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:''There is also a [[Nauvoo, Alabama]], and a [[Nauvoo, Pennsylvania]]''
:''There is also a [[Nauvoo, Alabama]], and a [[Nauvoo, Pennsylvania]]''


'''Nauvoo''' ('''נָאווּ''' "to be beautiful", [[Sephardi Hebrew language|Sephardi Hebrew]] '''Nåvu''', [[Tiberian Hebrew]] '''Nâwû''') is a city in [[Hancock County, Illinois|Hancock County]], [[Illinois]], [[United States]]. Although the current population is just 1,063 (2000 census), and although it is difficult to reach over secondary highways in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its religious significance to members of both the [[Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints)|Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] and other groups stemming from the same [[Mormon]] predecessor.
'''Nauvoo''' ('''נָאווּ''' "to be beautiful", [[Sephardi Hebrew language|Sephardi Hebrew]] '''Nåvu''', [[Tiberian Hebrew]] '''Nâwû''') is a city in [[Hancock County, Illinois|Hancock County]], [[Illinois]], [[United States]]. Although the current population is just 1,063 (2000 census), and although it is difficult to reach over secondary highways in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its religious significance to members of both the [[Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints)|Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], other groups stemming from the same [[Mormon]] predecessor, the Icarians and Catholics. See [[History of Nauvoo, Illinois]] for further details.


The city was founded by [[Joseph Smith, Jr.]], the founder of the Latter-day Saints, and named by him from the traditional [[Sephardi Hebrew]] language with an [[anglicization|anglicized]] spelling. The word comes from [[Book of Isaiah|Isaiah]] 52:7, "How beautiful upon the mountains..."
The city was founded by [[Joseph Smith, Jr.]], the founder of the Latter-day Saints, and named by him from the traditional [[Sephardi Hebrew]] language with an [[anglicization|anglicized]] spelling. The word comes from [[Book of Isaiah|Isaiah]] 52:7, "How beautiful upon the mountains..."
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Recently, the newly co-oped West Hancock (Hamilton, Warsaw, Nauvoo-Colusa) Girls basketball team took first place in the IHSA Class 2A Championship. It is the first year of the co-op basketball team, and their first championship.
Recently, the newly co-oped West Hancock (Hamilton, Warsaw, Nauvoo-Colusa) Girls basketball team took first place in the IHSA Class 2A Championship. It is the first year of the co-op basketball team, and their first championship.

==History==
===Commerce City===
[[Hancock County, Illinois|Hancock County]] was created in 1825 and organized in 1829, eleven years after [[Illinois]] became a state. In 1834, absentee investors A. White and J. B. Teas platted the town of Commerce on a bend of the Mississippi River in Hancock County, some fifty-three miles north of [[Quincy, Illinois|Quincy]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Linn|1902|p=219}}</ref> By 1839, the town had failed to attract settlers and only a few frame houses had been built. The hopes of commercial success, based on the townsite being a portage past seasonal rapids, were dashed by the fact that the site was mostly a malarial swamp.

===Nauvoo founded by the Latter Day Saints===
In early 1839, [[Latter Day Saint]]s were forced to flee [[Missouri]] as a result of the 1838 [[Mormon War]] and a legal proclamation known as the [[Extermination Order]] issued by Governor [[Lilburn W. Boggs]]. They regrouped in [[Quincy, Illinois|Quincy]], whose non-Mormon citizens were shocked by the harsh treatment given them in Missouri and opened their homes to the refugees.

[[Image:Joseph Smith, Jr. (1843 photograph).jpg|200px|thumb|Joseph Smith, Jr.]][[Joseph Smith, Jr.]], Prophet and president of the [[Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints)|Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints]], remained [[Liberty Jail|imprisoned]] in Missouri, but his chief counselor in the [[First Presidency]], [[Sidney Rigdon]], had been released and rejoined the main body of the church in Quincy. Church member Israel Barlow fled Missouri and entered Illinois further north than the main group of Latter-day Saints. Learning from Isaac Galland, a land agent, that a large amount of land was for sale in the Commerce area, he contacted church leaders. Galland approached Rigdon in Quincy, Illinois and offered church leaders title to land in Hancock County and additional land across the river in the [[Iowa|Iowa Territory's]] [[Lee County, Iowa|Lee County]]. Church leaders purchased this land as well as the mostly vacant Commerce plat in 1839, and [[Latter Day Saints]] began to settle the area immediately.<ref>{{Harvnb|Flanders|1965|p=32}}</ref>

