In an earlier thread, RfM poster "Inquirey," raises the following questions:
"I always here stories of the Sword of Laban and other mystical stuff being in the Church Vault in the mountains. I've also heard of a special First Presidency Vault as well. Has anyone actually been in the there or heard of a legitimate story of someone being in there? What other stories have you heard? I'm sure there really is a First Presidency Vault but whats really in it?"
("First Presidency Vault: Real or Fake?," posted by "Inquirey," on "Recovery from Mormonism" discussion board, 10 November 2014, at:
http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,1426859)
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Several years ago, I had the chance--at a downtown-area Salt Lake City restaurant--to meet over lunch with a former employee of the LDS Church. At this meeting were two other RfM posters--“SL Cabbie” and an RfM participant who requested anonymity but whose credibility is strong and for whom I can personally vouch.
The former Mormon Church employee with whom we met frequented the RfM board for a time under the handle, “FCI,” or “Former Church Insider." "FCI” had initially contacted me off-board about his personal knowledge and experience regarding high-level matters associated with the management of LDS, Inc As a result, for a time I provided him an informational outlet to RfM, where I would post, with his review and permission, what he had shared with me privately. Eventually, "FCI" began putting up his own RfM posts.
I found "FCI's" perspectives, generally speaking, to be believable and perceptive (in the case of certain exceptions, “FCI” openly acknowledged his errors on RfM and self-corrected them; in another case, his posts were deleted because of legal concerns). Eventually, “FCI” ceased posting on the RfM because of what he described as personal family realties that he thought warranted caution and discretion.
With that as background, during the SLC Chili's lunch encounter, “FCI” spoke about the existence, layout and content of the so-called “First Presidency Vault” in some detail, during w which he even drew up a schematic view for us of its physical parameters.
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--The Physical Layout of the “First Presidency Vault” (also known as the "President's Vault”; the "Church Vault"; the “F Vault”; and the "Vault”)
According to “FCI,": this "First Presidency Vault" is configured as follows:
“The President's Vault, otherwise known as ‘F’ Vaullt is [part of a vault compliex]. The front of the vault complex is manned-and-womened by employees and missionaries who duplicate genealogical microfilms to fulfill orders from church Fam. History libraries all over the world. The six vaults are connected by a corridor protected by a many ton steel door that supposedly can withstand a nuclear blast and are located far into the mountain at the rear of the complex.
“Each of these six vaults is cavernous and contains microfilm, discs, and other data files for financial, membership, genealogical and other Church records. Until the Mark Hoffman episode, access to the vault was restricted to those with official Church business only (although at one time tours were conducted there for the public).
(posted by “Former Church Insider } [aka “FCI”], on “Recovery from Mormnism” discussion board, January 2006)
From “FCI" on the "First Presidency Vault's" contents:
“Mark Hofmann was given unfettered access to the remote ‘F’ vault that reminded me of the warehouse in ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ where the Ark of the Covenant was eventually placed. It is the only vault that contains artifacts, relics and original Church documents such as pioneer journals and anything related to early Church history. This is probably the most secure vault in the country, with the possible exception of the US gold reserves storage at Ft. Knox. There are rumors that the vault contains Joseph Smith's Jupiter talisman and seer stones among other items. You'd think the place would be organized and items would be stored logically, but at least at the time I saw it, everything seemed in disarray on dusty shelves and in piles. But it was evident that almost everything in there was "old".
“Mark [Hofmann] was given access to this vault and apparently had a co-conspirator who worked for him at the vault complex. It was discovered after Mark Hoffman was exposed, but never reported to anyone outside the inner circle of the inner circle of those who worked inside the Church around this issue, that the Church had actually paid a lot of money to Mark Hoffman for documents that it already owned, and that these documents had been taken out of the ‘F’ vault. This was too embarrassing for the Church to admit to anyone, but resulted in unbelievable restrictions to church history documents. The only access by anyone, even GA's to the ‘F” vault is now granted only by GBH [Gordon B. Hinckley].
