Palmyra and Fayette, New York

Our first stop was the Smith Family Log Home. This is the home Joseph lived in when the angel Moroni appeared to him. The Sacred Grove is just out the back door and across a field.

Just down the road is the more spacious Frame Home. Joseph hid the plates once under the bricks in the fireplace hearth. Out back is a large Hickory tree that the Smith's planted when their son, Alvin, died.

The walk through the Sacred Grove was peaceful and beautiful. We spent quite a bit of time exploring all the pathways and taking time to sit and contemplate. What a beautiful day.The Palmyra Temple can be viewed from the pathway from the Log Home to the Frame House. There are some windows facing the Sacred Grove. Normally you can't see directly out of temple windows, but after Pres. Hinckley visited, he said, "wouldn't it be nice if we could look out over the Sacred Grove..." Needless to say, you can now do that.

The Hill Cumorah was our next stop. While at the Sacred Grove Visitors Center, our tour guide was the Director of the Palmyra area. He told us that The Hill Cumorah Pageant would only be performed one more year as it is. Plans are already under way for a new show that will start in 2010. He said it would focus more around the historical events that happened in the Palmyra area. Better start making plans now.

Our last stop around the Palmyra area was at Fayette. It is the Peter Whitmer Farm where the church was organized. While talking to the sister missionaries, I found out that Ed Pinegar is serving in the Palmyra mission. I used to work for him in Provo as a Dental Receptionist. I had just missed him though. It would have been nice to see him again.