On Monday, July 16, we packed our snacks and headed north, anticipating a 4-5 hour drive to reach the Church History sites in upstate NewYork.
Our first stop was the Peter Whittmer farm where on April 6, 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was organized. There is a beautiful white chapel there now with a re-constructed log cabin nearby which is a replica of the original meeting place where the first saints in the latter days gathered. We were fortunate enough to coordinate schedules with Dustin, Larah, Cassidy and Parker who were in Palmyra as cast members of the Hill Cumorah Pageant. Here we pose in the upper room of the log home owned by Peter Whittmer.
Next we traveled to the Joseph Smith Sr. farm. There are two homes on this property--the original log home where the family lived when Joseph Jr. had his first vision and visitations from Moroni.
The second home is a larger two story home mostly built by Alvin Smith for his parents. The Smiths did live in the larger home for a time. It was during this time that Joseph Smith Jr. was translating the plates.
These are photos of the larger Smith home. Below is the exterior of the log home. The Smiths were unable to make the final payment on their mortgage and lost their home. They moved back into the log home and rented it for a time before moving to Ohio.
Behind the log home and across the meadow is the sacred grove. We loved our walk through the grove. The birds chirped their welcome and the leaves rustled in a slight breeze but the feeling was one of reverence and awe. You knew something very special happened t here.
After our tour of the Smith farm, we headed to town for some dinner. We were directed to the Athena Restaurant. That was quite the eatery. The locals love it. The adults in our group, not so much. The kids devoured their meals and some of ours, however, and just watching them enjoy the experience made it fun for us.
After dinner, we went to the highly recommended Chill & Grill for ice cream. Now that was a TREAT! We liked it so much that we stopped by again the next day.
After dinner, we went to the highly recommended Chill & Grill for ice cream. Now that was a TREAT! We liked it so much that we stopped by again the next day. 
2 comments:
It was nice to be with the six most important people in my life on a fun outing. Looking forward to the next time.
It was so fun to see you and your family. It is always fun to have people visit the pageant that we know. Thanks again for the ride. You were a life saver.
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