Nauvoo Collection

Nauvoo Collection

Illinois--Nauvoo

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Mormon Church

Nauvoo Temple (Nauvoo, Ill. : 1841-1850)

Nauvoo Temple (Nauvoo, Ill. : 2002- )

Church buildings

Religious facilities

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints established their headquarters in Nauvoo, Illinois in 1839. Construction on a temple in Nauvoo began in 1841, lasting five years. In 1846, local hostility and violence forced the Mormons to leave Nauvoo and the recently completed temple. The church sold the temple building in March 1848. The temple building was destroyed by fire in October 1848 and eventually demolished in 1865. In 1937, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints reacquired the plot where the temple once stood and constructed a new temple on the original site in 2002. The larger 2002 building replicates the first building's exterior design while using a modern interior layout.

This collection includes a drawing of original Nauvoo Temple's exterior as it appeared in 1846.