Carthage Jail

We spent one morning at Carthage Jail.

I love this statue of these amazing brothers.

This quote is near the statue-

'In life they were not divided, in death they were not separated'

  Our family

Their family 

This is the downstair living space for the jailor and his family. 

The key and behavior stick for prisoners.

There were two rooms upstairs-this one with bars and another just regular room.  Joseph, Hyrum, John Taylor and Willard Richards were in the regular room when the mob attacked.  "A group of men with blackened faces and guns rush toward the jail. The four men tried to hold the door against the mob, but Hyrum was immediately shot and killed. The mob forced the door open just as Joseph turned to leap out the window. He was shot twice in the back and twice in the chest as he fell from the second-story window. John Taylor was shot four times but miraculously survived. Willard Richards escaped without even a hole in his clothing." (historicnauvoo.com)

There are so many details the missionaries tell you about during the tour.  Things like the jailor moving the prisoners to a different room to be safer.  Willard Richards moving the wounded John Taylor to the barred room and hiding him under the straw mattress.  This mostly likely saved John Taylor's life because the weight of the mattressed probably stopped his bleeding.  Willard Richards being promised safety in a blessing before.  And so many others I don't remember. 

The door to the room where the mob attacked.  The hole in the edge of the door is an actual bullet hole from that day.  The rest of the door is a reproduction.

The whole presentation at the jail is amazing.  There are so many opportunities to feel the spirit starting with the beautiful paintings that you first see when you walk in to the visitor's center to the video you watch before going through the jail and finally the audio experience you listen too in the upstairs room.

 These are the paintings and Mason really wanted us to take a picture in front of them before we left.

This is outside the jail and the upstair window Joseph fell through.

Thank you so much Joseph and Hyrum for all you endured to allow my family to be a forever family.