Nauvoo, Illinois The rebuilt Nauvoo LDS Temple Official name: City of Nauvoo Location of Nauvoo inside Illinois Nauvoo (/ n vu /; etymology: Hebrew: , Modern Navu, Tiberian Nawu; "to be beautiful") is a small town/city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River near Fort Madison, Iowa.
The populace of Nauvoo was 1,149 at the 2010 census.
Nauvoo attracts visitors for its historic importance and its theological significance to members of a several groups: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church); the Community of Christ, formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS); other groups stemming from the Latter Day Saint movement; and the Icarians.
The town/city and its immediate encircling area are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Nauvoo Historic District.
Main articles: History of Nauvoo, Illinois and Nauvoo Historic District The region of Nauvoo was first called Quashquema, titled in honor of the Native American chief who headed a Sauk and Fox settlement numbering nearly 500 lodges.
In late 1839, arriving Mormons bought the small town of Commerce and in April 1840 it was retitled Nauvoo by Joseph Smith, who led the Latter Day Saints to Nauvoo to escape conflict with the state government in Missouri.
It is notable that "by 1844 Nauvoo's populace had swollen to 12,000, rivaling the size of Chicago" at the time. In 1849, Icarians moved to the Nauvoo region to implement a utopian socialist commune based on the ideals of French philosopher Etienne Cabet.
In the early and mid 20th century Nauvoo was primarily a Roman Catholic town, and the majority of the populace today is Catholic. On the city's higher ground are the temple, residentiary areas, and the company precinct along Mulholland Street (Illinois Route 96), much of it devoted to the needs of tourists and those interested in Latter Day Saint history.
Community of Christ owns much of the southern end of the flatlands and maintains a several key historic sites positioned in and around Nauvoo, including the Joseph Smith Homestead, the Nauvoo House, the Red Brick Store, the Mansion House, and the Smith Family Cemetery.
The LDS Church owns most of the other historic sites in Nauvoo, including the homes of Brigham Young, Heber C.
The creation of Nauvoo as a historical tourism destination was largely a result of the work of J.
An LDS congregation was established in Nauvoo in 1956, from its inception consisting largely of elderly LDS couples serving as missionaries and historical guides. The City of Joseph Pageant, an outside musical produced by the LDS Church, began to run each summer in 1976.
An LDS stake was organized with command posts at Nauvoo in 1979. In addition to the many homes that had been restored, the Relief Society Memorial Garden was dedicated in 1978, featuring statues designed by Dennis Smith and Florence Hansen. The stone of the Nauvoo Temple was an occasion of great joy and enthusiasm for members of the LDS Church.
In comparison to other suburbs in the area, Nauvoo has seen consistent populace growth since the culmination of the temple.
The work to renovate various sites of historical significance in the region is coordinated by Nauvoo Restoration, Incorporated.
NRI is a nonprofit organization supported by both the LDS Church and Community of Christ, as well as the rest interested in Nauvoo's history.
Nauvoo sponsors various activities throughout the year including The Nauvoo Pageant (July/August), Grape Festival (Labor day weekend), and Pumpkin walk (October).
Because most of the town/city is well above flood level, Nauvoo has not historically had enigma when the Mississippi river has risen.
Nauvoo has many places of worship, among them: Methodist Church, Christ Lutheran Church, St Peter & Paul Church, Nauvoo Baptist Church, a Community of Christ congregation, and various Wards of the LDS Church. Nauvoo is positioned at 40 33 N 91 22 W (40.5446, -91.3803). Situated on a wide bend in the Mississippi River, Nauvoo has most of the historic precinct in the lower flat lands (called the flats) that are no more than a several feet above the water line.
A prominent hill rises as one moves further east, at the apex of which stands the rebuilt Nauvoo Temple.
According to the 2010 census, Nauvoo has a total region of 4.831 square miles (12.51 km2), of which 3.39 square miles (8.78 km2) (or 70.17%) is territory and 1.441 square miles (3.73 km2) (or 29.83%) is water. In the city, the populace was spread out with 19.9% under the age of 18 and 29.9% who were 65 years of age or older.
In the city, the populace was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 21.9% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older.
Nauvoo is also home to Baxter's Vineyards, a small family-owned winery begun in 1857 by Emile Baxter, making it Illinois' earliest established winery. Nauvoo City government consists of the Mayor, six aldermen (two from each ward), and City Treasurer.
Separate from the town/city are the Nauvoo Fire Protection District (FPD) and Nauvoo-Colusa School System.
The Nauvoo FPD covers all of the town/city plus the encircling five townships.
In 1991 the Nauvoo FPD became a BLS non-transporting agency, relying on the county ambulance service to transport patients to small-town hospitals.
Because of longer response times from county-run ambulances, the people of the Nauvoo FPD passed a popular vote by 74% on April 17, 2007, for ambulance services that would transfer the ambulance tax cash to the FPD that was being paid to the county.
History of Nauvoo, Illinois Arrington, Leonard J.; Bitton, Davis (March 1, 1992), The Mormon Experience: A History of the Latter-day Saints (2 ed.), Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press, ISBN 0-252-06236-1 Flanders, Robert Bruce (1965), Nauvoo: Kingdom on the Mississippi, Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press Leonard, Nauvoo: A Place of Peace, a People of Promise, Deseret Book Company, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2002.
"Nauvoo, Illinois, under Mormon and Icarian Occupations," Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, vol.
Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Hancock County, Vol.
Cannon, Nauvoo Panorama: Views of Nauvoo before, amid and after its rise, fall, and restoration (Nauvoo: Nauvoo Restoration, Inc, 1991), p.
Cannon, Nauvoo Panorama, p.
Cannon, Nauvoo Panorama, p.
Cannon, Nauvoo Panorama, p.
"Nauvoo Illinois Temple".
"Nauvoo Tourism office - Visitor information".
"Nauvoo, Illinois, under Mormon and Icarian Occupations".
University of Illinois Press on behalf of the Illinois State Historical Society.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nauvoo, Illinois.
Official website City of Nauvoo Historic Nauvoo - knowledge on historic sites, demonstrations, and calendar of affairs; site hosted by the LDS Church's Illinois Nauvoo Mission
Categories:
Populated places established in 1840 - Cities in Illinois - Hebrew words and phrases - Illinois populated places on the Mississippi River - Mormonism-related controversies - Nauvoo, Illinois - Cities in Hancock County, Illinois - Significant places in Mormonism - Utopian communities
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