A SACRED WALK

Several miles from the four corners of the Four Churches in the Town of Palmyra lies the Joseph Smith Farm and the Sacred Grove. A natural old growth forest in easy walking distance from the boyhood home of Joseph Smith, Jr., it has been preserved and maintained as hallowed ground. Although the exact location where Joseph had the first visitation according to Mormon faith, entering the Sacred Grove assures the visitors they are near the very spot where Joseph had his first religious vision.

The Smith family lived on forty acres of land, working the fields, the orchards, harvesting crops and built barrels from the bark of trees and staves to be sold at market. They tapped between 1,200 and 1,500 maple trees per year, producing 1,000 pounds of sugar annually. The woods were a place of both peace and productivity for them, and they traveled in and out of the woods often.

Distraught over indecision as to which church to join, young Smith decided to “…retire to the woods to pray to God to make the attempt.” The Joseph Smith Farm is home to the birthplace of the Book of Mormon and has a walking trail through the Sacred Grove. It has been open to the public since the early 1900’s in order for others to retrace his steps and to share in his experiences, all which have been documented in several markings throughout the farm. Hill Cumorah can be seen nearby, another connection to the Book of Mormon and the Morman faith.

It is here in this place Mormon teachings state where Joseph first had a vision and witnesses the appearance of God the Father and his Son.

It was a very hot day when this reporter took the first of many walks through the Sacred Grove at the Joseph Smith Farm. The sun was high overhead and the smell of fresh cut grass wafts through the air like sweet perfume attached to the clothes of previous inhabitants. The humidity level was steadily rising and moisture in the air was palpable. Heels clicking on the small wooden bridge across a small swamp/creek, it brought to mind a simpler time, where farm work and family were intertwined. Walking through the gate and onto a well-traveled lane, foot steps taken were slow and intentional. The view is magnificent and somewhat overpowering when first facing the greenery and entrance to what the Mormons believe is the holiest of holy places.


Old fashioned and weather worn wooden fencing on either side guides you to your destination as you walk down the dirt lane to face the entrance into the Sacred Grove. Upon walking through the wall of trees, the first thing you notice is how many varieties of trees exist. Like a giant wall of waves, they greet you tall and proud and it is only then you realize there is a danger in getting lost amongst them had there not been the marked trails. To call these trees a “grove” may give one the wrong impression. These are essentially deciduous trees; oak, maple, elm, sumac. It is a well stocked forest of many visual and sensory delights, with newly grown saplings a sweet surprise, folded in between those hundreds of years old.

The sunlight beamed down through spaces in the trees, but the density of them created a cool canopy of shade, a respite from the previously stifling heat of the morning. Well established trails have direction markers and wooden exit arrows, but do not interfere with the reverence of the environment. The deeper one travels into the Sacred Grove, the more one is able to feel contemplative, a sense of peacefulness and quietness. The sounds of the world are left behind at the entryway and do not follow you into the confines of this woodsy cathedral. In fact, the only sounds you will hear are that of the insects buzzing, birds chirping, and the sound of fallen, ancient tree limbs snapping and crackling under your feet as you tread softly through the pathways.

There are wooden benches placed every hundred feet or so along the walkways, encouraging those who visit here to sit and contemplate their surroundings before they journey forward. One can sit there as long as they choose, for there are no tour guides or docents, as the Sacred Grove is accessible at any hour of the day or night. It is an opportunity to sit among nature and natural wildlife, a moment’s pause in an otherwise busy existence.

Time passes much too quickly while you sit among the quiet of the Sacred Grove, and the reasons you decide to visit there are yours alone. Even if you are not of the Mormon faith, you will appreciate the beauty and the wonder of such a simple, yet reverent place.

You may offer a prayer of your own or simply drink in the spiritual ambiance which engulfs your senses and invites introspective thoughts. You may want to return again and again, as this reporter did, to close your eyes and imagine what those who believe happened upon this hallowed ground. Your spiritual choices are of your own choosing, but the Sacred Grove will blend seamlessly with whatever you believe.

Visiting the spiritual cocoon of the Sacred Grove is indeed a peaceful, rejuvenating experience, and you will leave it with a sense of sense of calm and wonderment.

There is no doubt the Smith Family and the many Mormons who staff the are welcomes each and every visitor with open arms, to visit their Sacred Grove and to enjoy the gift that was theirs to share with the world.