Carthage Jail

Carthage Jail
Location Walnut and N. Fayette Sts., Carthage, Illinois
Coordinates 40°24′57″N 91°08′20″W / 40.41572°N 91.13884°WCoordinates: 40°24′57″N 91°08′20″W / 40.41572°N 91.13884°W
Area 0.8 acres (0.32 ha)
Built 1839
Governing body Private
NRHP Reference # 73000703[1]
Added to NRHP March 20, 1973

Carthage Jail, located in Carthage, Illinois, was the location of the murder of Joseph Smith, the founder of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, and his brother Hyrum by a mob of approximately 150 men. Fellow Latter Day Saints John Taylor and Willard Richards were also members of the incarcerated party, but were not killed. The group had reported to Carthage, the county seat, to face false charges brought against Joseph. On June 27, 1844, a mob stormed the upper room of the prison and killed Joseph and Hyrum. Taylor was badly wounded and Richards was scathed, but not seriously injured.[2]

History

Outside of the jail is a monument erected to the memory of Joseph and Hyrum Smith.

The jail was built in 1839. Constructed of native Muncie creek shale, the two-story, rectangular, gable-front building measures twenty-nine by thirty-five feet. Like other county jails in Illinois, Carthage Jail was built to incarcerate petty thieves and debtors and to serve as a temporary holding place for violent criminals. It housed a debtor's room in the northwest corner of the first floor, and a dungeon, or "criminal cell" on the second floor, north side. There was also a living area for the jailer's family that included a kitchen, a dining room, and bedrooms.

Today

The Carthage Jail is currently restored to an approximation of its condition at the time of the Smiths' deaths. The site and the city block it stands on is currently owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and has been established as a historical site and visitor's center.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-07-09.
  2. ↑ "Carthage Jail and Visitors Center". Historic Nauvoo. Retrieved December 7, 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carthage Jail.