{"nrhp_refnum":"73000703","name":"Carthage Jail","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Walnut and N. Fayette Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Carthage","county":"Hancock County","state":"IL","lat":40.415598998000064,"lon":-91.13209392099998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-03-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Religion"],"significance_levels":["national","state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Carthage Jail is a two-story red limestone county jail at the corner of Walnut and North Fayette Streets in Carthage, Hancock County, Illinois, built in 1839-40.","why_significant":"Joseph Smith, first President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his brother Hyrum were assassinated here on June 27, 1844. A re-statement of significance adds that the Mormons were a major social, political and economic force in early Illinois, and that the jail is tied to their decline and exodus from the state and to the already-recognized Nauvoo district.","narrative":"Carthage Jail is a two-story red limestone building, about 27 by 38 feet, constructed in 1839-40 at the corner of Walnut and North Fayette Streets in Carthage, Illinois. The stone was quarried roughly four miles to the northeast. It has oak rafters and floors, walnut doors, a small attic and seven rooms, including a jailer's living quarters, a debtor's room and two barred cells upstairs. On June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith, first President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his brother Hyrum were killed by a mob in the jailer's bedroom while awaiting a court appearance. The governor had asked that they be held in the jail for protection. The church bought the property in 1903, making it the first historic site it acquired. The building is also tied to the story of the Mormons in Illinois, who held notable political and economic influence before being driven from the state.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (built in 1839)","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in good condition and restored, with its present appearance much as originally built apart from normal restoration and maintenance; used as a museum.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.24714-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/55/8929/28892955/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/73000703.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000703/316add33fa-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000703/316add33fa-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carthage_Jail_from_southwest.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carthage_Jail_from_southwest.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892955","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carthage_Jail","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5047304"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/hancock-county/carthage-jail-73000703/"}