“We are kept under a strong guard, night and day, in a prison of double walls and doors, proscribed in our liberty of conscience, our food is scant, uniform, and coarse; we have not the privilege of cooking for ourselves, we have been compelled to sleep on the floor with straw, and not blankets sufficient to keep us warm; and when we have a fire, we are obliged to have almost a constant smoke.” — Joseph Smith¹

Liberty Jail, built in 1833 in Liberty, Missouri, was a small, two-story limestone structure with harsh conditions. The jail had thick exterior walls and interior walls made of oak filled with loose rocks to prevent escapes. Prisoners were held in the lower section, accessed through a trapdoor, that had two barred, narrow windows for fresh air. Joseph Smith and other Church leaders were imprisoned at Liberty from December 1838 to April 1839, enduring miserable conditions with scant food and inadequate bedding. Relief came from visits by family and friends who brought food and comfort. The jail was declared unsafe in 1856, and in 1939, the Church purchased the site. A visitors' center with a reconstruction of the jail was dedicated in 1963.²

1. Joseph Smith letter to Letter to Isaac Galland, 22 March 1839, josephsmithpapers.org

2. “Liberty Jail,” churchofjesuschrist.org; “Jail, Liberty, Missouri,” josephsmithpapers.org