Richmond, MO

There is a little pioneer cemetery in Richmond, where grave markers have been salvaged and set in cement (see my flickr). A flood destroyed the cemetery years ago, so the church has taken over the maintenance of the grounds and restored headstones as much as possible. Peter Whitmer and Oliver Cowdery were buried here, although it is impossible to tell where. Heber J. Grant dedicated a monument to the three witnesses at this little cemetery in 1911. Our tour guide told us the three measures of meal in the parable of Matthew 13:33 represent the three witnesses of the restoration. Where does he get this stuff? He also told us Parley P. Pratt was made the missionary companion to Matthias (see Acts 1:15-26) in the spirit world, and that Cain killed Able at Far West, Missouri. As far as I can tell, there is no marker for Able either.

Midwest Headstones

While traveling between church history spots in the midwest, our bus stopped at a few cemeteries. On the road to Richmond we found Sunny Slope Cemetery, where David Whitmer is buried. The headstones in these fine places are an education in themselves. My flickr photos show examples of some interesting trends. Several of the grave markers we saw were sculpted to look like tree trunks. And on MANY headstones, great and small, there was a relief of a hand, the index finger pointing toward heaven. Other headstones bore the likeness of two hands shaking. Although the sign for Sunny Slope indicates it was established in 1911, many of the markers are from a previous time - a time when tree trunks and pointing fingers were in style. Modern cemeteries would have none of that. It causes one to wonder if the dearly departed were given directions so that when they emerged from the grave they would know which way to go. Straight up!

Liberty Jail

Always sounded like an oxymoron to me: Liberty Jail. In fact, when in use it was an inescapable dungeon, located in Liberty, MO. The weather was muggy and warm as our bus pulled up to the visitor's center at the site of the old Liberty Jail where Joseph Smith and others were incarcerated during some of the darkest days of the Church. The jail has been described as a Prison Temple, and indeed it became a sacred place in spite of the vile circumstances of the incarceration. Sections 121-123 of the Doctrine and Covenants were received at Liberty Jail.
The first of two photos up on my flickr shows the rebuilt jail, in a cutaway that gives an idea of the construction of the walls and the dimensions of the basement cell. The other photo shows the exterior of the visitors center, which is lovely. The visitor's center is built around the jail site, with sister missionaries on hand to explain the history. Our tour guide talked about Lyman Wight, also known as the Wild Ram of the Mountains. He was one of those who shared the cell at Liberty with Joseph. Apparently Brother Lyman once told Moses Wilson he was only alive because Joseph wouldn't let Lyman kill him. He seems to have lived up to his Wild Ram epithet.

More Independence

The latest photos up on my flickr show a few more of the sights in Independence, MO. The Historic Courthouse there is a bit of a tribute to Harry Truman, a native son. There was a Truman Museum/ Library in Independence also, but it was not on our tour. The current courthouse has a nice statue of Stonewall Jackson riding a horse on one side and a statue of Harry Truman on the other. Across the street from the courthouse is a reconstruction of the old Gilbert and Whitney Store, looking quite new compared to the rest of downtown Independence. Also up on my flickr is a picture of a stained glass window taken from the inside of the Old Stone Church, and an interior shot from the Community of Christ Temple. It was very interesting to see the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, crosses and seashells all together in the Community of Christ setting. They were lovely to show us around their buildings. Of particular interest was the museum inside the temple, which had oil paintings of Joseph and Emma as well as printers copies of the original Book of Mormon. Wish we had had more time in the museum!

Hedrickites

According to our tour guide, Calvin Stephens, there were around one hundred different sects of Mormonism as of 1964. The official name of one of these groups, the Hedrickites, is "The Church of Christ (Temple Lot)." We were privileged to hear from one of their apostles on our visit to Independence, MO. He was sharp and feisty, eager to share his beliefs and doctrines. Like the Community of Christ, the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) believes in the authenticity of the Book of Mormon, and recognizes Joseph Smith as a prophet - up to a point. They believe the office of President of the Church is unscriptural, so they have a council of 12 apostles but no first presidency. They also believe they have been chosen to hold the temple lot identified by Joseph Smith as the site for a temple to be built in Independence, and will some day be called upon to build that temple. If you visit my flickr, you will see photos of the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) building, located just next to the original temple lot. Also, there are pictures of the temple site marker and some stones they excavated from the lot. It was interesting to see the Hedrickite building, with its legal claim to the temple lot (they in fact purchased the property in the late 19th century), towered over by the Community of Christ Temple just across the way, a neighbor to our own LDS Visitor's Center. The air in Independence was heavy and hot, the humidity seeming to match the doctine-filled air of dispute.

Blog Fodder

The church history tour Shelley and I took last week has given me enough blog fodder to last a good long time. We drove to SLC on the 21st and flew to Kansas City, MO Monday morning. From there we took a tour bus to historic sites in the midwest. Neither of us had ever been to Missouri (Mah-zuh-rah) so it was an enlightening experience on many levels. The first thing we noticed was that there were no privacy fences between houses, and often no sidewalks. The fence situation seemed to be universal in the midwestern states we drove through. Sidewalks were occasional, but not often handy.
Upon arrival in Independence, MO, the bus drove to a Hometown Buffet which had been alerted that 56 people would be stopping by for lunch. I thought later how appropriate Hometown Buffet was, since there seemed to be a veritable smorgasbord of churches in downtown Independence. On our brief drive through the district we saw churches representing every Protestant denomination imaginable. But the real fun began as we toured the blocks surrounding the temple site. We were greeted by lovely representatives of the Community of Christ, formerly known as RLDS. A 92-year-old pastor showed us around their old stone church, bearing testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. Another guide took us through their auditorium, which seemed to be built much like a tabernacle, seating 6,000. The next day we were able to visit their temple, architecturally inspired by the chambered nautilus sea shell. Photos of these three sites are on my flickr - still can't seem to make the photos appear on the blog. The visit to Independence was great - but warm and muggy. I had no idea there were approx. 100 LDS splinter churches! These are good and sincere people who are doing their best to spread the doctrine they hold dear. It is interesting to note similarities and differences. Tomorrow I will post photos from the Hedrickite (Church of Christ - temple lot) sites.