The Whitmer Farm is a Church history site that is a bit out of the way, but definitely significant to LDS Church History. It was also our boys’ favorite site because there are a few interactive games in the Visitor Center.
We were greeted by missionaries when we entered the Visitor Center, and they got us started on a video about the Whitmer Family and their dedication to the work of the restoration. This video is a bit longer than some at the other sites, and you’ll need a little more than an hour to visit the Whitmer Farm.
Whitmer Farm House
After the video, we began our tour of the farmhouse. This is a reconstruction of the original farm, but it is important to Latter-Day Saints because this farm is the place that the Church of Jesus Christ, as it was known, was organized on April 6, 1830. The farmhouse is small, and the tour doesn’t take very long. The highlight is the room where the organization took place. They have items representing the Sacrament, as it was first taken in the Whitmer home.
Visitor Center
We went back into the Visitor Center and our boys found the interactive games. There were a lot of games that were all related to farm work. Our boys enjoyed gathering eggs from the chickens by clicking on the eggs when each chicken stood. They plowed and planted virtual fields, trying to do so in record time. Their favorite game was herding the sheep into the corral before time expired. Those darn sheep just wouldn’t go the right way!
Finally, there is a time capsule in the base of a statue of the bust of the Savior. This capsule was put together by President Kimball back in the early 1980’s. It will be opened in 50 years, which is now just a few years away.
Information
We enjoyed our visit to the Whitmer Farm, and there was no one else there when we stopped by, so we had the attention of all the missionaries giving tours. If you have time, we recommend driving to this site that is a little out of the way. Check their website for current hours of operation.
If you’d like to read about more of our adventures to Church History Sites, check out this post.
