New Website Connects Members to Historic Sites in New York, Pennsylvania

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A family walks near the Smith Family Farm at the Sacred Grove historic site in Palmyra, New York, in August 2018.2025 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

This story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media.

By Trent Toone, Church News

One month after launching a new website titled Historic Nauvoo, Illinois, and Carthage Jail, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has created a second website providing information and resources for learning about and visiting its historic sites in New York and Pennsylvania.

This new website — titled New York and Pennsylvania Historic Sites — is available online at churchofjesuschrist.org/learn/history/sites/new-york-and-pennsylvania.

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has created a new website released in January 2025 with information and resources for learning about and visiting Church historic sites in New York and Pennsylvania. Screenshot from ChurchofJesusChrist.org, courtesy of Church News.2025 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

The timing of the website’s release is intended to provide members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with another resource as they begin studying the Doctrine and Covenants with the 2025 “Come, Follow Me” curriculum. As members learn about the New York and Pennsylvania periods for the next several weeks, links to the new historic sites website will be included in the digital version of the “Come, Follow Me” lesson (see places under “People, Places and Events”).

The website offers an interactive map; articles on Joseph Smith’s First Vision, the Book of Mormon, the restoration of the priesthood and the organization of the Church; virtual tours, information for how to plan a visit; senior missionary and service opportunities; photo galleries; and additional learning resources and other general information.

“All of those things will help people better understand the context of the Doctrine and Covenants as we go through it this year,” said Marshall Tapp, a product manager in the Church History Department. “If we can do anything to help bolster a person’s testimony of the things that happened at these sacred sites, we have succeeded. That is our hope.”

Jacob Olmstead, a region manager of the Church’s Historic Sites Program, said the website will be available in 14 languages.

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A picture shows a family walking to visit the Sacred Grove in Palmyra, New York. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has created a new website with information and resources for learning about and visiting historic sites in New York and Pennsylvania. The website was released in January 2025. Screenshot from ChurchofJesusChrist.org, courtesy of Church News.2025 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

“We know that only a relatively small percentage of members will ever get to visit the historic sites, ever get to walk in the Sacred Grove or go into the Joseph Smith boyhood home,” he said. “Translating these websites into 14 languages is significant in terms of advancing the Historic Sites program of the Church so that it can be experienced by a global audience of Latter-day Saints.”

Olmstead continued: “The historic sites are a witness of the Restoration. We feel like they can have a valuable impact on Church members globally. So this is a big step forward in helping to reach those audiences, one that we hope we can build on.”

The interactive map offers views of the region, Palmyra, Fayette, the Sacred Grove, the Hill Cumorah, the Grandin Printshop and the Martin Harris Farm.

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An interactive map shows important Church historic sites in western New York on a new website created to help people learn and know what to expect when visiting the historic sites. The website was released in January 2025. Screenshot from ChurchofJesusChrist.org, courtesy of Church News.2025 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

Said Tapp: “What I really appreciate about [the map] is you can see how close but how far the Sacred Grove and the Hill Cumorah are when we talk about Joseph walking there to follow the direction of the angel Moroni, or even how far Harmony, Pennsylvania, is from Palmyra [New York] when we talk about Joseph Smith going back and forth for meetings with Martin Harris, or to publish the Book of Mormon. You begin to kind of get a sense of that distance.”

Virtual Tours

Virtual tours have been offered at Church historic sites since 2020. Visitors to the website can schedule a live, virtual tour guided by missionaries or watch a pre-recorded video tour.

Plan a Visit

The following are provided on the website for visitors interested in planning a visit to the New York and Pennsylvania Historic Sites:

What to expect.
Travel information.
All historic locations to consider visiting, including what’s nearby in western New York and northern Pennsylvania.
Tours.
Sample itineraries.
Accessibility at the historic sites.
Planning for a family visit.
Planning for a group visit.

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A new website released in January 2025 provides information and resources for people who want to visit Church historic sites in New York and Pennsylvania. Screenshot from ChurchofJesusChrist.org, courtesy of Church News.2025 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

Olmstead said it has been a top priority for the Church to make each historic site as accessible as possible for all visitors, whether it’s pushing a wheelchair to the top of the Hill Cumorah, entering a historic home or walking to the banks of the Susquehanna River.

Tapp said that as changes or improvements are made to the historic sites, the website will be updated with that information.

The New Website

The Church hopes those who visit a historic site in person gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the history as well as feel the spirit of the place.

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A new website was designed to help people learn more about Church historic sites in New York in Pennsylvania. It was released in January 2025. Screenshot from ChurchofJesusChrist.org, courtesy of Church News.2025 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

Olmstead said, “That is what we have tried to translate online and give to all visitors — those who are planning to visit, help them understand what to expect and look forward to, but also those who will never get there.

“We want to be able to provide a commensurate experience and help elevate these sites for everyone. I think these particular sites that we have just launched for New York and Pennsylvania are a major step forward in that mission,” he added.

The website also provides people with a chance to dig deeper and learn more after a visit, Olmstead said.

“These are the historic sites of the Restoration of the Savior’s Church. They bear witness of the Restoration, they bear witness of Him, and they bear witness of the gathering of Israel and what it means to be a Latter-day Saint,” Olmstead said. “We feel like all members — wherever they live, whatever language they speak — can benefit from understanding more about these historic places in conjunction with their study of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and these web pages are a step towards facilitating that effort.”

Similar websites for historic sites in Ohio and Missouri will be available later this year.

Learn more at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.