Church Launches New Website to Help Latter-day Saints Discover, Learn About and Visit Historic Nauvoo

This story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media.

By Trent Toone, Church News

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has launched a new website featuring information and resources for learning about and visiting Historic Nauvoo, Illinois, and Carthage Jail.

Marshall Tapp, a project manager in the Church History Department, said the website’s main purpose is to serve as a companion resource for Latter-day Saints studying the Doctrine and Covenants with the “Come, Follow Me” curriculum throughout 2025.

“When you can see it and visualize where things happened, the scriptures begin to come to life,” he said. “That is the backbone that is formed around this website — it is focused on helping people learn.”

The new website, which has been under construction for more than a year, provides an interactive map and detailed information on historical buildings and locations and is designed to help visitors, both in-person and virtual, better understand the places where key events in Church history occurred.

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A variety of Church history resources, including the Joseph Smith Papers and the “Saints” series, have been incorporated into the website.

Recognizing there are more members living outside the United States, the website will soon be available in 14 languages.

“Knowing the story and where it happened is an important part of maintaining the record of our Church,” said Ryan Saltzgiver, a curator for Historic Sites in the Church History Department who helped create content for the website.

Nauvoo receives approximately 75,000 visitors a year. The website offers information and resources for trip planning and addresses the challenges of visiting Nauvoo, which is located in a remote area with limited dining and accommodation options.

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“People need to figure out what their itinerary is, or where to eat, where to stay, what to do, how to get there. All of those things we brought into this website,” Tapp said. “Hopefully, it’s a useful resource, especially for someone who has never been there before.”

The website also offers service opportunities in Nauvoo.

In 1839, Latter-day Saints began gathering in Nauvoo, Illinois, which was little more than a swamp. Within six years, they built a thriving city of more than 10,000 residents that included a house of the Lord.

During the early 1840s, Joseph Smith received several revelations, taught foundational doctrines, organized the Relief Society and established temple ordinances.

In June 1844, the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith were martyred at Carthage Jail.

In March, the Church acquired historic properties in Nauvoo from Community of Christ, including the Smith Family Homestead, the Mansion House, the Nauvoo House and the Red Brick Store.

The Nauvoo and Carthage website is the first in a series of similar websites the Church plans to roll out soon for other historic locations, including New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Missouri.

“There will be maps that help you understand the locations. ... We are including links to places that are lesser known,” Saltzgiver said. “The purpose is to build around the relationship between where Joseph Smith is living, the people he is interacting with, and the revelations he is receiving.”

Those creating the websites hope the information and resources provided will enlighten understanding, strengthen faith and deepen testimonies.

“When I went and visited these sites, it changed the Doctrine and Covenants for me,” Tapp said. “It became definitely one of my favorite books of scriptures because I can visualize where these things happen now, and it really came alive. We recognize that not everybody is going to visit them, maybe not even in their lifetime. So my hope is to give a little bit of that same experience of being on the ground as much as we can to anybody who is visiting the website.”

Learn more at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

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