NEAR CUMORAH'S HILL: Images of the Restoration, by Paul E. Gilbert and Douglas L. Powell, Covenant Communications, 2001, 120pp., $29.95.
In the early part of the 19th century, according to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints history, wondrous things occurred in and around the area of Palmyra.
This little town in upstate New York was home to Joseph Smith and his family and was the setting for events leading to the establishment of the church. Locations here are very familiar to students of church history — Hill Cumorah, Sacred Grove, the Smith homestead, the Susquehanna River, the Peter Whitmer farm.
But sometimes you get so immersed in the history, you forget that this region is also a place of great natural beauty. Rolling hills, stately trees, verdant fields, quaint buildings, rippling water — these, too, describe the area around Palmyra.
Paul Gilbert and Douglas Powell do a masterful job of bringing these two elements — the history and the geography — together in their book, "Near Cumorah's Hill."
Both have lived in the area — Gilbert attended the Rochester Institute of Technology and spent 12 years there; Powell completed his medical residency at the University of Rochester — and they approach their topic with an air of confident familiarity.
They have visited these places time and again, have seen the changes the seasons bring, have uncovered some little-known tidbits to flesh out the familiar story.
And throughout, notes Gilbert, who did most of the photography, the goal was not just to document the sites. "I wanted images that conveyed my feelings when I visited the Sacred Grove or the Hill Cumorah. What a challenge! The trees in the Sacred Grove are tall and close together, which makes it one of the most difficult places to photograph. I have literally spent over one hundred hours there in the hopes of creating visuals that are both satisfactory and beautiful."
They also wanted a book that people would enjoy reading in their homes, but which would also serve as a guidebook for those who visited the area. Thus, the text is arranged geographically, with each chapter focusing on a particular region, starting with the overall Finger Lakes area and then moving to specific sites— Palmyra, the Smith family home, Hill Cumorah, Colesville and more. Particularly nice is the addition of Mendon, home of Brigham Young, but is sometimes overlooked in discussions of early LDS Church sites.
The geographical approach means that sometimes the chronology gets disrupted or repeated, but in most cases, the familiarity of the story eliminates any confusion. A timeline inside the back cover clearly details the order of events.
The text, done mostly by Powell, is informative and readable, conveying the spirit and emotion of the times and places without becoming overly sentimental. Occasional sidebars — such as "The Erie Canal," "Cumorah As A Drumlin," "Joseph Sr. Imprisoned" or "Lucy Harris" — add pockets of interest, as well as a nice visual touch.
Although the book would be a good introduction for people who are not acquainted with the events that occurred here, it is clearly written for the Mormon faithful, who will find their own knowledge broadened. The exceptional photographs add a real sense of place that will enhance a personal visit to the area but will also add measurably to other reading about the people, places and events "Near Cumorah's Hill."
E-mail: carma@desnews.com