In the Ensign’s continuing tour of Church history sites, we move this month to Kirtland, Ohio, the first real community of the Latter-day Saints and site of the first temple constructed in this dispensation. Keith Perkins of BYU’s Church History and Doctrine Department accompanied our photographers, Jed A. Clark and Lonny Lonczyna, Jr., to photograph these sites. He also provided the detailed map of Kirtland village in 1837 included here, and material for the captions. The interior photographs of the Kirtland Temple come from the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, headquartered in Independence, Missouri, which owns, maintains, and operates this historic building today.
Looking west across Kirtland township, we see the temple at the top center. The white house across from the plowed fields is on Isaac Morley’s farm. Joseph Smith may have lived in this house for some months.
This period home may have been Isaac Morley’s. This farm became the refuge of many of the converts who came to Kirtland.