Nauvoo

My Mom and her husband moved to a little town just outside Nauvoo, IL a few years ago and we have never had the chance to get out there to visit them until recently. Now we are only about 6 hours away and so we planned a trip to visit and see some historical sites of our church while we were there. What an amazing place!

The night we got there it was too late to do much, but we went to an old church cemetery that was off the beaten path. There we found the grave of my 4th great grandfather, Edward Partridge. It was neat to have my Mom (a big geneaology buff) explain to my kids who he was and what role he played in the early days of the church. I am so proud to be his descendant and feel humbled to carry on his heritage of faith. My heart broke as I wandered the secluded and beautifully shaded cemetery and saw all the graves of little ones that didn't make it and the faithful saints that suffered so horribly at the hands of persecutors. This cemetery is not one of the regular tourist attractions, in fact if you don't know where to turn you won't find it. It was placed where it was purposely because it was hidden from the main roads. They put it here so they could honor the dead in peace and not worry that their graves would be desecrated. This monument is a memorial to the families that lost children.Before the sun set, we hurried over to the temple, which overlooks the Mississippi River. Wow! Gorgeous building with a gorgeous view! There was something special about this place, that is for sure. There was such a hallowed, peaceful feeling there. And when you know the history behind it, it means even more.I love this last picture. You can just see Will's head in the corner looking up at the statues of Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum. It makes me hope that these are the kind of men he always look up to and the kind of man he grows up to be. The whole trip was a great opportunity to teach my kids more about our beliefs and gaining an appreciation for the people who were instrumental in bringing the gospel to this day and age.The next day we were up and off to see more sites. First stop was a pioneer childrens playground. They had costumes of all sizes to wear (which the kids loved) while they explored the different activities that kids played 150 plus years ago. It really was quite impressive what they came up with to entertain themselves before the days of television.
I love this picture. My kids would have been dang cute pioneers!Here are a few pictures from some of the other sites. We went to the wheelwright, the blacksmith shop, the bakery, learned how to make rope, candles, bread, yarn, went on a wagon ride and finished the day watching a play about old Nauvoo. The kids didn't get bored for a second of it and that is saying something. It kept us all entertained. It was a busy, HOT, fun filled day and are planning to go back and see all the other sites we didn't have time to make it to. If you have the chance, you've got to check out Nauvoo. It is FULL of history, most of which you will find all the more interesting if you are Mormon, but even if you're not, this is a really cool place!