Physically weak from months of imprisonment, Smith and other leaders were permitted to escape from prison in Missouri. They rejoined the Latter Day Saints in Commerce by May of 1839. He renamed the town "Nauvoo", meaning "to be beautiful."<ref>The word is found in the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] of ''[[Book of Isaiah|Isaiah]]'' 52:7.</ref> Latter Day Saints often referred to Nauvoo as "the city beautiful," or "the city of Joseph."<ref>[http://www.fairlds.org/apol/misc/misc12.html Explanation regarding the Hebrew origin of the city's name]</ref>

Despite the name, the site was, at first, an undeveloped swamp. Epidemics of [[cholera]], [[malaria]] and [[typhoid]] took their toll on the struggling Mormons until the swamp was drained.<ref>{{Harvnb|Brooks|1962|pp=47-48}}</ref> The smaller community of Commerce had few buildings so construction began promptly to meet the immediate demand for housing. Elements of Joseph Smith's generalized city plan, known as the "[[plat of Zion]]" (first introduced in 1833) were used in the street layout and lot allotments in Nauvoo. The community was characterized by wood frame homes with outbuildings, gardens, orchards and grazing plots on large lots laid out on an orderly grid system. In general, the buildings were detached single-family dwellings reminiscent of New England construction styles with commercial and industrial buildings in the same pattern.

===Building up the city===
[[Image:Nauvoo, Illinois daguerreotype (1846).jpg|frame|[[Daguerreotype]] of the city in 1846 at the time of the [[Mormon]] exodus (LDS Church Archives).]]
In the spring of 1840, [[John C. Bennett]], the Quarter Master General of the Illinois State Militia converted to Mormonism and became Joseph Smith's friend and confidante. Bennett's experience with Illinois' government allowed him to help Smith craft a city charter for Nauvoo <ref>[http://www.mormonismi.info/jamesdavid/nauvchar.htm Nauvoo Charter] from ''History of the Church'', Vol.4, Ch.13.</ref> Based closely on the [[Springfield, Illinois]], charter, the document gave the city a number of important powers, including the establishment of municipal court, a university, and an independent militia unit. At the time, the Illinois state government was closely balanced between members of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic party]] and members of the [[Whig party (United States)|Whig party]]. Both hoped to attract Mormon votes and both were quick to place the charter into effect. After the charter was passed, Bennett was elected Nauvoo's first mayor and Smith made Bennett a member of the church's [[First Presidency]]. A militia unit, named the "[[Nauvoo Legion]]" was established, and Smith and Bennett were made its commanding generals.

The city grew quickly as Mormons gathered. At its height Nauvoo's population was as large as Quincy's or Springfield's, although it remained smaller than contemporary Chicago.<ref>{{Harvnb|Arrington|Bitton|1992|p=69}}</ref> Many new residents came from the [[British Isles]], as a result of a successful LDS mission established there.<ref>{{Harvnb|Arrington|Bitton|1992|p=68}}</ref> The Latter Day Saints published two newspapers in the city, the religious and church-owned ''[[Times and Seasons]]'' and the secular and independently-owned ''[[The Wasp (newspaper)|Wasp]]'' (later replaced by the ''[[Nauvoo Neighbor]]''). Although it mostly existed on paper, a University of Nauvoo was established, with Bennett as chancellor.

The Nauvoo Legion, a militia, with 2,000 men was headed by the Prophet Joseph Smith who was given the commission of Lieutenant-general by Illinois' Governor Carlin. The Nauvoo militia consisted of a corps of riflemen.

