The Old Jail - Carthage, IL
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 40° 24.906 W 091° 08.363
15T E 657860 N 4475492
Jail where Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and his brother Hyrum were martyred by a mob in Carthage, Illinois
Waymark Code: WMNWC8
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 05/11/2015
Views: 6
County of building: Hancock County
Location of building: Walnut St. and N. Fayette St., Carthage
Built: 1839
"Carthage Jail, located in Carthage, Illinois, was the location of the death of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and his brother Hyrum by a mob of approximately 150 men. Friends John Taylor and Willard Richards were also members of the incarcerated party, but were not killed. The group had reported to Carthage, the county seat, to face charges brought against Joseph. On June 27, 1844, a mob stormed the upper room of the prison and killed Joseph and Hyrum. John Taylor was badly wounded and Willard Richards was scathed, but not injured.
The jail was built in 1839. Constructed of native Muncie creek shale, the two-story, rectangular, gable-front building measures twenty-nine by thirty-five feet. Like other county jails in Illinois, Carthage Jail was built to incarcerate petty thieves and debtors and to serve as a temporary holding place for violent criminals. It housed a debtor's room in the northwest corner of the first floor, and a dungeon, or "criminal cell" on the second floor, north side. There was also a living area for the jailer's family that included a kitchen, a dining room, and bedrooms.
The Carthage Jail is currently restored to an approximation of its condition at the time of the Smiths' deaths. The site and the city block it stands on is currently owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and has been established as a historical site and visitor's center."
~ Wikipedia
The jail is operated as a historic site and museum by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.