OUR MISSION
As a part of Nauvoo Discovery, Inc., we are devoted to the collection, preservation, interpretation, and promotion of the history of Nauvoo. We offer engaging experiences for individuals, families, and groups to connect with the history of the people and the place of Nauvoo.
OUR STORY
The Tomb of Joseph Museum and documentary film began as a family RV trip in 2010. Brian and Christy Christiansen took their two children on a trip to see Church history sites before their son submitted his papers for a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While in Nauvoo, they visited the Nauvoo Gallery and heard stories of a recently-discovered (and then hidden) brick archway not far from where they stood.
The story never left Brian's mind, and 10 years later, he came across the opportunity to buy a business in Nauvoo. It happened to be the spot with the brick archway they had visited so many years ago. He couldn't turn down the opportunity to return to Nauvoo and explore where the brick archway led.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the world was shut down, including Nauvoo's historic sites. Seizing the opportunity, Brian led a team to dig down into the yard of the Nauvoo Mercantile, and revealed a room. Through his research he came across the story of the Tomb of Joseph, and felt inspired to utilize the room he had found to tell that pivotal story from Church history. Together with close friends and family, he created a documentary and museum to tell the story.
About The Tomb of Joseph Museum
1200 Mulholland Street, Nauvoo, Illinois 62354
Open Year Round
Private tours with a staff member are subject to availability and may be available during non-operating hours. By contacting us directly with your specific needs, we will be better able to accommodate you.
Contact Us
"Let my father, Don Carlos, and Alvin, and children that I have buried be brought and laid in the tomb I have built. Let my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters be laid there also; and let it be called the Tomb of Joseph, a descendant of Jacob; and when I die, let me be gathered to the tomb of my father."
Joseph Smith, Jr., Aug. 23, 1842