(“Mormon Mafia, Inside Stories, Mark Hoffman, Steve Christensen,” posted by “FCI,” on “Recovery from Mormonism” discussion board, January 2006)
More from “FCI” on the "Church Vault's" configuration:
“The Granite Mountain Vault . . ., [or] ‘The Vault,’ as it is commonly known, is a massive excavation reaching 600 feet into the north side of the canyon. Under 700 feet of stone, the Vault proper is situated farther back in the mountain behind production section and consists of six (storage) chambers (each 190 feet long, 25 feet wide, and 25 feet high), which are accessed by one main entrance and two smaller passageways. Specially constructed Mosler doors weighing 14 tons (at the main entrance) and nine tons (guarding the two smaller entrances) are designed to withstand a nuclear blast. In the six chambers, nature maintains constant humidity and temperature readings optimum for microfilm storage. Each chamber contains banks of steel cabinets ten feet high. ( . . . [B]oth ‘A’ vault and ‘F’ vault contain open storage racks).
http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/daily/family_history/granite_mountain_eom.htm“Here's a peek inside:
“Note before viewing:
“THIS IS A PR FILM BY THE MORG. THE FILM ONLY DISCUSSES GENEAOLGY BUT THERE'S A LOT MORE IN THERE. (March 11, 2006 ‘Church News’:’[T]aking photos in the vault area is no longer allowed.” . . . Public access is not allowed. Also, it takes a security clearance for anyone to get into the production areas. . . .The vaults are basically off limits to everyone except a few workers. . . . . ‘F’ vault is off limits to everyone period....
“Pause at 18-22 seconds into the video.this is a view of one of 6 storage areas in the back of the vault. Only 4 of these are devoted to genealogical records..
“Pause at 33-38 seconds into the video. This is a view of the 14-ton door and the corridor leading to the storage areas. There are three storage areas on each side of the hallway (none are visible). "A" vault is the first room on the left and contains financial, legal, real estate, membership, and other miscellaneous computer records having to do with ‘business.’ ‘B’ vault is the first room on the right as you enter the corridor..’C’ is the middle vault on the left and so on.. ‘B-E’ vaults contain microfilm and related genealogical documents. At the far end of the corridor is a room with a large reservoir (pool) of drinkable mountain spring water and an earthquake seismograph.
“Ignore the rest of the video.
"’F’ Vault is the storage area that is locked to everyone except the 1st “residency or whomever they alone allow inside. It is located in the rear of the corridor on the right hand side. It contains all artifacts related to the Morg. that are kept from the public. I have been in "F" vault twice - both times before the edict of BKP and the 1st presidency to limit all access. I did not have the chance to explore this vault and was only able to view it from close to the doorway. This storage area contains, lots of old original documents, artifacts, books, journals, boxes containing who knows what.. all of these situated on open elevated racks. Many rumors circulate about what is in this vault. Your guess is as good as mine in this regard. It was told to me confidentially by church historians, that Mark Hoffman was granted access to documents in this vault and he had a co-conspirator who was able to smuggle out some documents later purchased by the Church that they already owned. . . . This vault likely contains the documents previously accessed by Michael Quinn and Fawn Brodie, along with many that even they were not able to see.
“From the LDS website [since deleted]:
http://www.lds.org/media/videoclip/display/1,7031,1659-1-747,00.html . . . "
(“What's In The Vault? A Peek Inside ,” by “FCI,” on “Recovery from Mormonism” discussion board, May 2008, original emphasis)
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--Other Descriptions and Accounts of the "Church Vault(s)" from Those Who Have Worked There
From one source:
“So, I was able to get a job at the Vault because my dad had worked for the Church for about 10 years at the COB [Church Office Building], so he was a good reference. I got the job after they made sure my recommend was current and I was trust worthy enough to allow in. I believe I had two interviews and I'm not sure what kind of background check the Church does, but I have been told that it is quite a process to be allowed to work for the Church. Still, I wasn't by any means perfect and neither were some of my co-workers. I think my dad's reputation as a hard worker helped me out most.
“My husband took me to work every day. When driving up the canyon just after the ski resorts, there is a hairpin turn on the left side to go up to the vault. I had never noticed it before working there. There is a gate that you have to go through to get up to the parking lot. At the gate, you push a button and they ask who you are and you tell them and they let you up. No exceptions. You have to wait for them to look at you in their security camera every day. They are not messing around up there. When they lifted the gate, we would drive to the parking lot and then I would get out and go in the big metal door that led to the desk where the security guard checked your badge every day. When my husband came to pick me up every day at the same time, he always had to push the button and tell him who he was and why he was there.
