Beginning in 1839 exiled Mormon settlers transformed a marshy wilderness tract along the Mississippi River into a model frontier community—Nauvoo the Beautiful. Only seven years later the Saints abandoned their flourishing city and fled westward, leaving behind a brief but dazzling history.

What was life like in Nauvoo? How did people earn their living? What kinds of shops were there? Where did the children go to school? What did people do for fun?

In Old Nauvoo answers these questions and many others as it paints a vivid picture of home life and cultural activities, merchants and craftsmen, women and children, government and religion in Nauvoo—the daily life of a people whose industry, courage, and faith continue to inspire later generations of Latter-day Saints.