Mormons in Cleveland

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The city of Kirtland, Ohio in Lake County just east of CVleveland is famous for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saints movement from 1831–1837 and is the site of the first Mormon temple, the Kirtland Temple.

From 1831 to 1838 Kirtland was the headquarters for the Latter Day Saint movement. Joseph Smith moved the church to Kirtland in 1831, shortly after its formal organization in April 1830 in Palmyra, New York. Latter Day Saints built their first temple there, a historic landmark that is now owned and operated by the Community of Christ, a group descended from the church founded by Smith. The temple was built with a degree of opulence, considering the underdeveloped nature of the area and the poverty of most early church members.

Many attending the Kirtland Temple dedication in 1836 claimed to see multiple heavenly visions and appearances of heavenly beings, including deity. For this and other reasons, Kirtland remains a place of importance to those of all Latter Day Saint denominations. Many sections from the Doctrine and Covenants, considered modern revelations and canonical by most denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement, originated in Kirtland during the 1830s.

Ownership of the Kirtland Temple was in a confused state and disputed for a number of years, but eventually it was declared by court action to be the property of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now Community of Christ). Today, besides giving tours, the Community of Christ church allows others to use the temple for special meetings.

The history of the Mormons has shaped them into a people with a strong sense of unity and communality. From the start, Mormons have tried to establish what they call "Zion", a utopian society of the righteous.

Mormon history can be divided into three broad time periods: (1) the early history during the lifetime of Joseph Smith, (2) a "pioneer era" under the leadership of Brigham Young and his successors, and (3) a modern era beginning around the turn of the 20th century.

In the first period, Smith had tried literally to build a city called Zion, in which converts could gather. During the pioneer era, Zion became a "landscape of villages" in Utah. In modern times, Zion is still an ideal, though Mormons gather together in their individual congregations rather than a central geographic location.

A stained glass window showing Joseph Smith's First Vision

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The Handcart Pioneer Monument

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir

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"Joseph Preaching to the Indians" by C.C.A. Christensen