“Layout of the Vault: After you check in you go down the hall and to the left. I wish I could draw it up, maybe I'll work on that. After the corridor you can only go left into another long hallway. Along this there are little sections on either side that are work areas for people who are programming microfilm and microfiche. (Programming is what they call it, but this is what that entails: you hook a roll of film on a stand on the right side of your desk and then hook the end of the film to another roll on a stand on the other side of the desk that has a handle for you to roll it back up, but in reverse. You look through film by unrolling it under a microscope where you look at it every few frames to see if it is clear enough to read and reprint or not. If it is clear and clean you give it a number that tells the printer to print it as is. If it isn't clear, then you give it a number - or program it - and it tells the printer what setting to print it on in order for it to come out more clearly than the original. This is what I did there, and I was good at it!)
“So there is a large section to the right and then another to the left where people are working on film. After that there was another area with offices and a secretary on the left and on the right is a hallway and door that leads to the corridor that goes back into the actual Vaults A through F. Still walking down the main corridor then there is another work area on the right where the people who get film out of the filing cabinets in the A through D Vaults organize it and put it into batches according to where the copies are ordered from etc.
“At the end of the long main corridor on the left is a hallway that goes back to a small kitchen with vending machines and a phone (no cell phones in there as far as I remember) and behind the kitchen a large room with tables for eating and lots of chairs that are set up once during the monthly devotional and for holiday parties.
“I vaguely remember another corridor opposite the hallway leading to the kitchen. It seems like there may have been more vaults down this one, but I was never quite sure and if it was actually there it didn't seem like it was used much.
“So, work started every day with team prayer. You were on teams. When I worked there I remember two programming teams and another couple teams that did something else with the film that I don't remember. There were also a few people that ran the printers and so in all I think there were only about between 45 or 65 people that actually worked there. I hated and dreaded this team prayer every day. I don't really like praying about working well or fast and praying about it with coworkers doesn't help. (I guess I would have been kicked out if they knew I had that attitude!) They had it at about 8am even though we had to be at work at 7am. I also hated the early hours but I have never been a morning person.
“Anyway, there were a few interesting things that happened there. Nothing crazy but still, possibly worth sharing. They always had a devotional every month on the first Monday. A few times one of the 70 came and spoke and gave a lesson. It was interesting, but basically like getting paid for being in church.
“Once there was an incident when a friend of mine who was working there (she had not been through the temple and did not wear garments) was leaning over organizing film on a large table. Her shirt came up a little and her skin on her back became visible. She was later reprimanded because a coworker had told the boss that she wasn't being modest. She was very upset and quit not a month later. Obviously the scolding was ridiculous because she was not being immodest or disrespectful on purpose.
“Another time when I was assigned to a new workstation, I was talking to a man who worked there. He was a pretty big guy (as in overweight) and worked quite slowly. He told me a little about himself. He said that he had worked there almost 10 years if I remember correctly and that he had 6 or7 kids. (This surprised me that he was doing the same job I was doing because this job only paid about $8.50/hr.) I asked him if he was ok with his job here and he said he was. He said something like, it didn't necessarily pay much, but that he was sure he didn't need more because since he worked for the Lord as his job, his family would be taken care of. (I could not believe that someone could be so stupid.)
“There was an older lady who worked there and she was super sweet. She was funny and kind and helpful and interesting. She worked hard and did her job very well. She worked at the vault and for the church corp. for I think about 14 years she said. It could have been more. In any case, she was approaching retirement within a few months. She was excited and couldn't wait to be home with her family and grandkids. She was around 67 I think. (I could be totally off, but I'm pretty sure these details are close if not right on.) So around the time she was putting in her two weeks and arranging to finish up and get her retirement package, etc., things changed and suddenly she was in trouble all the time. She didn't know what was going on or why but one day told me she had figured it out. She told me they were trying to get her fired or to get her to quit before her time was done to keep from giving her retirement. She was super upset during her last few days there and became difficult to work with. (Who wouldn't be!)She told me she just wanted to get done and get out. She did go, but I never found out if she got what she had worked so hard for. She was just out of there on her last day and never looked back.
“When working on film, it is really quiet because its hard to talk and concentrate on what you're doing at the same time. I didn't really become close friends with anyone I worked with, so I listened to books on cd with a portable cd player. I listened to about 65 books during my one year of work there. At one point a coworker asked me what I was listening to. This guy was so righteous he made your eyes bleed to look at him. He was irritating in all the ways those type of people are while trying really hard to just be your best bud and make work a good old time! When he asked what I was listening to today I told him and then couldn't wait to hear what he had to say - "I'm listening to Silence of the Lambs", I said. He was shocked and had disapproval all over his face. He said something like, "That movie is rated R isn't it? I'm sure the book probably is." (So passive aggressive.) I said, "I'm sure it is." and kept working. He watched me for a few minutes and I said, "Do you want to borrow it after I'm done? It's a good book. Really creepy." He said no thanks and looked troubled. The next week during our Monday morning team devotional (where someone from the team was picked to read a scripture or give a short message) our team leader - who I really thought was a nice guy - mentioned begrudgingly that we needed to make sure we were listening to uplifting things while we worked. It seemed to me that he didn't really care what anyone listened to on their headphones as long as they did their jobs.
