Whitmer Farm

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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 Visitor Center in old white chapel
The Whitmer Farm Visitor Center is in one side of this old chapel.

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.

log cabin looking home on the Whitmer Farm
The Whitmer Farm cabin is a reconstruction.
large gathering room inside the log cabin. table, fireplace, and cabinets.
This is the large room where the church would have met and been organized.
A look at the upstairs room with a bed, table, dresser, lantern.
Upstairs is where Joseph came to finish the translation of the Book of Mormon.

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!

sign with a screen at the visitor center
The Whitmer Farm Visitor Center has a lot of interactive displays.
boys playing on touch screens
Our boys loved the fun farm games on the touch screen.

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.

Jesus Christ bust
The time capsule is contained beneath this statue.

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.

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