Sarah Granger Kimball Home

 

This sweet little house was built in the early 1830's when the town was called Commerce, so it was one of only a few houses that were here when the Saints arrived in 1839.  (Remember we use the word Saints to mean followers of Jesus Christ.)

 

The front door opens into the kitchen.

 



 

 

On the right is a warming oven.  It's a bit different than the bustle ovens because it's built on the inside of the house so it doesn't make a bump outside.

 



 

 

This is the parlor.  The big bible was a gift from Sarah's husband Hyrum.  He was a wealthy businessman in Nauvoo and quite a bit older than Sarah.  He was not a member of the church but he respected Sarah's beliefs and did later join the church.

 



 

This parlor is quite a significant place in church history because it was here that the idea for Relief Society was born.  Because the Kimballs were wealthy, Sarah was able to hire a seamstress, Miss Cook.  They decided to make shirts for the temple workers, with Miss Cook sewing and Sarah providing the fabric.  Then they decided to include other women in the area who might be interested in their project.  That led to writing up a "constitution" for a ladies society.  They presented it to Joseph Smith and he said it was very good but the Lord had something better for the sisters and for the church.  Less than two weeks later, they all met in the upper room of the Red Brick Store and the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo was officially organized.  Sarah continued throughout her life caring for others and being very involved in Relief Society and the Woman's Suffrage Association both in Utah and on the national level.

 

 

In the pantry you will find (among other things) a very interesting mousetrap.

   

 

And a washing machine agitator.  How would you like to use that to wash your clothes?  I guess it's a step up from a washboard. (There's one of those in the background.)

 

 

There are two bedrooms upstairs.  One is quite a large room where the children slept.

 

 

At the head of the stairs is an old trunk.  It contained Sarah's trousseau.

 

 

This rocking chair was made by Brigham Young.

 

 

And no home is complete without a spinning wheel.

 

 

The other bedroom is hard to get pictures of because you only go as far as the door, but the bed has a trundle that is pulled out.  The fabric that is draped over both beds are night clothes.  See the tiny shoes in the cradle?

 

 

Then there are very steep stairs back down.

  

 

There is a very nice view of the temple from Sarah's house.  This picture shows how far out of town the house is.  

 

 

At the dedication of this little home, Barbara B. Smith (10th General Relief Society President) said, "We want the world to know that something big can come of something small.  We hope women will understand that within their own homes things can happen that can have great significance in the Church and in the world."

 





 



 















 



 











Animals

We have lots of animals here in Nauvoo.

When we first came, the deer were so little Elder Knudsen started calling them greyhounds.  It's pretty much like home though - deer in our backyard.

 

There are lots of raccoons but we've never seen any live ones - they're pretty sneaky - but we see lots of dead ones on the highway.  I tried not to show too much gore.

We have lots of turtles too.  In the spring they lined up on the logs in the Mississippi.  It was hard to get pictures though because if you stop the car, they just slide into the water.

 





 

There are squirrels everywhere.

 



And rabbits.

 



During the winter there were thousands of geese.

We had several eagles.

There are the bluest blue jays (no pictures - sorry) and really pretty red cardinals.  My picture came out really blurry though through the screen door.

The pelicans liked to line up on the logs too.

 

Elder Knudsen went to the woodshed at the family living center and yelled.  I came running and found this interesting creature plastered across his stomach.  He didn't leave it there long enough for me to take a picture though.

 

 

Here's another little friend Elder K found at the Family Living Center.

 







 

And then there are the horses that rule Nauvoo.  They work really hard pulling wagonloads of people all day, so they deserve to rule - and rest when it gets too hot.  There are several teams and they are GORGEOUS!!!  Here are just a few of them.

 

Tim & Tom

 

Chad & Champ

Mick & Chuck

 

Dan & Doc



 And then there's Jesse and Owen - the oxen

 

We have some baby oxen too - well they were babies last summer but I didn't get pictures and they got lots bigger.  They are still being trained.  Their real names are Abe and Ike but Sister Brown unofficially renamed them Oreo & Double Stuff.  They wouldn't cooperate so I could get their picture together of course.  They look very much alike so I don't know which is which.

 

 

 

 

We also have tons of bugs.  I didn't get pictures of the huge mosquitos or may flies or the awesome fireflies or the nasty little chiggers.  But I did get a picture of a cicada - I love to listen to them but they are UGLY!

 

 

This is how big this one was.

 



 

We also have lots of possums and skunks.  We smell the skunk behind our apartment often enough that I don't want to chase him down for a picture. 

 

The animals here seem to know what a special sacred place this is.  Many of them will just stop and look at you and listen to you talk to them.  I'd love for SOME of them to answer back.