LDS open historical, sacred site

BY STACI WILSON

Since 1960, a small monument along a Susquehanna County roadside served as the only marker denoting the late 1820s site where Mormon Church founder Joseph Smith is said to have transcribed golden tablets which led to the publication of the Book of Mormon. It is also the place where church doctrine holds that Smith, along with his scribe Oliver Cowdery received both the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods.

Now, the Priesthood Restoration Site, on Route 171 in Oakland Twp., includes not only that monument, but a visitors’ center, chapel, bronze sculptures, as well as the newly constructed homes of Joseph and Emma Smith, and her parents’ Isaac and Elizabeth Hale.

A site dedication service was held Saturday, Sept. 19, with guided tours of the historic area following the service in the chapel. The Susquehanna Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints will begin holding its weekly Sunday services at the chapel on Sunday, Oct. 11.

Russell Nelson, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (the LDS church council), spoke of how a young Joseph Smith came to the area with a man searching for a silver man. It was then he met Emma Hale. “The story here begins with love,” Nelson said.

The couple married in 1827 in upstate New York, then returned to the Hale property in what was then known as Harmony.

“They left Harmony in 1830, but their experience here was crucial to the history of the church,” Nelson said.

In that time, Nelson said Smith experienced “translation, revelation and restoration.”

“It unfolded here, a relatively remote but very sacred and serene location.”

State Representative Sandra Major, R-Bridgewater Twp., praised those involved with the extensive restoration project, which included straightening a portion of Route 171, to allow for better and safer access to the entire site. The visitors’ center and the historic homes are connected by pathways that meander to a tunnel under the road.

“Historic preservation is vital to the preservation of our roots,” Major said. “This is a welcome addition to Susquehanna County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

Church historian Steven Snow said the site is not just a place to feel quiet and peace, but also a place to get a sense of how some of the early residents of Susquehanna County lived. “It’s not only a church story, but a human story,” Snow said.

The Roddy family traveled from their home near Manhattan, N.Y.,, to visit the site on Saturday. They had been to the monument before and wanted to see the changes, James Roddy said.

Ken Cooper, of Montrose, and a local church leader, choked back tears as he described the personal significance the Restoration Site holds for him. “All six of our children were baptized in that river,” he said.

Jean Edwards, of Starrucca and a member of the Susquehanna congregation, said she’s looked forward to seeing this project come to fruition for the past 40 years.

“It’s a dream come true,” she said. “It’s a beautiful chapel – maybe the most beautiful in the whole church.”