Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial
The Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial is a granite obelisk on a hill in the White River Valley near Sharon and South Royalton in the U.S. state of Vermont. It marks the spot where Joseph Smith was born on December 23, 1805. The monument was erected by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), which recognizes Smith as its first president and founding prophet. The LDS Church continues to own and operate the site as a tourist attraction. History. In 1884, LDS Church leader Junius F. Wells visited Smith's birthplace and conceived  a plan to build a monument to the Mormon prophet. Under the direction of church president Joseph F. Smith, Wells oversaw the construction of the monument and cottage house in 1905. The Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial was dedicated by Joseph F. Smith on the 100th anniversary of Joseph Smith's birth, on December 23, 1905. By 1907, Wells reported that there had been between seven and eight thousand visitors. Description. The monument stands tall and weighs approximately . The shaft of the obelisk is long: one for each year of Smith's life. The obelisk was quarried in Barre, Vermont, and  it has been cited as a "remarkable engineering feat" and "one of the largest polished shafts in the world". A visitors' center and an LDS Church meetinghouse sit on the same property as the memorial. Admission to the visitors' center and tours of the memorial site are free.