Friday, December 5, 2014


We have had a very busy time since coming to Vermont.  We usually have a six hour shift each day to greet people and take tours through the Visitors Center.  This Joseph Smith Memorial Birthplace has a special spirit about it.  It is set in the mountains, surrounded by forests.  

New England is just what I thought it would be.  The mountains are not the tower craggy type in wide open spaces that we can see from our home in Utah, rather they are rolling with trees, and small towns nestled in among the trees. 

At Christmas time, for the month of December, the Visitors Center is lighted up just like Temple Square in Salt Lake (only on a smaller scale).  People come from all over New England to see these lights.  Thursday and Friday nights after Thanksgiving, we had the lighting ceremony and program.  The local Stakes put on a live Nativity each of those nights. They were touching.  This is open to the public and over 750 people attended the two nights. There are many now who come and drive by to see the lights and if they stop and come in. We have cookies and cider for them.

 
This picture shows a very few lights.  The white lights in the back are made to look like a covered bridge.



I love this nativity in front of the monument.  It looks cold with the snow.



These cute little animals are here too for the little kids to touch.

I am loving this experience.

(This is Roger.)  I have been studying the history of this monument since coming here.  The question is: exactly where was the Prophet born?  A great Master's thesis was done by Keith Erekson.  Junius H. Wells was appointed by the First Presidency to determine the exact location of the birth before the Church purchased the property.

Brother Wells did his research well.  Joseph and his mother, Lucy Mack Smith, both said Joseph was born in Sharon, Winsor County, Vermont.  But determining the exact spot was tough because the county line between Sharon and South Royalton ran right through the Smith Cabin.   So, it came down to whether Joseph was born in the bedroom (Sharon County) or the kitchen (South Royalton).

The controversy has never been settled.  But, since both Joseph and Lucy said it was Sharon, I guess Joseph was born in the bedroom.


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