Nauvoo, situated on the Mississippi, on the border with Iowa, played a prominent part in the history of the Mormons. After their prophet Joseph Smith was driven out of Missouri they followed him to this area and established a kind of independent state. Conflicts with opponents and within the Mormon church culminated in the lynching and murder of Smith and his brother in the local prison. Brigham Young then led the Mormons to Utah. The Mormon period in Nauvoo is recalled by the Joseph Smith Historic Center and the Brigham Young Home in the Nauvoo Restoration Visitor Center.
Heber C Kimball was the prime counselor to Brigham Young. The home was built in 1845 but the family only lived in it for a few months before joining the trek west with other Latter Day Saints. The Heber C. Kimball home has been restored and furnished with antiques.
The Nauvoo Pageant is an outdoor musical that tells the story of Nauvoo and the Latter-day Saints. Part of the pageant includes historical presentations about Old Nauvoo.
Once the site of a Fox Indian village, then settled by Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1839. The 148-acre park includes a 13-acre lake that allows for fishing, boating, camping and hiking.
The on-site museum is housed in a house built by Mormons in the 1840s.
Tips: Museum hours: May 1 through October 15 through 1 to 5pm.
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