Kirtland Historic Sites

For Alex and Logan's birthdays this year, my mom and grandpa (her father) came to visit our family. Since their birthdays are 10 days apart and the kids are in school all day, I planned a short LDS historic trip for my mom, grandpa and I to go on, from Monday Sept. 29 - Thursday Oct. 2. My grandpa has never had the opportunity to visit Kirtland or Palmyra so I thought it would be a neat opportunity for him, especially since his great-great grandfather, Artimus Millett helped to design the Kirtland temple (see a small history here). Artimus Millett's watch has been passed down to my grandpa. Pretty neat. My grandpa really looked forward to going through the tour of the temple that day.

After Kirtland and Palmyra, we will go to Niagara Falls for a few days, and then home through Canada. Then we will have traveled all the way around Lake Erie.

Kirtland is only a short drive from our home in Michigan. We left on Monday morning, Sept. 29 for our 3 hour drive. We were able to see all of the historic sites that we wanted to before 6:00 pm. It was a really nice day. The only day that it was warm and didn't rain on our trip.

Grandpa and Julie after our tour of the Kirtland temple. The Community of Christ restored and beautified this sacred place and maintains it today as a historic site with guided tours.

The Kirtland temple. So magnificent and beautiful!

Julie on the bridge leading to the Whitney Store

The Ashery and the Sawmill just down the hill from the temple. The saints used these to help build the temple.

The Newel K. Whitney Store

Grandpa in the "School of the Prophets" -- one of the rooms above the Whitney Store

The Whitney home, where Emma Smith had her twins who shortly died after birth

We walked around a sandstone quarry only 2 miles down the road from the Kirtland temple. Here the Saints cut sandstone used in building the temple.

See the drill marks in the sandstone? What an awesome sight! A quiet witness of the Saints sacrifice and faith