Upon the Temple Lot: The Church of Christ's Quest to Build the House of the Lord

by R. Jean Addams

The Temple Lot in Jackson County, Missouri, has been a focus in Mormonism since Joseph Smith Jr. predicted it would be the center-place of the New Jerusalem in Christ's millennial kingdom. Although Smith dedicated the site and planned to build a temple on it, the effort was thwarted when his followers were driven from the county in 1833 and from the state in 1839.

After Smith's death, his movement divided into rival factions. In 1864, Granville Hedrick, leader of a small group of Restoration believers in Illinois, received a revelation calling upon the faithful to return to Jackson County. Hedrick's group reclaimed the Temple Lot and has come to be known as the Church of Christ (Temple Lot). This heavily illustrated book recounts the story of their attempt to finally build the predicted temple.

167 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Christopher Angulo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gem a of a factionx a gem of a book.

[Jason Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like Mormon history, this is a delightful detour into one of the smaller branches of the Restorationist movement and their hold on one of the most significant sites in Mormon history. The book was written by an amateur and it shows, but the author's enthusiasm for the project and the interesting story he tells makes this a worthwhile read.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice, short little book about one of the more unfamiliar parts of Restoration history.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great little book (160 pages) about the history of the Church of Christ (Temple Lot). Having grown up in Kansas City, I had seen the "temple lot" many times when we would go to the LDS Visitor Center in Independence, and I had heard a lot of rumors about the little church that owned the property, but I didn't really know a whole lot about it.

This book effectively described the history of the Temple Lot church and their struggles to build a temple on the ground Joseph Smith dedicated for the central gathering place of Zion. The thing I find most interesting about the Church of Christ's history is their legal battle with the then-RLDS (now Community of Christ) church regarding ownership of the property. Unfortunately, the author spends about three very short pages discussing that lawsuit. I would love to read a whole book on the subject.

[Jodi Hawkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I was left with many questions. Maybe I should go to Independence and ask questions at the Temple Lot Church of Christ. Also curious about the Community of Christ temple on the lot to the East. Was that temple built to fulfill their prophecy of building a temple in Independence and as close to that lot, since they didn't own the property? This book gave a great basic background of the temple lot. I hated reading all the hardships and struggles they ensued trying to raise the funds...but were unsuccessful in doing so. I could read more on this subject. overall it was a great history, but I want more meat! :-)