Frankly, it’s amazing that the Kirtland Temple was even around to be sold to the LDS Church a few weeks ago.

In 1838, just a few days after Joseph Smith left Kirtland, Lyman Sherman burned down a print shop that had gone over into Mormon dissenters’ hands and the temple was apparently scorched in the process. Then, a few months later, a Methodist chapel nearby was burned down and someone discovered a broken window in the Kirtland Temple with coals and straw stacked inside. David Howlett theorizes that this may have been the work of Joseph Smith loyalists who would rather see the temple burn than fall into the hands of dissenters.

But the temple survived and started into what I call its “revolving door” period, where all kinds of people laid claim to its ownership. To get the nitty-gritty of what happened over the next few decades, you can listen to this episode of the Sunstone Mormon History Podcast (Spotify, Apple, Sunstone). But here’s where it all starts.

Kirtland was named after a guy named Turhand Kirtland—who never even lived there, even though he owned part of it. And Turhand transferred 50 acres to Peter French who later sold it (along with his other property) to a Mormon named Joseph Coe. And, from there, it eventually made its way to Joseph Smith. The reason it went to Joseph Smith instead of the Church was because the Church wasn’t incorporated in Ohio, so it couldn’t own property. Joseph was the next best thing.

But, after Joseph’s death, the question that haunted the Kirtland property was, “Did Joseph own it as just himself? Or did he own it as trustee-in-trust for the Church? And, in either case, who did it belong to now?” The question led to plenty of yelling and shoving and bowie knives—which, once again, you can hear all about on the podcast. (Spotify, Apple, Sunstone)

Of course, since Joseph was dead, there were a lot of people contending to be his successor. And some of the debate between the various parties took place inside the Kirtland Temple. In fact, at one point during a meeting promoting Brigham Young, a guy named Increase Van Deusen hopped up on the partition in the middle of the room and stomped up to the front of the room on top of it, “hissing, and making other violent demonstrations.” Then he climbed up on the highest pulpit and swung his coat around until it ripped.

You’d think such a display would get him kicked out of the temple, but no. He actually preached there several times in the weeks after that.

And all this time, the temple was falling into disrepair.  Some reports indicate that people had swiped letters from the pulpits, carved their name in things, and committed other bits of vandalism (like stomping along partitions). When the temple property was put up for auction, it was valued at only $325, and the guy who bought it paid only $217. Fortunately, the buyer immediately sold it to Russell Huntley, who really loved the building and started fixing it up. He eventually sold it to Joseph Smith III for $150, bringing it into RLDS hands.

But, believe me, that is not the end of the story. If legal shenanigans and Latin phrases are your thing, the rest of the Kirtland Temple’s history will thrill you. Click to listen. (Spotify, Apple, Sunstone)