South Royalton
Or, actually, multiple villages.
Because while building the monument and its stunning obelisk was spearheaded by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, it took the hard work and dedication of the workers in South Royalton and the surrounding communities to bring it to fruition.
The Joseph Smith Memorial Birthplace will honor the contributions of those townspeople by recognizing their descendants at a reunion picnic to be held on Saturday, Aug. 4, from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. The free celebration will also include a barbecue lunch, family activities and an oxen demonstration.
Last week, I had the opportunity to visit the birthplace and meet with the organizers of the event. First, we walked up the hill to see the reflection of sunlight from the obelisk.
“They truly did a marvelous job,” said Elder Ferguson, a missionary who is stationed at the birthplace along with his wife. The obelisk hasn’t been polished since it was completed in 1905. “Nothing has been done to it except the graphite lettering” at its base.
After arriving at the birthplace with his wife as missionaries, Elder Godfrey became interested in the history behind it. The missionaries were at a local business and began talking to a neighbor who said their great-grandfather had worked on the monument.
“The entire construction was done by the local folks here,” Godfrey said. They were paid $2 a day, plus a meal.
“That was good wages back then,” Ferguson added.
There are 97 names of men and women on the list that Godfrey has compiled so far. Their towns include South Royalton, Sharon, Bethel Montpelier, Barre, Northfield and other communities. Contributions range from residents who opened their homes to workers and donated building space to town government officials who assisted in the process.
And what a process it was. It started with Junius F. Wells (known as Brother Wells), who came up with the idea to build the monument in South Royalton to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Smith’s birth, according to a retelling compiled by Godfrey. Once Wells located and bought the land, he needed to find a continuous piece of granite that was 38½ feet tall to represent the age Smith was at the time of his death.
After much searching, a 46-foot stone was found in a quarry in Barre.
Immediately, the people in the region were supportive of the project.
“The rally cry from all the towns was ‘Get engaged in this. This is the greatest thing since sliced bread,’ ” Ferguson said. “There was no controversy. It was just incredibly well supported by all the towns in this area.”
One place where their help was crucial was transporting the obelisk, which began on Nov. 7. Using horses, it took 33 days to go 2 miles, or as Godfrey explained, that’s the equivalent of going the length of one football field per day.
“This became part of the history of the towns around here,” Godfrey said.
And then there was the complication provided by a part of Dairy Hill Road known as Mr. Button’s Bog, which turned into a mud hole when it rained, just when workers were getting ready to cross it.
“There’s a real significant miracle in all this,” Godfrey said.
Worried about the conditions, Brother Wells had a telegram in his pocket to send to headquarters in Salt Lake City to tell them that the monument wasn’t going to be ready in time for Smith’s 100th birthday on Dec. 23.
“He decides to wait until the following morning to send the telegraph,” Godfrey said. Wells kneeled down to pray and returned to his hotel. Overnight, a Canadian Clipper wind came down from Montreal. “By the time its down here in this area, the temperature drops 35 degrees.”
Mr. Button’s Bog was frozen and the 80,000-pound shaft made it the memorial site in time. (The frozen window was brief. “It’s not long after that when Mother Nature decides to warm up again,” Godfrey said.)
The obelisk was put in place on Dec. 8, with the entire project taking 137 days. In 1905, the total cost was $30,000, which equates to $793, 377 today, Godfrey said. The monument is said to be the tallest obelisk made out of a single piece of stone in the United States, and perhaps the world.
Since 1905, the obelisk has stood strong. There have been no discolorations or cracks, no repairs that need to be made. The sunlight still reflects off the tip the way it did more than a century ago.
“It was such an amazing task and feat for people at the time,” Feguson said.
And the people in the community helped make it all happen.
Explore the Grounds Of the Joseph Smith Memorial
While I’ve been there to view the Christmas lights numerous times throughout the years, I had never visited in the summer. There are more than 4,000 flowers in 30 flowerbeds, rivaling the beauty of the annual Christmas light display.
After talking about the monument with the Godfreys and Fergusons, Sister Ferguson gave me a tour of the grounds. There are well-maintained trails and foundations from the homes where Joseph Smith’s mother’s family — the Macks — lived. There’s a short hike up to Patriarch Hill, where the monument can be viewed from up above.
It’s truly a beautiful place to spend time in quiet contemplation or for an afternoon outing with family and friends. Dogs are welcome on the site.
Editor’s note: If you had family members who worked on the memorial and are interested in being part of the celebration, contact Godfrey at footstepsofjoseph@gmail.com.
For more information about the memorial, visit lds.org and type “Joseph Smith Memorial Birthplace” in the search bar. The site is open 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays and 1:30-7 p.m. on Sundays through October, before switching over to winter hours. Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
