Day 3 - Kirtland

We drove from Niagara Falls to Mentor, Ohio, which is just outside of Kirtland (about a 15 to 20 minute drive).  We got in late, about 10:30, but not before stopping for some dinner at Wendy's :).  We had very comfortable accommodations at the Marriott Residence Inn - Separate bedrooms and bathrooms and a spacious full kitchen/living room.  I definitely recommend staying there for any trip to Kirtland.  The next morning was Sunday so we went to Sacrament Meeting in Kirtland and then went to see the sites.  We first stopped at the historic visitors center and saw the Newel K. Whitney store.  The Prophet and Emma stayed at the Whitney house for about 6 weeks when they first arrived in Kirtland and at the store for about a year a little after that.  The store is also where the School of the Prophets was held, in one of the upper rooms.  Many things were revealed to the Prophet here, of which the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood and The Word of Wisdom were among the more famous revelations.  The Whitney's were very successful and very well off, and they were also very dedicated to the gospel and did whatever Joseph and the Church asked them to do.

N. K. Whitney Store

School of the Prophets - Above the N.K. Whitney Store

 
We then went to the Kirtland Temple and Visitors Center.  For those who may not know, the Kirtland Temple is not owned by the LDS church.  It is owned by the Reorganized LDS church, or who are nowadays known as the Community of Christ.  It was a little eerie having a tour because there are so many similarities between our two churches, such as Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, but it's also not the same...not to mention they charge $3 per person to see the temple ;).  We were actually treated very well and had a nice time going through the temple.  It'll be an awesome day when the Church is able to acquire the Kirtland Temple back.  I'm sure there's a standing offer with the Community of Christ....although I bet it would be the last thing they would sell.  One can hope though, right?? No picture taking was allowed inside the temple, but there are many pictures out there of what it looks like.

Kirtland Temple

 The last stop in Kirtland was the Johnson Farm.  Joseph and Emma stayed with the Johnsons for about 1 year.  The farm was about a 2 days journey from downtown Kirtland back in the day, or about an hour in our day.  Many important events and revelations happened here, but probably the most well-known event was that Joseph received what is known as "The Vision" or Section 76 of the D&C which describes the three kingdoms of glory.

John Johnson Farm - Room where D&C 76 was revealed