Day 1, Palmyra

We have had an absolutly wonderful day in Palmyra and Fayette (now called Waterloo). We slept in until 7:30 (I think we had a good excuse-we got into Palmyra after 1 am) and got up to a wonderful breakfast at the hotel. We then walked to the Joseph Smith reconstructed log home and the original Smith family frame house that was started by Alvin Smith. It was neat to stand at the same sink where I know Lucy Mack Smith must have washed dishes 100s of times.We got to see the upstairs bedroom in the log home where Angel Moroni visited Joseph. What amazed me was how small he room was and I wondered why didn't all the other children sleeping upstairs wake up also.

I learned that Angel Moroni actually visited Joseph 5 times- 3 times in the night, once in the field after he fell from exaustion over the fence, and once in the apple orchard. This is the instance that I had never heard about. After Joepsh returned from the field, he told his mother what had happened. She sent him to the apple orchard to rest under an apple tree and there, the Angel Moroni visited him again.
We are saving the Sacred Grove until tomorrow morning early, if we can get up.

We drove 45 minutes to Fayette to see the Peter Whitmer farm. While the log cabin there is also reconstructed, it was amazing to know how many wonderful miracles took place on that farm. The farm house looked really small from the outside, but had quite a bit of room inside. The reconstructed cabin is built on the same foundation as the original cabin.

We also went to the E.B. Grandin print shop and discovered how many miracles took place for the Book of Mormon to be published. E.B. Grandin was only in the printing business for 5 years. He had just received a printing press that could print the Book of Mormon when Joseph came and inquired about the job and finally, the paper needed for the job was just a few miles away in Manchester. You would never think of details like obtaining paper, but it was a big deal to gt paper, especially the right size of paper back then.

We also went to the Palmyra Temple to take pictures. It is a small, beautiful temple.

When we get home, we will post pictures.

Tomorrow it is the Sacred Grove, church, the Hill Cummorah, and probably a little exploring. The little villages are so wonderful and quaint. We love to just drive around and look at the houses. It is so green and beautiful.