In September 2015, following an extensive development project, a church-operated visitors' center and meetinghouse, monuments, and the reconstructed homes of Smith and the Hale family were dedicated.

In December 1827, Smith and his wife, Emma, moved to the area, hoping to escape persecution experienced in Palmyra, New York.

Her brother, Jesse Hale, had constructed a three-room frame home which the Smiths purchased and had moved onto their property.

[1] In 1946, the LDS Church purchased 80 acres (32 ha) of property in the area, which included the location of the former Smith home, of which only the foundation remained.

[4] Two years later, the church purchased an additional 80 acres (32 ha), which included the site of the Hale home, whose foundation also remained.

The 12-foot-high (3.7 m) carnelian granite monument includes a bronze relief by artist Avard Fairbanks, depicting John the Baptist conferring the priesthood on Smith and Cowdery.