A History Carved in Stone

Due to modern advances in the stone industry as well as period-sensitive architecture and meticulous research, historical structures throughout the U.S. have been restored to their original grandeur. Such is the story of the recently re-constructed Nauvoo Temple, located in Nauvoo, IL. Standing 90 feet wide x 130 feet long, the five-story, limestone-clad edifice is considered an accurate replica of its short-lived 18th century predecessor.

Construction on the original temple began in 1841, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ ofLatter-day Saints (LDS) settled in the rapidly growing town of Nauvoo, IL, nestled beside the east bank of the Mississippi River. A true community endeavor, LDS men donated their labor as tithe, while women provided meals to the workers and coins to support the project. Limestone blocks were transported from a nearby quarry to the construction site by wagon. Throughout the temple’s construction, it served not only as a religious sanctuary, but also as a town hall and meeting house for the early Mormon community. However, despite the many years of painstaking labor and intricate stonework, in early 1846, just before the temple was dedicated, the church membership was driven from the area, forced to abandon the product of their labor.

Over the remainder of the decade, an 1848 fire and an 1850 tornado caused such damage to the structure that only the west wall remained standing. This wall was eventually removed by the Nauvoo City Council in 1865. Salvageable stones were used for other buildings in the area, and remarkably, two of the temple’s large, hand-carved sunstones remained intact and survived relatively unscathed...

Read the complete story here (Stone World Magazine, October 2003)