Portraits of the Past: Inside the Smith home

During the four years the Joseph Smith Sr. family lived in the Manchester, N.Y., frame home, many important events unfolded there.

Of major importance would be the time when the Prophet Joseph went to the hill three miles from the home and received the plates of the Book of Mormon from Moroni. Joseph hid them in a hollow log and retrieved them a day or so later. Carrying the heavy plates, Joseph ran the distance home, fighting off several men who tried to take the plates away from him.

After he arrived at the house, multiple attempts were made by locals to find and seize the plates but without success. Still, after a short time, Joseph and Emma were forced to leave the Palmyra area and move to Harmony, Pa.