Picturing history: Joseph Smith homestead

When Joseph Smith and the Latter-day Saints first moved into the region now known as Nauvoo, Hancock County, Ill., it was mostly swampland with only a few standing structures. One of those became the residence of the Prophet and his family. They lived there until the last 10 months of Joseph's life. Known as the Joseph Smith Homestead, the dwelling at that time was only the log portion of the present complex. The sided sections of the home were added later. Several sections of the Doctrine and Covenants were likely revealed here because this is where the Prophet lived at the time they were received. The updated white siding is one of the later additions to the home. The graves of Joseph, Emma and Hyrum Smith are in the foreground.