Historical Marker: Log Schoolhouse Built by Joseph Smith and Mormon Pioneers

The historical marker in Troost Park commemorates Jackson County's first log schoolhouse, built in 1831 by Mormon Pioneers under the leadership of Joseph Smith. From 1831 to 1833, more than 1,200 members of the Mormon faith migrated to Jackson County. where they developed farms, opened stores, built dams, and constructed a log school at this location. In a pattern that would repeat several times, Mormons believed that they were building Zion, a New Jerusalem in the United States. However, their rapidly-growing population appeared as a threat to the existing settlers. TA series of conflicts, together with concerns about the absolute authority of Joseph Smith, led non-Mormon settlers to view the newcomers as clannish. Most Mormons also opposed slavery, which was a controversial position in the recently-formed slave state of Missouri. By 1833, mob violence broke out and drove the Mormon people out of Jackson County. By 1838, the governor called on the militia to drive all Mormons out of western Missouri with violence if necessary, leading to the Haun's Mill Massacre on October 30, 1838.

The historical marker at Troost Park commemorates the first log schoolhouse in Jackson County, set up by the Church of Christ Latter-day Saints (LDS) prophet Joseph Smith and his associates on August 2, 1831. Better known as Mormons, the LDS community intended for the log building to function dually as a school and a church. However, despite the influx of Mormons from New England and the Great Lakes region, the settlement struggled because of tensions with non-Mormon settlers who saw the rapid influx as a threat. With Mormons buying the best land and opposing slavery, the rapid influx threatened the wealth and political power of non-Mormons. In addition, the extreme religious devotion appeared clannish to existing settlers who were alarmed by what they viewed to be an authoritarian religion where all power was wielded by Joseph Smith. Following a series of conflicts that turned violent, the Mormons fled the area within two years, and most left western Missouri by 1838. 

Christian missionaries, including Catholics and Methodists, routinely ventured west to convert Native Americans during the nineteenth century, including Jackson County, Missouri. After Joseph Smith in Fayette, New York, established the LDS church on April 6, 1830, he joined the quest to convert Natives to Christianity. The Mormon missionaries arrived in Jackson County early in 1831. They preached to the Delaware nation for a brief period until Indian agent Major Richard W. Cummins forced them to leave.

In addition to preaching to Native Americans, the Mormons sought to establish a settlement in Jackson County. In July 1831, Joseph Smith, and several other Mormons, arrived in Jackson County, Missouri. Members of the church believed Smith received a divine revelation from God that Jackson County (specifically, Independence, MO) would serve as the New Jerusalem -- Zion, and where the second coming of Christ would transpire. The settling Mormons erected cabins and dams, developed farms, opened stores, assembled a printing press (newspaper), and, in 1832, built the log cabin school and church. 

The members used the building for only a short time, from 1832 until 1833, when old settlers, who lived in the area before the Mormans arrived, effectively expelled LDS members from the community. As well, rifts within the LDS community (partly resulting from Smith's journeys back and forth to Ohio from the Missouri settlement) developed, which hurt the stability of the building Morman community. One significant issue involved the Morman's anti-slavery stance; Missouri existed as a slave state, and some old settlers owned slaves. But, the abundance of Mormons arriving adding to the religious, economic, cultural, and political strains. Some LDS members openly discussed driving out residents who did not belong to the LDS community, further dividing the settlement. As the Mormon population exceeded 1,200 by 1833, profound disputes existed, leading to violent interactions. 

One of the first incidents involved a few residents destroying the Mormon printing press, tearing apart the community's Book of Commandments) and tarring and fathering the community's Bishop. When the LDS members refused to depart, violence escalated, and deaths resulted. The mob eventually drove the Mormons out of Jackson county to other nearby parts of Missouri. The persecution continued, however, for the next few years. Non-Mormon Missourians worried about Mormons taking their land and voting for pro-Mormon politicians (again, with the Mormon's anti-slavery stance serving as one of the issues). In 1838, the Mormon War commenced. Settlers asked the Missouri Governor for help, so he sent 2,500 militiamen to remove the Mormons from the area, which they did. 

It should be noted that a substantial number of Germans immigrated to the region, and many of them also held anti-slavery positions. However, they were not ostracized in the same manner as Mormons in the area. Most academics have noted that in addition to the anti-slavery beliefs, the Morman's cultural and religious habits, political aspirations, and heavy migration into Missouri (obtaining land in droves) helped create a robust anti-Morman movement. In short, the early settlers felt the influx of Mormons threatened their way of life.

Thus, the monument stands as a reminder of the Mormon migration, the conflict over land and the extension of slavery, and the eventual violence that ensued. The tensions between LDS members and existing settlers led to violent interactions and a series of atrocities which culminated in 1838 with the governor issuing an order to force Mormons out of western Missouri by any means necessary. This ultimately drove thousands of Mormons out of the area and to the newly-established settlement of Nauvoo on the border between Iowa and Illinois.

Bushman, Richard L. "Mormon Persecutions in Missouri, 1833." Brigham Young University Studies 3, no. 1 (1960): 11–20. 

Harper, Steven C. "Overwhelmingly Democratic": Cultural Identity in Jackson County, Missouri, 1827-1833." Mormon Historical Studies 9, no. 2. (2008): 1-16.

Launius, Roger D. "Alexander William Doniphan and the 1838 Mormon War in Missouri." The John Whitmer Historical Association Journal 18 (1998): 63–110. 

"Marker at Troost Park, Kansas City, Missouri, USA." Ensign Park Foundation. Accessed October 6, 2021. https://ensignpeakfoundation.org/marker-at-troost-park/. A PDF version is available: https://ensignpeakfoundation.org/wp content/uploads/2013/04/MarkerAtTroostPark.pdf

"Mormons: Mormons in Missouri." Kansas City Public Library. kchistory.org. Accessed October 6, 2021. https://kchistory.org/research/mormons.