The rolling farmlands of northeastern Ohio around Kirtland were, from 1831 to 1837, the center of the Mormon religion. Joseph Smith Jr., along with 1,000 of his followers, settled here and built a large temple—the first Mormon temple anywhere—and developed industries and a bank (known as the “Kirtland anti-BANK-ing Company”). The bank failed in 1838 and Smith fled, first to Liberty, Missouri, and later to Nauvoo, Illinois, where in 1844 he was killed by a mob.
The Kirtland Temple at 9020 Chillicothe Road (Hwy-306) is surrounded by pleasant gardens and open to the general public on guided tours (daily; free; 440/256-3318). The stately Greek Revival structure has a gleaming white interior built in part by Brigham Young, with elaborately crafted woodwork pulpits (one at each end) and an upstairs classroom with more of the unusual double pulpits. The temple and most of the town have been preserved under the auspices of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, now called “Community of Christ,” which was set up in 1852 by Joseph Smith Jr.’s oldest son and the Mormons who didn’t go west to Salt Lake City with Brigham Young.