“So after working at the vault for about a year, I got another job. I was excited to be don, e, but also realized I hadn't seen a few things that I had wondered about. They told me when I first started that all the water used in the kitchen and bathrooms was provided by the natural reservoir that was in the back of the vault. I had never seen this and was really curious. I knew I would never have a chance to see it again so on my last day I asked if they would show me and if I could take a few pictures. They said I could as long as I didn't take any pictures of anything else inside the vault on the way to the reservoir door. I agreed and he led me down the long corridor where A through F Vaults are located. At the very end was the door that I knew led to the water. He unlocked it and when we went in it was sort of anticlimactic. I was expecting a huge lake or rushing waterfalls or something cool. After I got over the disappointment, it was pretty neat. It was a pool with pumps attached. The pool was probably about six feet wide by 10 to 15 feet long. It was clean and clear and looked nice but it was basically just functioning in an empty dark holed out area. That part of the vault did not have the corrigated metal walls. It was rough granite through there and that was cool too.
“The only other really interesting thing that happened was during the summer that I worked there. A company that was contracted with the Church to do some construction in the some of the vaults sent a group of their guys out for about a month or so. I made friends with one of the guys and we chatted during lunch and made small talk when he was hanging around on his breaks. One day during this construction, our team leader told us that for the next couple days we would be taking turns throughout the day to sit outside thedoor of the F Vault while the contracted construction guys worked in there. We were told that we needed to just sit out there and could read or listen to our headphones, as long as we made sure no one took anything out of the vault that wasn't their own tools. We agreed and were happy to have a break from programming film.
“When it was my turn, I sat on the designated chair and listened to my book and just smiled at the guys as they went in and out. At one point, I realized, this is the vault that has lots of really important stuff in it and tried to peek in. Unfortunately, because of all the construction, every shelf was covered in plastic sheeting and the only thing I saw was a small stack of books (pages side toward me) on a shelf near the door so I couldn't even identify them. I didn't understand at the time that this was THE F VAULT!!! I should have been rummaging through there to find the Hoffman documents or a papyrus or something! Total bummer. When it was over, I went back to my desk and didn't think a thing of it other than, maybe they saw the sword of Laban when they were covering things up. Haha!
“So, that is about it. Other than those little tidbits, the only other possibly noteworthy things about working there were: it was hard to get a raise and they had a ceiling that I reached during the one year I workedthere. That was a deal breaker (as Liz Lemon would say) for long term employment but they weren't budging as far as raises went.”
(“Working At The Mormon Church Granite Mountain Records Vault,” by “Molotov,” October 2009)
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--Additional Reports on the Contents of the “Top-Secret Church Vault”
One source notes:
“ . . . [A] poster named ‘erichard’ has posted [on another site] a list of stuff which is supposedly held in the top-secret Church Vault, which is dug into the side of a mountain in Little Cottonwood Canyon, just outside Salt Lake City. (It is visible from the road, in fact.) I thought this was quite intriguing:
“Incomplete List of Items in the First Presidency Vaults
--“Printed Works:
An Address by Way of an Abridged Account and Journal of My Life,' Lyman Wight
An Address to Americans,' James Mulholland
Almanacs (1859, 1860, 1861, 1863, 1864), William W. Phelps
The Amateur, Ogden, Utah, YMMIA
An Appeal to the American People, Sidney Rigdon
Articles of Association for the United Order (1870 & 1874)
Book of Mormon (Various Editions, including 1830)
Book of One Thousand Marks and Brands, William Clayton
Book of the Law of the Lord, James J. Strang
The California Star
Calumny Refuted and the Truth Defended, John Taylor
Celestial Marriage, and the Plurality of Wives, Jesse Haven
Central Route, The Emigrant's Guide, Thomas B. H. Stenhouse
Circular to Bishop Edward Hunter, First Presidency
The City Charter of Nauvoo, Illinois
The City of the Mormons, Henry Caswall
A Collection of Sacred Hymns (1835, 1844, etc.)