On [[April 6]], 1841, the Nauvoo Legion drilled in a great parade to honor the laying of the cornerstone for a new [[Temple (Mormonism)|temple]] and [[Sidney Rigdon]] gave the dedicatory speech. The foundation of the [[Nauvoo Temple]] was 83&nbsp;ft (25&nbsp;m) by 128&nbsp;ft (39&nbsp;m) and, when finished, its steeple rose to a height of over 100&nbsp;ft (30&nbsp;m). Church elder [[Alpheus Cutler]] was put in charge of the construction of the ambitious stone structure. Another church committee began construction of a large hotel on the city's Water Street, to be called the "Nauvoo House." [[John D. Lee]] was put in charge of constructing a meeting hall for the quorums of the [[Seventy (Mormonism)|Seventies]].

In October of 1841, a [[Freemasonry|Masonic]] [[Lodge]] was established in Nauvoo. [[George Miller (Latter Day Saints)|George Miller]], one of the church's [[Bishop (Latter Day Saints)|bishops]], was made its "[[Worshipful Master]]" or leader. The lodge admitted far more members than was normal in Masonic practice and quickly elevated church leaders to high roles.

===Developments in the Church===
At the time of Nauvoo's foundation, the church was led by a [[First Presidency]], consisting of a Prophet and two Counselors. The Presiding [[High Council]] (known as the Nauvoo High Council), led by Nauvoo [[Stake (Mormonism)|Stake]] President [[William Marks (Mormonism)|William Marks]] was next in administrative authority, overseeing the church's legislative and judicial affairs. The church's "Traveling High Council" (or [[Quorum of the Twelve]]) led by President [[Brigham Young]] oversaw the church's missionary activities.

Joseph Smith, Jr. introduced and expanded a number of distinct practices while the Latter Day Saint church was headquartered in Nauvoo. These included [[Baptism for the dead]], [[Rebaptism (Mormonism)|Rebaptism]], the Nauvoo-era [[Endowment (Mormonism)|Endowment]], and the ordinance of the [[Second Anointing]]. In addition, he created a new inner council of the church — containing both men and women — called the [[Anointed Quorum]].

Although not publicly acknowledged, Smith had been practicing [[plural marriage]] for some time, and in Nauvoo he began to teach other leaders the doctrine.{{Fact|date=May 2007}} Smith took 49 wives in marriage in Nauvoo, mostly during 1843 and 1844, ranging from fifteen years of age to fifty-five years old. (Historical Record by Andrew Jenson and Genealogical Archives, Salt Lake City; Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine.) Controversy arose because Smith's counselor in the First Presidency and Mayor, John C. Bennett, was caught in adultery (which Bennett considered and referred to as "[[spiritual wifery]]" or having multiple "spiritual" wives) claiming that Joseph Smith endorsed it and practiced it himself. However, this was inaccurate as the doctrine of [[plural marriage]] involved an actual formal church marriage ceremony whereas Bennett simply seduced women for sexual favors.{{Fact|date=May 2007}} Bennett was subsequently expelled from Nauvoo in the summer of 1842 and Smith himself became the city's second mayor. Bennett's fall led to Brigham Young becoming more prominent among Smith's confidants. Young proved more loyal than Bennett, helping Smith promote the teachings of the Church and the practice of plural marriage with greater discretion.

Another key development was Smith's 1844 establishment of the [[Council of Fifty]] based upon his political theory of [[Theodemocracy]]. An extension of the Mormon belief of an imminent [[Millennium]], this council was meant to be a political organization which could immediately fill the roles of purely secular governments which would be destroyed at Christ's [[Second Coming]]. While evidence shows that the organization was meant to be fully functional only in the absence of secular government and that its governing principles were to be based on the [[United States Constitution]], overblown reports of the organization, which met in secret, helped fuel rumors of an aggressive theocracy with Joseph Smith as its king. The Council had little actual power, but remained in existence far after the Nauvoo period.

Nevertheless, Joseph Smith ran for President of the United States in 1844 advocating for a "Theodemocracy". He wrote: "I go emphatically, virtuously, and humanely, for a Theodemocracy, where God and the people hold the power to conduct the affairs of men in righteousness." (Nauvoo Neighbor, April 17, 1844).

