7 September 2013 - Whitmer Farm, Fayette, NY

Mom wanted me to make mention of the fact that we drove through a small Mennonite settlement yesterday, complete with horses, buggies and wagons, long dresses and long beards.  It was set in the gentle hills of the Mohawk River Valley and very peaceful.  We stopped at a roadside stand and bought some homemade maple syrup and two small pies, enough for each of us to have a piece, both of blueberry and strawberry/rhubarb.  We so much enjoyed the area, and the well-kept farms, even with the washing blowing in the breeze to dry.

At the Grandin Print Shop in Palmyra, we were reminded of the miracles that went into the publishing of the Book of Mormon. Egbert Grandin had always wanted his own printing business and so he obtained the latest in printing presses and set up shop.  Joseph approached him about doing the printing but was rebuffed.  After finding only one other printer willing to do the job, he asked Grandin again, who agreed, due to the large order and the financial gain from it.  Most orders in those days were for 200-500 volumes and this was for 5000 copies.  It took 7 months to print and bind, a record time due to the new press, remembering that each sheet had to be hand printed.  Each sheet had 32 pages of the book on it and had to be printed on both sides, folded, bound and cut.  All of the right factors came together to produce the book and Grandin abandoned his enterprise after only 6 years.  It was a miracle that he had all in place to produce the vital work. His store today still has the original flooring on which the Prophet, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris walked.

Today waves of rain washed us west on our way to Kirtland.  But before leaving the Palmyra area, we had to make a trip to the Whitmer Farm, located in Fayette, NY.  It is now a lovely site,  prepared by the Church to give one a sense of what happened there.  We were the only visitors at the time and so got our own personal tour from Bro. and Sis. Yearsley. (He taught in the same department at Ricks College as Marie Parkinson and knows the Parkinsons well).   The original log cabin is long gone but the Church reconstructed it on the original foundations, using hand hewn logs and period furniture to restore it as closely as possible to the original.

The Whitmer Farm consisted of about 100 acres in the days of Joseph and was a prosperous operation, and Peter Whitmer was a well-respected member of the community.  Today the Church owns about 400 acres and leases most of the surrounding land for farming, leaving the site set in the midst of smooth grass and trees.  Period type fences have been erected around the cabin.

Now it is a very peaceful location, surrounded by fields and woods and home to a variety of wildlife, deer, turkeys, foxes, racoons, etc.  Bro. Yearsley loves to enjoy the rich abundance of life in the area. 




As you will recall, it was in the Whitmer Home, on April 6, 1830, that the Church was organized.  The interior of this cabin is made to look like it did then, with chairs, fireplace, tables, etc.  It is amazing to think that anywhere from 40-70 people attended. I am sure that many of them must have been outside peering in through the rippled glass windows for the room is too small to hold them all.

 It was in the cabin that Joseph and Oliver were set apart as the First Elders of the Church.  It was in the surrounding woods that Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer were shown the gold plates by the angel and heard the voice of God Himself, commanding them to bear testimony of the truth of that revealed work, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.



Baptisms took place on that day in nearby streams, including the Prophets parents.  In the loft of the cabin, where people slept, the Prophet and Oliver completed much of the translation of the plates and in the cabin, three General Conferences were held and 27 revelations found in the Doctrine and Covenants received.

This location is another of the places blessed to be the site of miraculous events associated with the Restoration.  We felt of the peace here and recognized that wherever the Spirit is present, peace abides and your sense or reverence increases.



We are now in Mentor, OH, a short distance from Kirtland.  Tomorrow we plan to attend meetings in the local ward and spend some time in the Kirtland location, see the Kirtland Temple and in general, enjoy another important location in the history of the Church.  I am now wishing that I had given us 5 weeks for this trip, because there is so much to see and do.  I am loving it!