Nauvoo is most famous for having been founded in 1840 by Joseph Smith, Jr., as one of the first centers of The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints, following their exodus from Missouri in the wake of the Mormon War. In 1844, owing to hostility between the Mormons and their neighbors, as well as worries over a perceived theocracy in Nauvoo, the Illinois Legislature stripped the town of its legal status, leaving Nauvoo as a large (~12,000 residents) unincorporated community de facto ruled by the LDS Church. By 1846 hostilities (including vigilante violence) had grown severe enough that Joseph Smith and his followers left in what is known as the Mormon Exodus, along the Mormon Trail.
The temple, which was the second the Mormons built after the original (which in turn was destroyed in the Mormon War) in Missouri, was burnt down by arsonists shortly following the Mormon Exodus. But in 1999 the temple was built and completed in 2002. The exterior is a faithful reconstruction, but the interior (which is off-limits to non-Mormons) follows the architectural plan of a modern LDS temple.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Nauvoo
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Nauvoo - updated May 2024
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Nauvoo Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
