When Joseph Smith Jr. approached Egbert B. Grandin about publishing what Smith claimed was a newly discovered book of scripture, Grandin was hesitant. Although new religious ideas were common in the Burned-Over District, a supposedly ancient sequel…

After receiving an ancient sacred text written on gold plates from an angel named Moroni, Smith needed to translate and publish the text, an operation he knew would cost a considerable amount of money that he did not have. He asked Martin Harris, a…

On April 6, 1830, Smith gathered with six other men in the home of Peter Whitmer to formally organize the Church of Jesus Christ-of Latter Day Saints. He had been living on the Whitmer farm since 1829, having moved there to finish translating the…

Every summer, tens of thousands of Mormons, stream into the small town of Palmyra, New York to see the Hill Cumorah Pageant. The pageant features a cast of over 650 performers who dramatize the story of ancient American prophets, as told in the Book…

Joseph Smith Jr., never stayed in any one place for very long. As a child, his family bounced around New England, moving from Vermont to New Hampshire before finally settling in New York. After establishing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day…

Joseph Smith Jr. and his family moved to Palmyra, New York when he was eleven. Young Smith was overwhelmed by the religious turmoil he witnessed in the Burned-Over District. His mother was a member of the local Presbyterian church and his father used…

Shakers are recognized in mainstream society for a few key things: clean architectural lines, round barns, oval boxes, and their music – a distinctive art closely tied with their unique form of dance. In comparison to other communal societies who…

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) One of the key tenets of Shakerism is the dualism of God as male and female. In accordance with this belief, gender…

In the 1820s, the Shakers of Mount Lebanon created one of the very first businesses in America that processed herbs for medicinal uses. They rapidly became well-known for their herbal extracts, powders, and syrups. In 1896, The Harrisburg Telegraph…

The Brethren’s Workshop, located in this four story red brick building, was constructed in 1829. It was primarily used to house the many workshops that employed Shaker Brothers, although in its early days it was used by the Sisters as a laundry…