A Concise History of the Mormon Battalion, Daniel Tyler
Constitution of the State of Deseret
A Correct Account of the Murder of Generals Joseph and Hyrum Smith, William M.Daniels
Death of the Prophets Joseph and Hyrum Smith, John Gooch
Delusions..., Alexander Campbell
Deseret Almanac (1851, 1852, 1853, 1854, etc.,), William W. Phelps
A Dialogue between Joe Smith and the Devil, Parley P. Pratt
The Diamond, James J. Strang
A Dissertation on Nebuchadnezzar's Dream, William I. Appleby
Doctrine and Covenants (1835, etc.)
Book of Commandments
Document Containing the Correspondence, Orders, &c. in Relation to the Disturbances with the Mormons
Document Showing the Testimony Given Before the Judge of the Fifth Judicial Circuit
Elder's Journal
The Evening and Morning Star
Evidence Taken on the Trial of Mr. Smith
Evidences in Proof of the Book of Mormon, Charles B. Thompson
The Far West: Or, A Tour Beyond the Mountains, Edmund Flagg
Y Farw Wedi Ei Chyfodi Yn Fyw, Dan Jones
A Few Plain Facts, George J. Adams
Frontier Guardian
General Courses and Distance from G.S.L. City to Fort Limhi, Jesse W. Fox
1847 General Epistle from the Council of the Twelve Apostles
General Joseph Smith's Appeal to the Green Mountain Boys
General Smith's Views of the Powers and Policy of the Government of the United States
The Gospel Reflector
Governor's Message - Brigham Young (1850, 1851, etc.)
A Grammar of the Hebrew Language, Moses Stuart
He That Hath Ears to Hear, Orson Hyde
History of the Late Persecution Inflicted by the State of Missouri upon the Mormons, Parley P. Pratt
History of the Persecutions, Charles W. Wandell
A History of the Priesthood, Benjamin Winchester
An Interesting Account of Several Remarkable Visions, Orson Pratt
James J. Strang, Weighed in the Balance, Reuben Miller
Journal of Discourses
Heber C. Kimball Journal
Late Persecution of the Church, Parley P. Pratt
Edinburgh Branch
The Latter Day Saints, A Poem, Omer
The Latter-day Saints' Emigrants' Guide, William Clayton
Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate
A Lecture on the Authenticity & Scriptural Character of the Book of Mormon, George J. Adams
Letters of Oliver Cowdery to W.W. Phelps
List of Recorded Brands, William Clayton
Manifesto from William S. Godbe and E.L.T. Harrison
Hebrew Grammar, James Seixas
Marks and Brands, William Clayton
Melchizedek & Aaronic Herald - Isaac Sheen
The Millenium, Parley P. Pratt
The Mormon
Mormonism: Embracing the origin., James Hunt
Mormonism Unvailed, Eber D. Howe
Mormonism Unveiled, Parley P. Pratt
The Mormons in Illinois, G. W. Westbrook
Narrative of Some of the Proceedings of the Mormons, Catherine Lewis
A Narrative of the Life of Solomon Mack
Nauvoo Expositor
Nauvoo Neighbor
The Olive Branch
The Only Way to be Saved, Lorenzo Snow
Oration Delivered by Mr. Sidney Rigdon
Ordinances of the City of Nauvoo
Ordinances, Passed by the Legislative Council of Great Salt Lake City
Ordinances Passed by the General Assembly of the State of Deseret
`Pamphlet book' - George Albert Smith
`Pamphlet book of miscellaneous pamphlets owned by Wilford Woodruff
Pearl of Great Price (1851, etc)
Plain Facts, Showing the Falsehood and Folly of Rev. C.S. Bush, Parley P. Pratt
Political and Religious Detector, Noah Packard
Proclamation to the People of the Coasts and Islands of the Pacific, Parley P. Pratt
The Prophet
Prophetic Almanac (1845, 1846), Orson Pratt
Prophetic Controversy, James S. Strang
The Reflector
Le Reflecteur
Reply to Shall We Believe in Mormon, Charles W. Wandell
The Return
Various Revelations
Revised Laws of the Nauvoo Legion
Route from Liverpool to Great Salt Lake City, James Linforth
St. Louis Luminary
Edward L. Sloan works
The Seer
A Short Account of a Shameful Outrage, Parley P. Pratt
A Small Selection of Choice Hymns, C. Merkley
Strictures, on Dr. I. Galland's pamphlet, David W. Kilbourne
Synopsis of Phrenology, O.S. Fowler
Synopsis of the Holy Scriptures, Benjamin Winchester
