Church History Museum Salt lake City
The Church History Museum, which was renovated in 2015, has a large collection and a long history of assisting individuals in making personal and meaningful connections to the great things of God manifested in the history of the worldwide faith. Individuals and families will enjoy engaging experiences that connect them to the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the growing spiritual, artistic, and cultural legacies of its members.
Brigham Young’s son John W. Young founded the first museum in the Utah Territory in 1869, with roots dating back to the early history of the Church in Nauvoo, Illinois. The Church History Museum was founded on the foundation of the Deseret Museum. In April 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded with six members in upstate New York. The Church was persecuted in Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois before a mass exodus to the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, led by Brigham Young. Relive the fascinating story of the Mormon pioneers who struggled mightily to establish their religion in the Rocky Mountains at the Museum of Church History and Art.
The museum’s collection contains over 150,000 historical items that illustrate the story of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from its beginnings to the present. The museum houses art, artifacts, documents, photographs, tools, clothing, and furniture from the LDS Church’s nearly two-century history. In addition to the curators, administrative, and other staff, a large volunteer workforce of Latter-day Saints from the surrounding communities conducts tours of the museum’s exhibits and puts on many of the museum’s programs.
The Church History Museum is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Saturdays and holidays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is located at 45 North West Temple. On Sundays, New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, the museum is closed. The event is free to attend. In downtown Salt Lake City, the museum sits right across the street from Temple Square’s west entrance and half a block north of the Temple Square TRAX station. Within a half-block of the museum, there are several public parking lots.
The Church History Museum, as well as the Church History Library, Church Historic Sites, and the Granite Mountain Records Vault, are all part of the Church History Department.
Administrative personnel, curators, registrars, conservators, and educators are among the museum’s approximately 30 full-time employees. In addition, the museum employs over 200 volunteer docents who provide frontline educational programming and guest services on a weekly basis.