Carthage Jail & Nauvoo

Our first stop on the way back home was to Carthage Jail in Carthage, Illinois. 

This is the jail where Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, were shot and killed by a mob of about 150 men. 

It was so neat to bring our children here and show them where our prophet was martyred for his beliefs. They will probably never remember it but Justin and I feel that any opportunity that we have to strengthen their little testimonies, is 100% worth the effort. I think Ethan is old enough (and has an incredible memory) so he will remember it. It was really neat to talk to him about what happened here and answer all his questions. 

This is the window on the second story where Joseph was shot and fell out of. 

The Church has bought a lot of the land around the jail and it is such a peaceful, beautiful little area. And it was a good place for Mason to run around in to expel some pent up energy from being in the car seat for too long!

Next, we drove a little ways down to Nauvoo, also known as the "City of Joseph" or "City Beautiful"

The kids got to see how the pioneers made the bricks that built the town,  and also got to see what it was like to be a blacksmith back then. The each even got their own "diamond" rings. 

I went to Nauvoo before I was even baptized for a Youth Conference trip, so it was really neat to go back there and see the sights being a member of the church, and having had church history classes at BYU. It was so much more meaningful!

We were actually impressed with the tour that the Community of Christ did of the Smith's house, Joseph's store, and gravesite area. 

The bodies of Joseph and Hyrum were first buried in the uncompleted Nauvoo House (that you can kinda see in the background, but were later moved to where they reside now, right by the Joseph Smith Homestead. 

This is where Josephs parents are buried. 

This is the back of the homestead where Joseph and Emma first lived when they moved to Nauvoo. 

The Mansion House is where Emma and Joseph (and like everyone else who was in the process of moving to Nauvoo) lived. it was their second house. The Smith's were always so generous to open their home to everyone. 

Ellie and I had to try on the pioneer bonnets at the Red Brick Store. That pink bonnet just looked so cute on her!

These were our best attempts at getting a picture in front of the Nauvoo Temple.  Obviously, the sun was a little bright...

So I just opted to let the kids roam free and snap a few pics. They were much happier doing that anyway. 

After some dinner, we hoped back in the car to drive to our next location, Missouri. 

And can I just say that using Mason's tray holder from his booster seat as a place for him to eat on while in the car was a life saver! I'm sure that idea is on Pinterest somewhere but I kinda felt like a genius when I realized it was a perfect fit!