Testimonies for the Truth, Benjamin Brown
Third General Epistle of the Presidency
Times and Seasons
To the Public, William Smith
A Treatise on the Fulness of the Everlasting Gospel, Moses Martin
A True and Descriptive Account of the Assassination of Joseph & Hiram Smith, Thomas A. Lyne
Utah Territorial Library Catalogue
A Vocabulary of the Snake or Shoshone Dialect, Joseph A. Gebow
The Voice of the Captives, Assembled at Zarahemla
The Voice of Truth, Joseph Smith
A Voice of Warning and Proclamation to All, Francis Gladden Bishop
The Wasp
The Western Standard
Why the "Latter Day Saints" Marry a Plurality of Wives, Benjamin F. Johnson
The Wonderful Prophecies of Robert Nixon, Robert Nixon
A Word of Consolation to the Scattered Saints, Jason W. Briggs
Yankee Story, Hiram Bradley Clawson
Zion's Panier
--“Written Records:
Alberta Temple Dedication Services
Missionary Blessing of Truman O. Angell
Arizona Temple Dedication Services
George Bean Report
Ezra T. Benson Missionary Blessing
Carson Valley Mission List of Missionaries
Council of Fifty Minutes and Notes
Elder's Licenses and Record of Ordinations (Independence and Kirtland)
Elk Mountain Mission List of Missionaries
Excommunication Records
Far West List of Members
Far West Record
Female Subscriptions, Nauvoo
1893 First Presidency Minutes
First Presidency Office Journal
Various First Presidency Minutes
Flat Head Mission List of Missionaries
Garden Grove, Iowa, History
1855-1856 General Conference Minutes
Hawaiian Temple Dedication Services
Idaho Falls Temple Dedication Services
Kirtland, Ohio, Township Record and record of Livestock Ear Marks
Kirtland Stake Minutes
Las Vegas Mission List of Missionaries
Liverpool Office Emigration Record (1840-1854)
Logan Temple Dedication Services
Los Angeles Temple Dedication Services
Mormon Battalion Record (1846-1848)
Nauvoo, Ill., City Council Proceedings
Nauvoo, Ill., Deed Records
Nauvoo, Ill., List of Members
Nauvoo, Ill., Marriage Records
Nauvoo, Ill., Municipal Court Docket
Nauvoo, Ill., Schools
Nauvoo, Ill., Seventies License Record
Nauvoo, Ill., Trustee in Trust Tithing and Donation Record
Nauvoo, Ill., Trustee's Land Book
Nauvoo High Council Minutes
Nauvoo Legion Minutes
Nauvoo Library and Literary Institute Minutes
Nauvoo Masonic Lodge Minutes
Nauvoo Relief Society Minutes
New Zealand Temple Dedication Services
Oakland Temple Dedication Services
Pioneer Emigration List
Pottawattamie High Council Minutes
St. George Temple Dedication Services
Salt Lake Stake High Council Minutes
Salt Lake Temple Dedication Services
Salt Lake Temple Annex Dedication Services
Swiss Temple Dedication Services
Teacher's Quorum Minutes (Far West, Kirtland, and Nauvoo)
George A. Smith Letter Book (1854) [Included in Nauvoo Marriage Record Book]
Various other Temple Dedications
--“Manuscript Materials:
Adam-ondi-Ahman Plat
Affidavits on Joseph Smith and Plural Marriage
Arabic manuscript
Berlin Mission, Confidential Report, 1963-1966
Bible, photocopy of Bernhisel copy of Inspired Version manuscript
Bible, manuscript in Deseret Alphabet
Bible, Matthew, Chapter 24
Book of Commandments, Law and Covenants
Book of John Whitmer
Book of Mormon manuscript, Copyright, and Course Taken by Nephites
Book of Mormon manuscripts in Arabic, Armenian, Bulgarian,
Deseret Alphabet, Dutch,Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindostanee (Urdu), Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Maori, Rumanian, Philippine (Ilicano Dialect), Russian, Slovak, Swedish,Tongan, Turkish, Yugoslavian (Serbo-croatian)
Brands, Utah, manuscript, 1850
George Q. Cannon Journal [May have been moved]
George Q. Cannon letters (1871-1879)
Albert Carrington letter (1886)
Catechism for Children, by John Jaques, manuscript in Deseret Alphabet
Phebe Chase's Temple apron
Church of the First-born of the Fulness of Times Minutes (1955)
City of Zion Plat
William Clayton letters (1869, 1871, 1874)
