Carthage Jail

File:Side of Carthage Jail.PNG

The jail was built in 1839, constructed of red limestone quarried nearby. The building is rectangular and measures {{convert|29|ft}} by {{convert|35|ft}}. It is a gable-front building has two stories and an attic. Like other county jails built during the same period, Carthage Jail was built to incarcerate petty thieves and debtors and as a temporary holding place for violent criminals. The first floor contained a debtor's room in the northwest corner, and a dungeon, or "criminal cell", was located on the north side of the second floor. The living area for the jailer's family included a kitchen and dining room on the first floor and a bedroom on the second floor. A small "summer kitchen" was added later.{{cite book |chapter-url= http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/EoM/id/5581 |chapter= Carthage Jail |pages= 255–256 |last= Enders|first= Donald L. |editor-last= Ludlow |editor-first= Daniel H |editor-link= Daniel H. Ludlow |year= 1992 |title= Encyclopedia of Mormonism |location= New York |publisher= Macmillan Publishing |isbn= 0-02-879602-0 |oclc= 24502140 }}{{citation |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Carthage Jail |url=http://gis.hpa.state.il.us/pdfs/200771.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804125756/http://gis.hpa.state.il.us/pdfs/200771.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2016-08-04 |date=March 1973 |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=December 8, 2016 |format=PDF}}

In June 1844, Smith came to the jail to face charges relating to his ordering the destruction of facilities producing the Nauvoo Expositor, a newspaper whose only edition had been critical of the Smiths' religious teachings. He was joined by his brother, Hyrum, and fellow Latter Day Saints John Taylor and Willard Richards. On June 27, a mob stormed the upper room of the prison and killed the Smiths. Taylor was badly wounded and Richards was scathed, but not seriously injured.{{cite book |chapter-url= http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/EoM/id/3904 |chapter= Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith |pages= 860–862 |last= Bentley |first= Joseph I. |editor-last= Ludlow |editor-first= Daniel H |editor-link= Daniel H. Ludlow |year= 1992 |title= Encyclopedia of Mormonism |location= New York |publisher= Macmillan Publishing |isbn= 0-02-879602-0 |oclc= 24502140 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.historicnauvoo.net/2010/01/carthage-jail-and-visitors-center/ |title=Carthage Jail and Visitors Center |publisher=Historic Nauvoo |access-date=December 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114014547/http://www.historicnauvoo.net/2010/01/carthage-jail-and-visitors-center/ |archive-date=2013-11-14 |url-status=dead }} Hyrum Smith was 44 years old in February 1844 and Joseph Smith was 38 in December 1843.Peterson, Dan. [https://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeterson/2015/09/at-carthage-jail.html "At Carthage Jail"], Patheos, 23 September 2015. Retrieved on 27 March 2020.

The building continued to be used as a jail until 1866 and was afterwards used as a private residence. It was acquired by the LDS Church in 1903 and a partial restoration was completed in 1935. It was added to the NRHP on March 30, 1973. The church fully restored the jail in 1989, returning the building to its 1844 appearance. The restoration also included an expansion of the visitors' center and renovations to the entire block. Ezra Taft Benson, president of the LDS church at the time, spoke in front of about 3,000 at a shrine dedication of the jail.Vlahos, Nick. [https://www.pjstar.com/news/20170627/nick-in-am-joseph-smith-mormons-carthage-jail-and-bruce-johnston "Joseph Smith, Mormons, the Carthage jail and Bruce Johnston"], Peoria Journal Star, 27 June 2017. Retrieved on 23 March 2021.

Tours of Carthage Jail are available including the original door with a bullet hole, where the jailer and his family would have slept, and where the Smith brothers were held.Baker, Emma. [https://www.pjstar.com/news/20180610/nauvoo-home-to-growth-of-mormon-religion "Nauvoo home to growth of Mormon religion"], Peoria Journal Star, 10 June 2018. Retrieved on 23 March 2021.

In 2020, Carthage Jail and other historic sites in the Nauvoo area were temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Toone, Trent. [https://www.deseret.com/faith/2020/3/17/21183539/lds-mormon-history-sites-latter-day-saints-restoration-joseph-smith-book-of-mormon "Coronavirus: Church closes Latter-day Saint historic sites"], Deseret News, 17 March 2020. Retrieved on 23 March 2021. The site operates as normal as of March 2025.https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/learn/locations/carthage-jail?lang=eng

{{Portal|Latter Day Saint movement}}

• Latter Day Saint martyrs

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• [https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/subsection/historic-sites/illinois/carthage/carthage-jail?lang=eng Historic Sites: Carthage Jail] Official site
• [https://www.loc.gov/item/96508302/ Library of Congress] Martyrdom of Joseph and Hiram Smith in Carthage Jail

{{LDSsites}}

{{National Register of Historic Places}}

Category:1839 establishments in Illinois

Category:Buildings and structures in Hancock County, Illinois

Category:Defunct prisons in Illinois

Category:Joseph Smith

Category:Government buildings completed in 1839

Category:Jails on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois

Category:Latter Day Saint movement in Illinois

Category:Museums in Hancock County, Illinois

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Hancock County, Illinois

Category:Prison museums in the United States

Category:Properties of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Category:Significant places in Mormonism