The golden plates
containing the Book of Mormon were buried in the Hill
Cumorah, about three miles southeast of the Smith family
farm. In the early hours of September 22, 1823, the angel
Moroni showed Joseph Smith in vision exactly where the
ancient record was hidden. Later that day, Joseph went to
the place shown him by the angel.
"On the west side of
this hill, not far from the top, under a stone of
considerable size, lay the plates, deposited in a stone
box," wrote
Joseph. He was not permitted to remove the plates on his
first visit, but was instructed by the angel to return to
this place every year "until the time should come for
obtaining the plates." Exactly four years later, the
angel delivered the plates to the Prophet Joseph for the
purpose of translation and publication.
The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints acquired the Hill Cumorah in
1928. A granite monument topped by a nine-foot statue of
Moroni was erected at the highest point of the hill in 1935.
Today, the Church operates a modern visitors' center at the
base of the hill. A dramatic pageant featuring events from
the Book of Mormon is held here every summer.