===Growing Unease with Mormons===
As Mormon population grew, non-Mormons in Hancock County, especially in the towns of [[Warsaw, Illinois|Warsaw]] and [[Carthage, Illinois|Carthage]], felt threatened by the political power of the growing Mormon [[voting bloc|bloc-voting]]. In Nauvoo, Joseph Smith, Jr. was not only President of the Church, he was Mayor, head of the municipal court, and general of the militia. This power base, plus the fact that Mormons benefited from collective group efforts as opposed to the more isolated and independent non-Mormon farmer, caused many non-LDS in the nearby areas to become suspicious and jealous.<ref> Heidi S. Swinton and Lee Groberg, ''Sacred Stone'' (2002), a PBS documentary and companion book, see. p. 86-87</ref>

Throughout much of the Nauvoo period, officials from Missouri attempted to arrest Smith and extradite him on charges relating to the [[Mormon War]]. When he was apprehended, Smith would appeal to the Nauvoo Municipal Court, which would issue writs of ''[[habeas corpus]]'' and force his release. The court occasionally did the same when non-Mormons tried to arrest Latter Day Saints on other charges. Although the local court exceeded their authority in some of these cases, in at least one instance Governor Ford honored the Nauvoo court's decision to deny extradition. (Allen and Leonard, pp. 180-181) Illinoisans, generally unaware of the Church's and Smith's legal history in Missouri, began to consider this a serious subversion of the judiciary which weakened the legal position of Nauvoo and the Mormon church leadership.

Dissatisfaction with the perceived theocracy also arose from within. In 1844, First Presidency member, [[William Law (Mormonism)|William Law]] &mdash; an important merchant and counselor to Smith &mdash; broke with the church president over both the issue of [[plural marriage]] and the legal issues in Nauvoo. Law was excommunicated and founded a reformed church called the [[True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints]]. He also established a newspaper named the ''[[Nauvoo Expositor]]'' which threatened to expose the practice of plural marriage. On June 10, Smith held a meeting of the city council which, after two full days of meeting, condemned the ''Expositor'' as "a public nuisance" and empowered him to order the press destroyed. (''See [[Nauvoo Expositor]] for more information on this event.'')

The Prophet Joseph Smith issued a proclamation declaring the newspaper a civic nuisance; a portion of the Nauvoo Legion marched into the office, wrecked the press and burned every issue of The Nauvoo Expositor that could be found.

The destruction of the press was seen as an opportunity by critics such as Thomas Sharp, whose paper in nearby Warsaw had been openly calling for destruction of the Church. Fanned by Sharp and others, public sentiment held that the action was illegal and unconstitutional. Some non-Mormons and disaffected church members in and around Hancock county, Illinois, began to call for Smith's arrest. Smith, his brother [[Hyrum Smith|Hyrum]], and several other church leaders submitted to arrest. While awaiting trial in Carthage, the county seat, under assurance of safety from Illinois governor Ford, Joseph and Hyrum Smith were assassinated when a vigilante mob attacked the jail. (''See [[Death of Joseph Smith, Jr.]].'')

===The "Mormon War in Illinois" and the Mormon Exodus===
[[Image:The Battle of Nauvoo by C.C.A. Christensen.png|thumb|400px|Depiction of the Battle of Nauvoo, by [[Carl Christian Anton Christensen|C.C.A. Christensen]].]]
After Smith's death, the agitation against Mormons continued. The conflict escalated into what has sometimes been called the "Mormon War in Illinois." Opponents of the Mormons in Warsaw and Carthage began to agitate for the expulsion from Illinois of the Latter Day Saints. In October of 1844, a great gathering was announced in Warsaw. Although it was purported to be a "wolf hunt," it was known that the "wolves" to be hunted were the Mormons. When Governor [[Thomas Ford (politician)|Thomas Ford]] became aware of it, he sent militia troops to disperse the gathering. However, as he later recalled:
:"The malcontents abandoned their design, and all the leaders of it fled to Missouri. The Carthage Greys fled almost in a body, carrying their arms along with them. During our stay in the county the anti-Mormons thronged into the camp and conversed freely with the men, who were fast infected with their prejudices, and it was impossible to get any of the officers to aid in expelling them".<ref>{{Harvnb|Ford|1860|p=365}}</ref>

Vigilante bands continued to roam the county, forcing Latter Day Saints in outlying areas to abandon their homes and gather to Nauvoo for protection.

