Dear NEXT TRAVELER to Palmyra New York & Susquehanna Pennsylvania!
Highlights/Recommendations:
1. The Sacred Grove
2. The Sacred Grove Historical Site – Smith Family Farm
3. Palmyra Temple
4. Hill Cumorah
5. Grandin Printshop – Book of Mormon Publication Location
6. Priesthood Restoration Site
It was a dream come true to be in the Sacred Grove with our family. It is a beautifully wooded area. The temperature in the Grove was cooler and you could feel that it was a solemn and sacred place. There were a couple paths and many benches to rest and reflect. For so many years I wanted to go and visit and then to be there with my family was emotional and soul-filling.
In the spring of 1820, Joseph was 14 years old when he decided he should ask his questions to God through prayer after reading James 1:5 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not.” Joseph was concerned about his own salvation and wanted to know which church could bring him to God. Joseph ventured to a place in the woods near his home and knelt in prayer. To his astonishment, he was visited by God the Father and Jesus Christ. The instruction they gave him as an answer to his prayer spurred the beginning of the restoration of Christ’s church on the earth.
The Smith Family Farm has so much to explore: The Sacred Grove Welcome Center, Joseph’s Boyhood Home, Smith Farm Home, Threshing Barn and Copper Shop. We spent about an hour exploring these locations with a guided tour from one of the many missionaries on the property. Our favorite was Joseph’s Boyhood Home. It was humbling to see the low ceilings and feel how small the house was compared to current homes. It was incredible to be in the place where so many special moments occurred and to know that Joseph Smith was raised by his family between those 4 walls.
Palmyra New York Temple. The Temple is less than a mile from the Smith Family Farm and the Sacred Grove. It was amazing to be able to see the top of the temple through the trees of the farm. What a spectacular sight that would have been for the members of the Smith family? The Palmyra New York Temple was announced on February 9, 1999 and dedicated by President Hinckley on April 6, 2000.
The Grandin Printshop – Book of Mormon Historic Publication Site is on Main Street just 3 miles from the Smith Family Farm. You can park directly in front of the brick building and there are missionaries inside the building that describe the printing and process of the Book of the Mormon. There are several rare editions of the Book of Mormon and other great displays throughout the building.
The Hill Cumorah Pageant began in 1937 and grew to more than 700 cast members, 1,300 costumes, a 10-level stage, and attracted approximately 35,000 viewers annually. The pageant was performed for the last time in 2019 and we were fortunate to be able to be there for one of the final performances. Because seating for the pageant is first-come, first-serve, when we first arrived in Palmyra we found the spot we where we wanted to sit and placed some of our belongings on a few of the chairs and then visited the other church historical sites throughout Palmyra. The pageant didn’t begin until it was dark around 9 pm and when we came back to our seats around 7 pm everything was as we had left it. We visited with the people sitting around us, met and took pictures with the performers and bought popcorn and drinks for the show.
The set, costumes, special effects, script, and acting were all incredible. The depiction of the Savior’s appearance to the Nephites was breathtaking. He descended from the top of Hill Cumorah lit with a spotlight, dressed in white so that it appeared that he was glowing. His love for the Nephite people and their children was so tender. It was a wonderful portrayal and the Spirit throughout was so strong. There was a beautiful sunset before the show started and a beautiful moon throughout the performance. It was as if all nature was in agreement of the sacredness of the special performance.
The Priesthood Restoration Site in Susquehanna Pennsylvania is 2.5 hours (155 miles) from the Hill Cumorah and Smith Family Farm sites in New York. There is a Visitors Center, several statues and reconstructed homes all commemorating the events surrounding the translation of the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood.
It’s a short drive (less than a mile) from the Visitors Center and trail walk to the river to see where Joseph and Oliver were baptized in the Susquehanna River.
On May 15, 1829, in answer to Joseph and Oliver’s prayer about baptism, God sent John the Baptist, who conferred on Joseph and Oliver the Aaronic Priesthood. Joseph and Oliver then baptized each other in the Susquehanna River.
We felt honored to visit so many historical places that were part of the restoration of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the early 1800s.
Next Traveler 