William Clayton's manuscript for Emigrant's Guide
Oliver Cowdery Account Books (1835-1836, 1839-1846)
The Hebrew Question, Oliver Cowdery
Oliver Cowdery Journal (1836)
Oliver Cowdery letter to Hyrum Smith (1831)
Oliver Cowdery Revelation (1829)
Warren A. Cowdery Ledgers and Cash Book (1816-1830)
Cypher Book (Telegraph Code Book)
State of Deseret Constitution (1849)
Deseret Alphabet (Punches used for printing)
Deseret First Book, first reader (Incomplete manuscript in Deseret Alphabet)
Deseret Phonetic Speller in Deseret Alphabet
Deseret Second Book, second reader, in Deseret Alphabet
Doctrine and Covenants, manuscript in Deseret Alphabet
Doctrine and Covenants, Kirtland Revelations
Doctrine and Covenants, Czechoslovak manuscript
Doctrine and Covenants (handwritten copies of revelations)
Documentary History of the Church, original manuscript
Various Dream Mine papers
Egyptian Alphabet and Grammar, and various manuscripts
Far West Missouri Plat
Fundamentalist Church Minutes (1951-1952)
ohn L. Ginn manuscript
Miles Goodyear map
Jacob Hamblin Journal and letters
Martin Harris, deeds and articles of agreement
Lansford W. Hastings map
Hebrew Grammar manuscript
John E. Hill's manuscripts of hymns and tracts in Hungarian
Historian's Office Journal (1858-1878)
Historical Notation manuscript (Guide for material used in compiling DHC, 1841-1857)
Orson Hyde manuscripts containing some sections of D&C
Orson Hyde Revelation (3/14/1846)
Independence, Missouri, Temple Plans
Indian Wars, manuscript by John L. Ginn
Inspired Version manuscript by James E. Talmage (cross referenced to Inspired Version)
List of Persons Driven from Jackson County, Missouri, in 1833
Andrew Jenson's Temple garment
Kirtland, Ohio, Plat
Masonry Affidavits and article by William S. Paine
William McLellin Diary
Petition of Citizens of Carroll County, Missouri, 1838
John Moore's Application to become a citizen, and trial in Bishop's Court
Mormon Battalion Member List
Mountain Meadows Massacre manuscript, John L. Ginn
Nauvoo, Ill., Act to Incorporate the City (1840)
Nauvoo Municipal Court (impression on seal of wax, 1843)
L. John Nuttall Diary [May have been moved]
Obituary Notices of Distinguished Persons (1837-1872)
William S. Paine manuscript of "In Defense of Joseph Smith the Prophet"
Patriarchal Blessings, Vol. 2, Joseph Smith Sr., (includes transactions of the Twelve, 1835)
Pearl of Great Price, Book of Abraham manuscripts
Pearl of Great Price, Book of Moses manuscript
Pearl of Great Price, Egyptian manuscripts
LaMar Peterson's manuscript for "Hearts Made Glad," and his excommunication minutes
William W. Phelps Journal (1835)
List of Original Pioneers
Various Portraits (Daguerreotype, tintype, ambrotype, and glass) of Old Tabernacle,Temple Square, Joseph F. Smith, Isaac Hale, Polly Walworth Lambson, Joseph Smith III, Eliza R. Snow, Charles E. Keetch, J.T. Ross, John W. Young, Nauvoo Temple ruins, Brigham Young Jr., Robert Warner, Julia Earl Warner, John Smith, Brigham Young, Emma and Bertha Howell Jenson, Mrs. W.C. Staines, Parley P.Pratt, William Stewart Seeley, Lovina Smith Walker, Capt. James Brown, and numerous unidentifiable persons
Parley P. Pratt's Temple apron
George Reynolds letter (1888)
John W. Rigdon's manuscript on the life story of his father, Sidney Rigdon
Brigham H. Roberts' manuscripts of "Data of Verbal and
Grammatical Errors in theBook of Mormon," "The Life Story of B. H. Roberts," and "The Way, the Truth, The Life"
Orrin Porter Rockwell, Affidavit by Milo Andrus (1934)
San Bernardino Ranch Deed (1857)
Paul G. Schettler's Temple apron
Annie Smith letter in Deseret Alphabet (1869)
Hyrum Smith Journal (1838-1839)
Piece of Joseph Smith's shirt and vest
Joseph Smith Journals (1832-1834, 1835-1836, 1839)
Joseph Smith Letter Book (1829-1835, 1838-1843)
Joseph Smith letters (1831, 1832, 1833, 1836, 1839-1844)
Joseph Smith petition of Saints to Congress of U.S. (1839)
Joseph Smith painting on tin