When the Illinois state legislature met in December of 1844, there was great support for the repeal of the Nauvoo Charter. Governor Ford conceded that the charter's privileges had been "much abused" by the Mormons, but he urged that the legislature merely amend the document, saying "I do not see how ten or twelve thousand people can do well in a city without some chartered privileges".<ref>{{Harvnb|Flanders|1965|p=324}}</ref> However, on January 29, 1845, the repeal was overwhelmingly passed by a vote of 25-14 in the Senate and 75-31 in the House.

After its legal disincorporation, Nauvoo government and civil institutions were legally dissolved and the church administrative structure operated as a default government. This more theocratic organization was known informally by its residents as the "City of Joseph" while disincorporated. After a [[Succession crisis (Mormonism)|succession crisis]], Brigham Young gained support from the majority of church members and so controlled Nauvoo. Informal security procedures were established, including what were known as "whittling and whistling brigades." These were made up of Mormon men and boys who "whistled" while "whittling" with large knives held close to any suspicious strangers who entered Nauvoo. According to one witness:
:"The process of whittling out an officer was as follows: A great tall man by the name of [[Hosea Stout]] was the captain of the Whittling society, and he had about a dozen assistants. They all had great bowie knives and would get a long piece of pine board and get up close to the officer and pretend to be cutting the pine board, but would cut over it and cut near the officer. In the meantime, small boys would get tin pans, old bells and all sorts of things to make a noise with and surround the officer. No one would touch or say a word to him, but the noise drowned all that he would say".<ref>{{Harvnb|Hallwas|Launius|1995|pp=54-55}}</ref>

Nauvoo's population peaked at about this time in 1845; it may have had as many as 12,000 inhabitants (and several nearly as large suburbs) — rivaling [[Chicago]], whose 1845 population was about 15,000.

By the end of 1845 it became clear that no peace was possible between LDS church members and antagonized locals. Mormon leaders negotiated a truce so that the Latter Day Saints could prepare to abandon the city. The winter of 1845-46 saw the enormous preparations for the [[Mormon Exodus]] via the [[Mormon Trail]]. In early 1846, the majority of the Latter Day Saints left the city. After the departure of the Mormons, the temple stood until destroyed by arsonists on November 19, 1848.

159 years later, on [[April 1]], [[2004]], the Illinois House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution of regret for the forced expulsion of the Mormons from Nauvoo in 1846.

===Subsequent History===
[[Emma Hale Smith]], Joseph's widow, continued to live in Nauvoo with her family after the departure of the majority of the Latter Day Saints. In 1860, their son, [[Joseph Smith III]], claimed to receive a revelation to take his place as Prophet/President of a group known as ''The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.'' He continued to live in Nauvoo, which functioned as headquarters of this church (now known as the [[Community of Christ]]) until 1865. In 1866, Smith moved from Nauvoo to [[Plano, Illinois]], where the church's printing house had been established. He personally took over the editorship of the ''Saint's Herald'', and Plano became the headquarters of the church. In his final years, members of the church began to move to [[Independence, Missouri]], which Smith's father had designated as the "center place" of the "City of Zion." Latter Day Saints had wanted to return to this theologically important ground since their expulsion in 1833.

===Icarians===
In 1849, [[Icarians]] moved to the Nauvoo area to implement a [[utopian socialism|utopian socialist]] [[commune (intentional community)|commune]] based on the ideals of [[France|French]] philosopher [[Étienne Cabet]]. At its peak, the colony numbered over 500 members, but dissension over legal matters and the death of Cabet in 1856 caused some members to leave this parent colony and move on to other Icarian locations in East St. Louis, Illinois, and Iowa and [[California]]. Descendants of this Icarian colony still live in Hancock and McDonough counties. The Icarian historical collection is located at the Western Illinois University library in Macomb.

