Town of Kirtland

We visited Kirtland Temple as our last stop on our road trip. Kirtland has two visitors areas: the LDS Visitors Center and the Community of Christ. We went to the LDS Center first and got to see the original Newel K. Whitney store. This store had lots of purposes. First and foremost, it was a store where they both sold goods and bartered goods. There was a notepad that showed every transaction. You could see many times when Joseph Smith had paid for another's debt, which we found very interesting since many of the saints traveled far distances and really did not have much supplies or cash.  Upstairs, Joseph and Emma lived with their child for a time, and we could see their room. Also upstairs one individual acted as "security" for the store and had a room for himself upstairs. 

Most importantly, upstairs in the Newel K. Whitney store was the School of the Prophets. This small room was apparently much like the temple. Revelations were received in there where Joseph would teach the apostles. It was a very sacred room. In that room Joseph had prophesied that "one day the church would fill north and South America."  In Kirtland there was a small creek near the store. We were told that many saints had been baptized in that creek.  It was neat to visualize this little neighborhood near the store bustling with people from the 1800's.