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Breastwork Detail of the Kirtland TempleVal Brinkerhoff, 2004Moses, Elias, and Elijah came to the Kirtland Temple and restored priesthood keys which included keys for the gathering of scattered Israel and the sealing power to bind families together forever.Kirtland Temple and Surrounding CountryGeorge Edward Anderson, circa 1907
Frederick G.
Williams described the origin of the Kirtland Temple design.
"We [the First Presidency] went upon our knees, called on
the Lord, and the Building appeared within viewing
distance. . . . After we had taken a good look at the
exterior, the building seemed to come right over us,"
and they viewed the interior details (Quoted in Truman O.
Angell, Autobiography. 1884, 14–15, Church
Archives; see also D&C 95:15).
Kirtland TempleVal Brinkerhoff, 2004Following the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, that same evening in a meeting with the quorums of the priesthood, Joseph Smith reported: "A noise was heard like the sound of a rushing mighty wind, which filled the Temple, . . . and I beheld the Temple was filled with angels. . . . A bright light like a pillar of fire rest[ed] upon the Temple" (History of the Church, 2:428).Kirtland Temple Breastwork and PulpitVal Brinkerhoff, 2004
Jesus Christ
appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland
Temple on April 3, 1836. They recorded: "We saw the Lord
standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit, before us.
. . . His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of
his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance
shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as
the sound of the rushing of great waters" (D&C
110:2–3).
The New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio Area of the USAChurch History Maps.
1. South
Bainbridge: Joseph Smith Jr. and Emma Hale were married here
on 18 January 1827 (see JS-H 1:57).
2. Colesville:
The first branch of the Church was organized at the Joseph
Knight Sr. home, in Colesville Township, in 1830.
3. Joseph Smith
Jr. Home in Harmony: Most of the translation of the Book
of Mormon was completed here. On the banks of the
Susquehanna River the priesthood was restored in 1829
(see D&C 13; 128:20; JS-H 1:71-72).
4. Fayette: The
Three Witnesses saw the gold plates and the angel Moroni
(D&C 17). The Book of Mormon translation was completed
here in June 1829. The Church was organized here on 6
April 1830 (see D&C 20, 21).
5. Mendon: Early
home of Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball.
6. Kirtland:
Missionaries who had been sent to the Lamanites stopped here
in 1830 and baptized Sidney Rigdon and others in the
Kirtland area. It was the headquarters of the Church
from 1831 to 1838. The first temple of this
dispensation was built in Kirtland and was dedicated 27
March 1836 (see D&C 109).
7. Erie Canal:
The three branches of the Church in New York emigrated via
the Erie Canal and Lake Erie to Kirtland, Ohio, in April and
May 1831.
8. Hiram: Joseph
and Emma lived here from September 1831 to September
1832. Joseph and Sidney Rigdon worked on the Joseph Smith
Translation of the Bible (JST). Revelations received
here: D&C 1, 65, 67, 68, 69, 71, 73, 74, 76, 77,
79, 80, 81, 99, 133.
9. Amherst:
Joseph Smith was sustained as President of the High
Priesthood on 25 January 1832 (see HC 1:243; D&C 75).
10. Toronto: Home
of John Taylor, third President of the Church, and Mary
Fielding Smith, wife of Hyrum Smith.
Kirtland, Ohio, 1830–1838Church History Maps.
1. Newel K.
Whitney Home: Joseph and Emma lived here for several weeks
after they first moved to Kirtland in 1831.
2. Isaac Morley
Farm: Joseph and Emma Smith lived here from March until
September 1831. The first high priests were ordained here.
Joseph worked on the Joseph Smith Translation (JST).
3. Newel K.
Whitney Store: The First Presidency of the Church was given
the keys of the kingdom here. The School of the Prophets
first met here. The JST was in the process of
completion here in 1833. Joseph and Emma lived here
from 1832 to 1833. Joseph received many revelations here.