===Catholic History===
In the early and mid 20th century Nauvoo was primarily a Catholic town, and the majority of the population today is Catholic. Catholic schools, especially, a girl's boarding school known as St. Mary's, were run by the local parishes and convents until the 1980's. Sts. Peter and Paul Elementary continues to provide education for grades PK-6.
St. Mary's was sold and used as the Joseph Smith Academy until the winter semester of 2006 and began to be torn down in September 2007.


==Nauvoo Today==
==Nauvoo Today==

Revision as of 16:24, 21 March 2008

Template:Geobox City

There is also a Nauvoo, Alabama, and a Nauvoo, Pennsylvania

Nauvoo (נָאווּ "to be beautiful", Sephardi Hebrew Nåvu, Tiberian Hebrew Nâwû) is a city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the current population is just 1,063 (2000 census), and although it is difficult to reach over secondary highways in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its religious significance to members of both the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, other groups stemming from the same Mormon predecessor, the Icarians and Catholics. See History of Nauvoo, Illinois for further details.

The city was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter-day Saints, and named by him from the traditional Sephardi Hebrew language with an anglicized spelling. The word comes from Isaiah 52:7, "How beautiful upon the mountains..."

Geography

Nauvoo is located at 40°32′40″N 91°22′49″W / 40.54444°N 91.38028°W / 40.54444; -91.38028Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (40.544567, -91.380317).Template:GR Situated on a wide bend in the Mississippi River, Nauvoo has most of the historic district in the lower flat lands (called the flats) that are no more than a few feet above the water line. A prominent hill rises as one moves further east, at the apex of which stands the rebuilt Nauvoo Temple. Beginning with the temple, this elevated land (called the hill) continues flat for many miles eastward.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 4.8 square miles (12.5 km²). 3.4 square miles (8.8 km²) of it is land and 1.4 square miles (3.7 km²) of it (29.88%) is water.

Government and Politics

Nauvoo City government consists of the Mayor, 6 Aldermen (2 from each ward), and City Treasurer. Additionally, there are appointed positions for City Clerk, Marshall, and Public Works positions. As of 2007 the Mayor is John McCarty. The Aldermen are Gene Shurtz, Dave Koechle, Dan Hahl, Lee Ourth, Pam Knowles, and Kory Krause.

Separate from the city are the Nauvoo Fire Protection District and Nauvoo-Colusa School System.

The Nauvoo FPD covers all of the city plus the surrounding 5 townships. The fire department currently provides both Fire and EMS coverage for its district. In 1991 the Nauvoo Fire Protection District became a BLS non-transporting agency relying on the county ambulance service to provide transporting of patients to local hospitals. Recently because of longer response times from county run ambulances the citizens of the Nauvoo FPD passed a referendum by 74% on April 17, 2007 for ambulance services that would transfer the ambulance tax money to the FPD that was being paid to the county. The Nauvoo FPD completed their fund raising efforts on November 30, 2007 to purchase its ambulance. The Nauvoo Ambulance went into service in January 2008.

The Nauvoo-Colusa school system runs the local elementary and combined middle/high school. School Board Members are: James Boyles, Randy Douglas, Anthony Knipe, Terry Knoke, John Schwan, Lane Sinele, and Michele Snyder. A referendum in Feb 2008 was passed allowing Nauvoo-Colusa and Warsaw Junior and Senior High Schools to merge. Junior High for both systems will be in Nauvoo and the Senior High will be in Warsaw beginning in 2008.

Recently, the newly co-oped West Hancock (Hamilton, Warsaw, Nauvoo-Colusa) Girls basketball team took first place in the IHSA Class 2A Championship. It is the first year of the co-op basketball team, and their first championship.

Nauvoo Today

On the city's higher ground are the Temple, residential areas, and the business district along Mulholland Street (Illinois route 96), much of it devoted to the needs of tourists and those interested in Mormon history. The flatlands are occupied by a small number of 19th century brick houses and other buildings that have survived the city's vicissitudes, with large empty spaces between them where houses and whole neighborhoods have entirely disappeared.

