Illinois Historic Sites

Historic Nauvoo is a cultural landscape that interprets the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located in Nauvoo, Illinois, from 1839 to 1846. Under the prophetic leadership of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, Latter-day Saints worked together during these years to build a faith-based community and a temple overlooking the Mississippi River. In addition to a Latter-day Saint visitors’ center, Historic Nauvoo includes many historical buildings and landscapes that have been preserved through restoration, rehabilitation, or reconstruction.

On June 27, 1844, the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were martyred—killed by a mob that attacked them in Carthage Jail, located in Carthage, Illinois. The original jail has been carefully restored and is about a 30-minute drive from Historic Nauvoo.