Homesite of King Follett

(by Kenneth Mays deseretnews.com 1-7-15)

This commemorative, traditional-looking well was constructed on property once owned by a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints named King Follett.

Follett was born in Vermont in 1788. By 1831, he had moved to northern Ohio and been baptized into the Church of Christ, later The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Several years later, he and his family had moved with most of the Saints to Missouri.

About the time that the Prophet Joseph Smith was released from Liberty Jail, Follett was imprisoned in the jail at Columbia, Missouri, with Parley P. Pratt and several others. He wasn’t released until October 1839. Soon after his release from jail, he acquired property in Nauvoo, Illinois, and built a log home.

While digging a well in March 1844, Follett was killed when struck by falling stones that were being used to line the inside of the well. When Joseph Smith addressed the Saints in early April 1844, he made several references to the passing of Follett, and that address, now known as the King Follett Sermon, has been associated with him ever since. Four brethren attempted to record what the Prophet spoke, but not all of what he said that day was recorded.