The Red Brick Store in
Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo ( ; from the ) is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River near Fort Madison, Iowa. The population of Nauvoo was 950 at the 2020 census. Nauvoo attracts visitors for its historic importance and its ...
, was a building that was constructed and owned by
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...
, the founder of the
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by Jo ...
.
Original building
Smith constructed the Red Brick Store in 1841. The building became a center of economic, political, religious, and social activity among the
Latter Day Saint
The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by J ...
s. In addition to being a mercantile store, the second floor of the building also served as the headquarters of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for a period of time. Members would visit the store to pay their
tithing
A tithing or tything was a historic English legal, administrative or territorial unit, originally ten hides (and hence, one tenth of a hundred). Tithings later came to be seen as subdivisions of a manor or civil parish. The tithing's leader or s ...
and other offerings to the church.
Notable events
A number of important events in
Latter Day Saint history occurred in the Red Brick Store, including:
*the organization of the
Relief Society
The Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, United States, and has more than 7 million members in over 18 ...
, the church's organization for women, on March 17, 1842; and
*the first performance of the Nauvoo
Endowment ordinance
Ordinance may refer to:
Law
* Ordinance (Belgium), a law adopted by the Brussels Parliament or the Common Community Commission
* Ordinance (India), a temporary law promulgated by the President of India on recommendation of the Union Cabinet
* ...
, on May 4, 1842.
Destruction and rebuilding
After Joseph Smith was
killed and the majority of Latter Day Saints left Nauvoo, the Red Brick Store fell into disrepair. Eventually, it was torn down and the bricks were used to construct new buildings in Nauvoo.
In 1980, the
Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), is an American-based international church, and is the second-largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. The churc ...
rebuilt the Red Brick Store on the original foundation as part of its 1980
sesquicentennial
An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. The word was first used for Catholic feasts to commemorate saints. ...
celebrations. Today, the Red Brick Store is owned and operated as a tourist attraction by the
Community of Christ
The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), is an American-based international church, and is the second-largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. The churc ...
. The Store sells goods that are similar to the kind that were sold in the Store in the 1840s.
Manti, Utah
In
Manti,
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, the headquarters of the
(TLC Church) is located in a building named the Red Brick Store in honor of Smith's original structure in Nauvoo.
See also
*
Council House (Salt Lake City)
:''Not to be mistaken with the Salt Lake City Council Hall, a building of similar purpose and design.''
The Council House, often called the State House, was the first public building in Utah; being constructed in 1849–50. The building stood in ...
*
Endowment House
The Endowment House was an early building used by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) to administer temple ordinances in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory. From the construction of the Council House in 1852, Salt Lake City's ...
*
Anointed Quorum The Anointed Quorum, also known as the Quorum of the Anointed, or the Holy Order, was a select body of men and women who Joseph Smith initiated into Mormon temple ordinances at Nauvoo, Illinois, which gave them special standing in the early Latter ...
*
Plano Stone Church
The Plano Stone Church was constructed in 1868 to serve as the headquarters for the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church, now Community of Christ) under the leadership of Joseph Smith III. Smith moved to Plano, Il ...
References
* Robert T. Bray (1973). ''Archaeological Investigations at the Joseph Smith Red Brick Store, Nauvoo, Illinois'' (Columbia: University of Missouri Press)
*
Roger D. Launius
Roger D. Launius (born May 15, 1954) is an American historian and author of Lithuanian descent, a former chief historian of NASA. He retired in 2016 as Associate Director for Collections and Curatorial Affairs for the Smithsonian National Air ...
and F. Mark McKiernan (1985). ''Joseph Smith, Jr.'s Red Brick Store'' (Macomb: Western Illinois University Press)
External links
Joseph Smith's Red Brick Store– official website for Community of Christ tourist attraction
{{LDSsites
19th-century Latter Day Saint religious buildings and structures
Buildings and structures in Hancock County, Illinois
Commercial buildings completed in 1841
Community of Christ
Former religious buildings and structures in Illinois
Headquarters in the United States
Latter Day Saint movement in Illinois
Nauvoo, Illinois
Rebuilt buildings and structures in Illinois
Religious buildings and structures completed in 1841
Religious buildings and structures completed in 1980
Retail buildings in Illinois
Significant places in Mormonism
Tourist attractions in Hancock County, Illinois
Mormon museums in the United States