Sharon, Vermont

The Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial was dedicated on December 23, 1905—exactly 100 years after Joseph Smith’s birth—under the direction of his nephew and then-church president, Joseph F. Smith, and managed by Junius F. Wells.

The height of the obelisk is symbolic: the central shaft of the obelisk stands 38.5 feet tall—exactly one foot for each year of Joseph Smith's life.

Including the tiered base and spire structure, the entire monument reaches just over 50 feet high and weighs approximately 100 short tons. The single-piece main shaft alone weighs around 40 tons.

Carved from solid, dark-gray granite in Barre, Vermont, it was considered one of the largest single-block polished stone shafts in the world at the time of its installation.

Moving the massive 40-ton shaft roughly 35 miles over rough Vermont terrain, rivers, and muddy winter roads in late 1905 required a custom-built wagon pulled by up to 20 steam traction engines and draft-horse teams before it was raised on the hilltop foundation.