When saints first arrived in Jackson County in 1831, it contained the settlements of Independence and Fort Osage, but little else
In 1831 Jackson County was roughly 80 miles long north to south and roughly 25 miles wide east to west, taking in over 2,000 square miles.
In Sections 57 and 58 the Lord commands the Saints to purchase land in Independence for a future temple, storehouse, and printing press and much of the surrounding area, even “to purchase this whole region of country, as soon as time will permit.” (D&C 58:52)
The land the saints purchased was to be divided as an inheritance among the people of Zion (57:6). In Sections 57 and 58 the Lord also invited specific saints to come and receive their inheritances
Once the printing press was constructed, W. W. Phelps began using it to publish a newspaper, The Evening and the Morning Star, and it was used to print The Book of Commandments, a precursor to our modern-day Doctrine and Covenants
As the number of saints grew, established settlers began to be afraid of them and eventually resorted to mob violence July 1833. During the mob’s attack they vandalized a store, destroyed the printing office, and tarred and feathered Charles Allen and Edward Partridge
Seeing the mob had thrown pages of the yet-unpublished Book of Commandments into the street, two young girls, Mary Elizabeth and Caroline Rollins, ran and gathered up as many of the pages as they could. Chased by men from the mob, they ran and hid in a cornfield until they were safe
Church leaders signed an agreement that the saints would leave Jackson County by April 1834 and were eventually driven out November 1833, most of them moving north into Clay County
In response to persecution in Jackson County Joseph Smith, Jr. created the Camp of Israel, a group of saints that marched from Ohio to Missouri to try to help the Missourian saints to reclaim the land they had lost. They were ultimately unable to restore the Missourian saints to their land
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In Doctrine and Covenants 57:3, the Lord said he had a specific spot in mind for a temple in Independence: "A spot for the temple is lying westward, upon a lot which is not far from the courthouse"
The temple lot Edward Partridge purchased was about 63 acres, and Joseph Smith, Jr.'s master plan for the city indicates that he had planned eventually for 24 "temples" to be build on that land, each of them serving a different civil or spiritual purpose, sitting at the center of the city
Plans for the Independence temples had the same architecture and interior design as the Kirtland Temple, but were bigger
On 3 August 1831 Joseph Smith and several elders gathered at the temple site to dedicate it. Joseph laid the Northeast cornerstone, and Sidney Rigdon dedicated the land
Beyond the initial dedication, construction on the temples was never begun before the saints were driven out of Missouri
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In keeping with D&C 57:8 and 58:37, A. Sidney Gilbert managed a general store in Independence
The store was called the Gilbert and Whitney Store, after Gilbert and Newel K. Whitney, and it also served as the bishops' storehouse
On 1 November 1833 a mob attacked, taking the store's goods and throwing them into the street. Later that month almost all the saints left Jackson County
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After Joseph Smith, Jr. died, a group of members of the church in Woodford County, Illinois, chose not to go west with Brigham Young, and many moved to Independence
The group, known by some as Hedrickites, after their leader, Granville Hedrick, bought back some of the land that had been part of the temple lot before the saints were driven out
The group formed their own church, calling it the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) to distinguish them from other churches
The group owns the lot where the northeast cornerstone Joseph Smith laid for the temple in Independence was found. Their ownership was contended by Community of Christ but sustained in court
The church planned to build a temple on the temple site, but were prevented when the Great Depression occurred
The church's headquarters and chapel stand near the temple site
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Two presidents of Community of Christ are interred at the Mound Grove Cemetery in Independence: Joseph Smith III and his son, Israel Alexander Smith
Three individuals who were part of Zion's Camp, or the Camp of Israel, are also buried in the cemetery. A monument there informs visitors about the Zion's Camp expedition
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