Joseph Smith Mansion House, Religious residence in Nauvoo, Illinois, US
The Joseph Smith Mansion House is a two-story wood-frame building in the Greek Revival style, located at the corner of Main and Water Streets in Nauvoo, Illinois. It contains several rooms that served as both private living quarters and guest accommodations for visitors to the community.
The house was built in 1843 for Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and served as his home until his death the following year. After he died, the building remained in his family and became a focal point during a turbulent period for the community.
The house was a place where Joseph Smith received members of the early Latter Day Saint community and held important gatherings. Today visitors can walk through the original rooms and get a sense of how daily life and religious life overlapped in this setting.
The building stands at a visible street corner in the historic center of Nauvoo and is easy to reach on foot from nearby sites. Inside, visitors will find period furnishings throughout and a staircase leading to the upper floor.
After Joseph and his brother Hyrum were killed in 1844, their bodies were laid out in the house and an artist made death masks of both men. Those masks survive today and are considered one of the few direct records of their faces.
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