Historical Context

This document is an original printed program for the Annual Palmyra Celebration from 1932, an event sponsored by The Eastern States Mission.

Held across four days from July 22nd to July 25th, 1931 in Palmyra, New York, this historic gathering served as an intensive spiritual, administrative, and social conference primarily for the mission's leadership and traveling missionaries.

While the famous outdoor Hill Cumorah Pageant (originally titled America's Witness for Christ) did not formally begin until 1937, its roots are entirely found in these early 1930s missionary gatherings. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Eastern States Mission began hosting annual Pioneer Day celebrations (commemorating July 24, 1847) in Palmyra. Missionaries from the Eastern States, Canadian, and East Central States missions would gather to hear instruction, preach to locals, perform music, and hold athletic competitions. Over time, the small scenes and speeches performed on the side of Hill Cumorah during these conferences evolved into the massive theatrical production that ran for over 80 years.