Kirtland Ohio, was the headquarters of the Church of Latter Day Saints (later to change their name to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) from 1831 until early 1838. The first temple was completed in 1836.
The Kirtland Temple is currently owned by the Community of Christ Church (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints). The Temple is open to the public. The Community of Christ Church conducts tours of the building, but does not allow pictures to be taken inside. Our tour was conducted by a Catholic tour guide who was very knowledgeable of the early church history and provided a spiritual tour of the Temple.
The front doors of the temple are close to the street so we couldn't get a nice view of the Temple without the electrical wires.
The Temple has three floors, the first floor was used as a meeting place for all members of the Church (much like a ward meeting house). The second floor is almost identical to the first and was used by the Priesthood leaders for conducting meetings and training. The third floor is divided into three rooms; one for the Church President, one for the leaders of the Melchizedek Priesthood and one for the Aaronic Priesthood leaders.
The Temple has three floors, the first floor was used as a meeting place for all members of the Church (much like a ward meeting house). The second floor is almost identical to the first and was used by the Priesthood leaders for conducting meetings and training. The third floor is divided into three rooms; one for the Church President, one for the leaders of the Melchizedek Priesthood and one for the Aaronic Priesthood leaders.
The plaque on the Temple indicates that the Temple was built by the Church of Later Day Saints and dedicated in 1836. The church changed their name to the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints in 1838.
Home of Newel K. Whitney, a prominent business man in Kirtland when the LDS Church relocated to Kirtland. He was converted and was instrumental in creating business that created materials and generated money for the building of the Kirtland Temple. Following are pictures of the interior of the home. Whitney would be considered well to do at the time.
Dry sink didn't have a drain.
There is a tiny doll on the small rocking chair in the center front of this picture.
Newel's Store in the old part of Kirtland. His home was just across the street to the left end of the Store. Following are pictures of the stores interior.
Front counter
Store room where freight was received and stored until needed in the store..
Whitney also built a sawmill and set up a lathe to furnish building materials for the newly arriving members of the LDS Church and to fabricate items for the Temple.
Roll way for getting logs into the sawmill
Carriage with partially cut log. Saw is a vertical blade rather than a circular one.
Lathe for shaping round wood stock.
Woodworking area. These pulpits are similar to the ones in the Kirtland Temple. The ones on the first and second floor of the Temple are painted white (what a waste of such beautiful wood).
Water raceway with wheel which powers the sawmill and lathe.
As a means for raising money for the building of the Kirtland Temple, Whitney built an Ashuary for making Pot Ash (Potash) and Pearl Ash (potash and lime). In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, potash production provided settlers in North America a way to obtain badly needed cash and credit as they cleared wooded land for crops. To make full use of their land, settlers needed to dispose of excess wood. The easiest way to accomplish this was to burn any wood not needed for fuel or construction. Ashes from hardwood trees could then be used to make lye, which could either be used to make soap or boiled down to produce valuable potash. Whitney had all the residents of Kirtland bring the ashes from their fireplaces and stoves to his Ashuary.
Ashes were stockpiled and then put in the large wooden vat which had water seeping through the ashes and the resulting liquid collected.
Shovel used to load the ashes into the vat. It is carved from a single piece of wood.
Drying pots with potash. Pots were heated with wood to speed the drying of the ash and water (lye). These ashes were turned into potash.
Oven used to heat the potash and lime to make pearl ash.
Finished product of the Ashuary; potash is darker while pearl ash is almost white.
Assay lab for process control of the final products. Quality control of the 1830s.
When Joseph Smith Jr. and his family arrived in Kirtland in 1831, Newel Whitney was there to greet him at his store and offer him the use of an apartment that was in the back of the Whitney store.
The apartment was small consisting of a living room, kitchen/dining area and bedroom.
Also, upstairs in the store was a small room where Joseph Smith Jr. taught the new leaders of the LDS church their duties and responsibilities. This was called the School of the Prophets. When the Kirtland Temple was completed, this same training took place on the second floor of the Temple.
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