4. John Johnson
Inn: Joseph Smith Sr. was called as the first Patriarch
to the Church here in 1833. The inn contained the first
printing office in Kirtland. The Evening and the
Morning Star was printed here following the
destruction of the printing press in Jackson County,
Missouri. The Twelve Apostles left from here on 4 May
1835 for their first missions.
5. Joseph Smith
Jr. Home: Joseph and Emma lived here from 1834 to 1837.
Translation of the book of Abraham was started.
6. Printing
Office: The Lectures on Faith were delivered in this
building. The Twelve Apostles and the First Quorum of the
Seventy were called and ordained here. The Doctrine
and Covenants (1st edition), the Book of Mormon (2nd
edition), The Evening and the Morning Star, Latter Day
Saints' Messenger and Advocate, and the first issues of
Elders' Journal were printed here.
7. Kirtland
Temple: This temple was the first in this dispensation.
Jesus Christ appeared and accepted the temple. Moses,
Elias, and Elijah appeared and restored certain
priesthood keys (see D&C 110). The School of the
Prophets also met here. Revelations received here: D&C
109, 110, 137.
Kirtland
(unspecified locations)
On 17 August 1835
the Doctrine and Covenants was adopted as scripture
(see HC 2:243-51). Revelations received in Kirtland include
D&C 41-50, 52-56, 63-64, 102-4, 106-10, 134, and
137. Section 104 designates certain properties to be
given as stewardships to Church members participating
in the united order.
Kirtland TempleJohn Telford, 2002On Sunday, March 27, 1836, Joseph Smith estimated that nearly 1,000 Saints were admitted to the dedicatory services, "which were as many as could be comfortably seated" throughout the building. They "had come in from the regions round about, to witness the dedication of the Lord's House and share in His blessings" (History of the Church, 2:410).Joseph Smith's Office in the Kirtland TempleVal Brinkerhoff, 2004
There were five
rooms on the third floor of the temple used for offices,
instruction, and ordinances. This particular room was the
President's Room or Room for the First Presidency. It
was here Joseph Smith did translation work and also
saw a vision of the celestial kingdom now contained in
Doctrine and Covenants 137.
Kirtland TempleJohn Telford, 2002
In describing the
workers at the temple, Daniel Tyler recounted, "How
often have I seen those humble, faithful servants of the
Lord, after toiling all day in the quarry, or on the
building, when the walls were in course of erection,
weary and faint, yet with cheerful countenances,
retiring to their homes with a few pounds of corn meal that
had been donated" ("Temples," Juvenile
Instructor, Dec. 15, 1879, 283).
Stone Quarry for the Kirtland TempleVal Brinkerhoff, 2004Heber C. Kimball reported that after they had returned to Kirtland from the Zion's Camp march, "Joseph said, 'Come, brethren, let us go into the stone-quarry and work for the Lord.' And the Prophet went himself, in his tow frock and tow breeches, and worked at quarrying stone like the rest of us" (Deseret News, May 27, 1863, 1; punctuation and capitalization modernized).Kirtland TempleWelden Andersen
The Prophet Joseph
Smith received a commandment in December 1832 to build a
temple in Kirtland. Despite living in poverty, the small
group of Saints then living in Kirtland set out to fulfill
the commandment.
Kirtland TempleSteve Mortensen, 2003
A building consisting
of a schoolhouse and printing office was built by
commandment behind the temple in late 1834. On the top floor
(school house) the Twelve Apostles were called and ordained,
the School of the Elders was held, and the revelation now
contained in section 107 in the Doctrine and Covenants was
received. On the ground floor (printing office) the Church
printed the second edition of the Book of Mormon, along with
the first edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, as well as
other early Church publications.
Interior of Kirtland Temple Main EntranceJohn Telford, 2002
Joseph Smith
"received a revelation on the size of the house in which
the word of the Lord was that it should be fifty-five feet
wide, and sixty-five feet long, in the inner court"
(History of the Church, 1:352). This main
entrance leads to the first floor meeting room with
stairs leading to a similar room on the second floor.
