LDS Historic Sites of Northwest Missouri  Liberty Jail

Not far from the City Square in the city of Liberty is the site where the Prophet Joseph Smith and five other men were imprisoned following the "Mormon War" of 1838.

The Visitors Center is located at 216 North Main Street at the corner of Mississippi Street, just a couple of blocks north of the city center. Tours are, of course, free. The Center is open from 9am to 9 pm during the tourist season.

 One of the recent additions to the display at the jail is a painting of the Prophet in the Liberty Jail by Liz Lemon Swindle. This mere thumbnail cannot capture the depth of emotional impact felt by one viewing the picture in person.

Entering the building, one is met by a picture of the Savior, and of course, a smiling missionary. The visitor is escorted into an area where an overview of the events of the time and in the jail are presented.

 

Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Lyman Wight, Caleb Baldwin, and Alexander McRae were committed to the Liberty Jail by Judge Austin A. King on November 29, 1838, since, as Judge King mentioned in the writ, there was no jail in Caldwell or Daviess County where the charges against them were alleged.

Crowds gathered to view the "Mormons" on December 1, 1838, as they were brought to the jail. Many wrote of being disappointed, since they appeared to be "mere men." It was from this landing that the Prophet turned, tipped his hat to the crowd, and said, "Good Afternoon, Gentlemen!" as he entered the jail.

This picture graphically displays the thickness of the wall of the jail building. By looking at the doorjamb, one can see that the walls of the jail were approximately four feet thick, made of stone, lined by very thick timbers on the inside with loose stone between the timbers and the outer stone wall.

The jail itself is made up of two rooms, and upper cell (seen above), and a lower cell, (below).

The brethren were imprisoned in the lower level for the majority of their stay at Liberty. Most of the men living in the space were taller than the basement cell they were confined to, not being able to stand for the five months they were imprisoned there. In the dungeon the brethren lived in had but one way up, via a rope ladder, seen in the picture above. There was only the light from two near slits in the wall on either side. The food and water given the prisoners was often of poor quality. Orrin Porter Rockwell, would come often and empty the chamber pot for his brethren, passing edible food and potable water through the bars when he could.

This is what the Prophet may have looked like to those who came to visit him during his imprisonment at Liberty Jail. Remember, anyone who came would have to talk through the bars and four feet of wall to communicate with the prisoners. In the presentation at the jail, the building is spoken of as a "Prison Temple." That is because several sections of the Doctrine and Covenants were dictated here. Sections 121, 122, and 123 were all given by the Prophet here in March of 1839. Finally in April 1839, the prisoners were brought out of the jail, and during transit to another jurisdiction, the prisoners were more or less invited to escape as the authorities had no charges to convict or even try the men on.

 
Return to Clay County Page

This website is provided as a service of Zion's Light Associates and Joseph C. Hupp, who is responsible for it's content.

It is not an official site of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Comments may be directed to webmaster@zionslight.com

©1999-2000  Zion's Light Web Publishing