After a 12-year process, the restored Joseph Knight Sr. home in Nineveh (formerly Colesville), New York, 23 miles north of the Priesthood Restoration Site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in what was once Harmony, Pennsylvania, is open for visitors.
Raphael Mecham, one of the directors for the restoration project, and his brother-in-law Steve Glenn bought the Knight home in 2004 after it had fallen into severe disarray.
“It was about as bad as you can get,” Mecham said.
Due to foreclosure laws, they didn’t own the house until August 2005. At that point, they invited another family, the Painters, to join the cleanup project.
The Mechams, Glenns and Painters, all from Arizona, planned to renovate the house. In 2006, they received a spiritual prompting that they needed to restore and preserve the home, Mecham said.
Mecham estimated 75 to 100 people assisted with the restoration process, ranging from an electrician and a blacksmith to missionaries on their preparation days.
Joseph Smith met the Knight family when he was 20 and went to work for Josiah Stowell in 1825. Stowell was a business partner with Joseph Knight Sr., and Joseph Smith later worked for and stayed with the Knight family (see "The Joseph Knight Family," Ensign, October 1978, and "The Knight Family: Ever Faithful to the Prophet," Ensign, January 1989).
The Colesville Branch, one of the first branches of the newly organized church, met at the Knight home, according to Mecham.
“The Prophet Joseph (Smith) not only admired (the Knight family), but loved them with all his heart,” Mecham said. The Knight family helped support Joseph Smith during the translation of the Book of Mormon.
Mecham emphasized the importance of knowing church history to “appreciate the depth and breadth of the Restoration.” Understanding the history “magnifies the faith, and it strengthens testimony,” he said.
The process has been a long one, but Mecham said he learned “the Lord will guide you if you open up your mind and your heart and you do all you can to make it happen.”
The Knight home, which is privately owned, is located at 1963 E. Windsor Road in Nineveh, New York, and is open for tours from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 2-6 p.m. on Sundays. The docents are available at 607-693-1266.
More information about the home’s renovation and the site is available at colesville-restoration.com.
Email: mmcinnes@deseretnews.com