Joseph Smith Revelations (not included in D&C)
Joseph Smith wax seal (1844)
Joseph Smith's "Views of the Powers and Policy of the Government" (1844)
Lucy Mack Smith's manuscript of "Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith and His Progenitors"
William Smith essay (notes written on Chamber's Miscellany)
Eliza R. Snow's Temple apron
Lorenzo Snow Revelations
James J. Strang's 6/18/1844 letter (Purportedly from Joseph Smith)
John Taylor Diary [May have been moved]
Moses Thatcher's High Council Trial Minutes (1897)
Twelve Apostle's Minutes (1835, 1849-1870)
Utah Territory Census Statistics (1872)
Nelson Wheeler Whipple Journal
David Whitmer Testimony (1881)
Newel K. Whitney's 1842 letter from Joseph Smith
Lyman Wight's petition to the Honorable Senate of the United States
Frederick G. Williams' manuscript on questions, characters on Book of Mormon, etc.
Wilford Woodruff's handkerchief given to him by Joseph Smith
Wilford Woodruff Revelations
Charles S. Woodward letter and account of Dream Mine investigation
Brigham Young promissory note for $18.50 to be repaid in kitchen chairs (1830)
List of Zion's Camp Members
--“Materials not listed in Manuscript Card Catalog:
Coins (Centennial coin issued by Reorganized Church; Deseret
gold coins; Joseph Smith's coins [paid by Joseph just before martyrdom]; Joseph Smith penny
Coins (Dies for gold coins)
Coins from many countries
Council of Fifty Minutes, rolls (1845-1849, 1867-1868, 1880-1882)
Various Currencies (Kirtland Safety Society; Deseret currency;
Deseret Currency
Association, cooperatives, mercantile institutions; Bank of Monroe; City of Nauvoo; Nauvoo House Association; Nauvoo Legion; storehouse notes; Drover'sBank; First National Bank of GreatSalt Lake City; GSLC Corp; Salt Lake CityCorp; Salt Lake City National Bank of Utah; Utah State National Bank; Utah Territorial Mercantile Currency; ZCMI; etc.
Awards in the form of coins, issued by Deseret Agriculture & Manufacturing Society, etc.
Badges, for Pioneer Jubilee (1851); state celebrations; old folks day, etc.
Medals of Lorenzo Snow; Mormon Temple; Pony Express Diamond
Jubilee; BrighamYoung, etc.
Obscene Material [I don't know what this could be]
John Taylor Revelation (1882)
John Whitmer, photocopy of his original manuscript
Seer stones
"’Obscene Material’?$18.50 to be paid in kitchen chairs"??? I love how this list is a mixture of the obviously historically relevant, the mundane, and the absolutely whacked-out absurd. Who knows what else could be in the vaults? A research lab, where they are developing better equipment for spying on the membership, maybe? ; ) In any case, I always enjoy threads like these, since they rankle the hypersensitive TBMs to no end.”
(“What's In The Secret Church Vault?,” July 2007)
**********
Conclusion:
The "First Presidency Vault”/“President's Vault”/"Church Vault"/“F Vault”/"Vault” appears to exist. It also appears to basically be an over-stuffed, somewhat haphazardly-stored collection of various odds and ends--some of it mundane, some of it bizarre, some of it inconsequential, some of it quaint, some of it curious, some of historically significant, some of it inexplicable; and perhaps all of it something the Mormon Church doesn't want most folks to see.
In short, it's the Treasure Chest of a Crazy, Backwater, Loony Little Cult.
The place essentially consists of a room of shelves holding--in no real sort of systemized organization or retrieval, an assortnent of old books and journals--and outside of which is a small fresh-water pool for drinking that is fed by the mountain.
No reliable evidence exists that it sports the Urim and Thummim, Sword of Laban or gold plates.
There is, however, a leprechaun dressed in green garments who sits at the entrance of the vault singing "Give Said the Little Stream." (Ask the Angel Moroni. He'll confirm it).
Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/2017 05:30PM by steve benson.