MR says: From the death masks of Joseph and Hyrum Smith to the Vision Theater and the Nauvoo Sun Stone, there are a lot of hidden treasures you won't want to miss at the reopening of the Church History Museum.
The Church History Department is pleased to announce the end of the year-long renovation of the Church History Museum. The grand reopening and official launch of the new exhibit, “The Heavens Are Opened,” will take place on Wednesday, September 30.
The Church History Museum has not had a renovation or exhibit change to this degree since 1987. The previous permanent exhibit, “A Covenant Restored,” focused on covenants as a way of understanding our relationship with God and covered history from the 1800s to the modern day. In contrast, the new exhibit “The Heavens Are Opened” focuses on how the hand of God guided the establishment of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through the Prophet Joseph Smith and others.
Artifacts and displays cover key events and inspirational stories beginning with the origins of Joseph Smith, continuing through his visions and revelations, and including other key events leading to the exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois (1820 to 1846). This focus allows the Museum to not only portray a deeper and richer history, but also to display more artifacts from that era than ever before.
Here are some fun facts about the new exhibit:
A Sun Stone from the Nauvoo Temple
· Moving the Sun Stone into the Museum required 11 workers over 3.5 hours.
· Over 400 pounds of sand were used to create the faux stone ledges in the Nauvoo gallery.