The Community of Christ, which was organized by Joseph Smith III, son of Joseph Smith Jr., owns much of the southern end of the flatlands, and maintains several key historic sites located in and around Nauvoo. These sites include the Joseph Smith Homestead, the Red Brick Store, the Mansion House, and the Smith family cemetery overlooking the Mississippi River that is the final resting place of Joseph Smith Jr., his wife Emma, and his brother Hyrum. Guided tours are available at the church's Nauvoo Visitors Center, located at the south end of the town and accessible from Highway 96.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints owns most of the other historic sites in Nauvoo, including the homes of Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, and other early members of the church, as well as other significant buildings. Most of these sites are open to the public, with demonstrations and displays, and there are self-guided driving tours as well as wagon tours. These tours are free, as are the stage and riverside theatrical productions. There is a large visitors center complete with two theaters and a relief map of 1846 Nauvoo.

In June 2002, on the site of the original temple, the church completed construction of a new temple. The exterior, and much of the interior, is a copy of the original. The exterior matches the original exactly except in three ways: The Temple was positioned 12.5 feet south to allow for parking on the north side, there are two new exterior doors (with an entrance on the north for disabled persons and emergency exits in the basement on the east) and there is a standing Moroni as is seen on most modern temples (the original was an unspecified flying angel in a horizontal position with the compass, square and flame above. [1])

The rebuilding of the Nauvoo Temple was an occasion of great joy and enthusiasm for Church members and some 350,000 people, church members and nonmembers alike, toured the temple between its completion and dedication. Following LDS Church custom, the Temple itself is now not open to visitors.

In comparison to other towns in the area, Nauvoo has seen consistent population growth since the completion of the temple.

The work to renovate various sites of historical significance in the area are coordinated by Nauvoo Restoration, Incorporated. NRI is a nonprofit organization supported by both the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Community of Christ, as well as others interested in Nauvoo's history. Due to the work of NRI and its members, Nauvoo has been dubbed the "Williamsburg of the Midwest." In March 2007, Nauvoo was nominated to compete as one of the Seven Wonders of Illinois[1]. Due to voting irregularities Nauvoo did not proceed into the final round of voting.

Nauvoo sponsors numerous activities throughout the year including The Nauvoo Pageant (July/August) and Pumpkin walk (October).

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 1,063 people, 403 households, and 276 families residing in the city. It should be noted that these numbers do not reflect an accurate population since missionaries, who account for 150 to 600 additional residents, are not counted in census records since their permanent homes are in other cities. The population density was 314.4 people per square mile (121.4/km²). There were 458 housing units at an average density of 135.4/sq mi (52.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.08% White, 0.28% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.94% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.60% of the population.

There were 403 households out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples living together, 6.9% have a female householder with no husband present and 31.3% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 21.9% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $39,519, and the median income for a family was $49,167. Males had a median income of $37,895 versus $24,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,150. About 5.6% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.2% of those under age 18 and 18.2% of those age 65 or over.

Commerce and Industry

The Nauvoo Blue Cheese company started producing cheese in the 1930s. It was discovered that the cool, moist wine cellars in the area were ideal for aging cheese. The wine cellars, and the wine making business originally started by the Icarians, saw a decline in use because of prohibition. In 2003 the Nauvoo Cheese company went out of business, but current plans call for the start-up of the cheese making business in Nauvoo. [2]

Nauvoo is also home to Baxter's Vineyards, a small family-owned winery begun in 1857 by Emile Baxter, making it Illinois' oldest established winery. [3] [4] [5]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Template:Perrigrine Sessions Journal, 30 Jan 1846, Church Archives
  2. ^ Wundram, Bill (March 2, 2006), "Nauvoo ready to crank up the blue cheese machine", Quad City Times
  3. ^ Baxter's History
  4. ^ Illinois Wine Country
  5. ^ Nauvoo Tourism Office

References

  • Allen, James B. and Glen M. Leonard, "The Story of the Latter-day Saints", Deseret Book Company, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1976. ISBN 0-87747-594-6
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