Kirtland, OH

Saturday morning we were up very early and headed down to Kirtland, OH. Our first stop was to tour through the Kirtland Temple, which is now owned by the Community of Christ. I am glad that this building is in the hands of people who will take care of it and who value it, but it seems sort of commercialized in the way you pay for a tour, the way they ask for donations multiple times throughout, and in the way they have a gift shop set up.

There was no picture taking allowed in the building, very disappointing for me, but I did find this old picture online. I loved how the early saints mixed and matched their styles inside. In the woodworking of the interior trim there were many classic themes, such as dentil, fluted columns, gothic arches, and egg and dart motifs; but there were also many patterns I don't recognize, such as the circle pattern on the lowest level of the upper arch in the picture below.

We then went down to the sites that the church owns. We first went through the rebuilt lumber mill and ashery that Newel K. Whitney owned and operated for the benefit of the early church. Very interesting, I had not previously known all the uses they had for ash.

This is a sample of how beautiful and lush Kirtland is, which brings a new perspective on what the pioneer's impressions must have been when they entered the Salt Lake Valley for the first time.

Newel K. Whitney's home. They had it good and had a summer kitchen attached to the home, as well as the typical winter one inside.

Curt and I in front of the Newel K. Whitney store.

These are pictures of the small, special room above the store where the school of the prophets was held.

The Johnson Inn.