Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial!

Plaque Text for Vermont Landmark #212:

Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was born near here on December 23, 1805. A visitor’s center and a 38 1/2 foot tall monument, considered the world’s largest polished granite shaft, commemorates his life and is located at the birthplace 2 1/2 miles up Dairy Hill Road. The site is open year round.

More about the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial:

While Joseph and Lucy Smith were living here on the farm of Lucy’s dad, Solomon Mack, they had their fifth child, Joseph, Jr., who would go on to become the founder of the Mormon Church! Though they moved to Manchester, New York when Joseph, Jr. was only two, many years later, a fan of his named Junius Wells tracked down the original foundation and hearthstone of the home in time for the centennial celebration of Mr. Smith’s birth!

So, Mr. Wells bought up a big swath of the old Mack farm and brainstormed up an obelisk, made from Vermont granite, 38 1/2 feet tall (a foot for every year of the assassinated church leader’s life)! It was dedicated by Joseph Smith’s nephew, Joseph F. Smith, on December 23, 1905 after a miraculous freeze allowed them to haul the obelisk through what was normally a sticky mud pit! Today, the obelisk is still standing as the largest polished granite obelisk on the world, right next to the original foundation and doorstep of the Smith family cottage!

How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?

Volunteer at the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial!
Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!