Seventeen of the Church’s 26 historic sites have recently been renamed in order to “place greater emphasis on the Restoration of the gospel,” Church News reported.
Elder LeGrand R. Curtis Jr., a General Authority Seventy serving as Church Historian and Recorder, spoke with Church News about the significance of historic sites and why they are important to the Lord.
“They matter so much that under His guidance, the Church goes to great lengths to preserve them and share them,” he said.
While some of these changes might seem minor, they are in keeping with other efforts the Church has made to keep the focus on the heart of the gospel Jesus Christ—such as the new symbol announced during April 2020 general conference.
Here are just a handful of the sites which have recently received an updated name:
- • Carthage Jail (previously Historic Carthage Jail and Visitors’ Center)
- • Cove Fort (previously Historic Cove Fort)
- • Grandin Building: Book of Mormon Publication Site (previously Book of Mormon Historic Publication Site)
- • Joseph Smith Birthplace (previously Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial)
- • Martin’s Cove: Mormon Trail Site (previously Mormon Handcart Historic Site: Martin’s Cove)
Find out more updates to historic Church site names at Church News.
