Spalding Institute, was built. Spalding did not last long and closed in 1920. In 1925 it was reopened as a new boy's school named St. Edmund's Hall. This school closed in 1940 and the building was used as the new convent named Benet Hall.
In the 1950s and 1960s many new buildings were built: Monastery (1954), High School (1957), Dormitory (1967). Enrollment fluctuated after the 1960s. Due to declining enrollment St. Mary's Academy closed in June 1997.
St. Mary's was sold and used as the Joseph Smith Academy
Joseph Smith Academy
The Joseph Smith Academy was an educational complex in Nauvoo, Illinois, less than from the Nauvoo Temple. Until recently, the Academy was home to a BYU distance study program focusing on church history...
until the winter semester of 2006 and began to be torn down in September 2007.
Sts. Peter and Paul Elementary continues to provide education for grades PK-6.
See also
- Missouri Executive Order 44 (1838 Missouri)
- Nauvoo Brass BandNauvoo Brass BandThe Nauvoo Brass Band was an official musical organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when the church's headquarters where located in Nauvoo, Illinois, and was later revived in the Utah Territory.-Nauvoo era:...
- Nauvoo Historic DistrictNauvoo Historic DistrictNauvoo Historic District is a historic district containing the city of Nauvoo, Illinois. The historic district is nearly coterminous with the City of Nauvoo as it was incorporated in 1840, but it also includes the Pioneer Saints Cemetery , the oldest Mormon cemetery in the area, which is outside...
External links
- Nauvoo History from the Nauvoo Tourism Office