Perhaps the most sacred spot in Jackson County is the area populated by the early Saints, and in particular, the site dedicated by the Prophet Joseph Smith for the building of the first temple in this dispensation. Unfortunately, the early Saints and their neighbors didn't get along and the LDS were expelled from the county by force in 1833, before the building could be started.
 

What has become known as the "temple lot" was abandoned, and in the 1860's, a splinter group led by Granville Hedrick settled back in the area, and more or less, "squatted" on the temple site. In the 1880's and 90's, President Joseph Smith III (son of Joseph Smith, Jr., the Prophet) of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints sued both the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Church of Christ (Temple Lot), as Hedrick's followers came to call themselves, for rights to the plot of land. The U.S. Supreme Court found in favor of the RLDS Church, but left the land in the possession of the Temple Lot church citing the rule of "adverse possession," meaning that since the Hedrickites had occupied, paid tax on, and in general treated the land as their own for so long, they deserved to keep it.

Above is a picture of the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) World Headquarters. The original building succumbed to arson several years ago. This building was constructed on the ashes of the original.

But the temple site is only approximately 2.5 acres of the plot of land that was purchased by Bishop Edward Partridge in the 1830's. That tract was 65 acres large, most of which is today owned by the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, their former headquarters, called The Auditorium, is shown here, looking south across the temple site from Lexington Street.  In 1990, the RLDS Church built their temple on the temple lot, just across River Street from the site dedicated by the Prophet in August of 1831.

Above, again looking from the Northwest corner of the temple site, looking to the east, one can see both the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) and The Temple of the Community of Christ, as the RLDS Church recently voted to begin calling themselves.

Looking to the Southeast from the NE corner of the temple site. The building just over the hill is the LDS Visitors Center. The Independence Stake Center is just down the road from the Visitors Center, in line with the water tower in the distance.

Across the street from the Temple Site, the John Whitmer Historical Society maintains a display of homes of historical importance to the RLDS Church. Among these is the home of Jonas Flournoy (shown above), the man who sold the original temple lot to Bishop Partridge in 1831.