Nauvoo, Illinois

Joseph Smith Jr. Red Brick Store

Sections (127), 129, and 132

September 1842 to July 1843

Scripture

"If a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them - Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths - then shall it be written in the Lamb's Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever."

An office for the Prophet and a meeting room were located on the second floor of this building, which served as headquarters for the Church from 1842 until the martyrdom of Joseph.

Doctrine and Covenants 132:19

Key Events

Joseph's Brick Store was opened for business in 1841. The store was on the lower level. An upper level housed Joseph Smith's office, and a large hall where many meetings were held. The Relief Society was organized in the upper hall on March 17, 1842.

At a meeting held here for young men and women in early 1843, Joseph charged them to organize themselves. This eventually became the Young Men and Young Women organizations in the Church today.

Joseph Smith completed translation and publication of the Book of Abraham.

The famous "Wentworth Letter" was written here, which contained a brief account of the history of the Church, and a statement of 13 beliefs that were later canonized as the "Articles of Faith."

In May 1842, several Church leaders were given the temple endowment in the upper room of the store.

Here, Joseph met frequently with the Twelve Apostles to prepare them to lead the Church when he was gone.

The original store was torn down around 1890, and its brick was used to construct other buildings in the area. The Community of Christ rebuilt the store in the late 1970s, and today conducts public tours of the site.

Words of Joseph Smith

"[The Relief Society] is a charitable Society, and according to your natures; it is natural for females to have feelings of charity and benevolence. You are now placed in a situation in which you can act according to those sympathies which God has planted in your bosoms. If you live up to these principles, how great and glorious will be your reward in the celestial kingdom! If you live up to your privileges, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates." (History of the Church 4:605)

"Let this Society teach women how to behave towards their husbands, to treat them with mildness and affection. When a man is borne down with trouble, when he is perplexed with care and difficulty, if he can meet a smile instead of an argument or a murmur - if he can meet with mildness, it will calm down his soul and soothe his feelings; when the mind is going to despair, it needs a solace of affection and kindness." (HC 4:606)

"I now rejoice. I have lived until I have seen this burden, which has rested on my shoulders, rolled on to the shoulders of other men; now the keys of the kingdom are planted on the earth to be taken away no more for ever . . . You have to round up your shoulders to bear up the kingdom. No matter what becomes of me. I have desired to see that Temple built, but I shall not live to see it. You will; you are called upon to bear off this kingdom." (Journal of Discourses 13:164)

Copyright 2005 Steve Mortensen. All rights reserved.