Sharon, Vermont, was the birthplace of Church founder Joseph Smith in 1805. In all, about a dozen of the early leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were born in Vermont. In 1831, one year after the Church was organized, Church member Jared Carter taught and baptized 27 converts in Vermont. Many of these early Latter-day Saints later migrated to Ohio in 1833.
In December 1905, a 100-ton, 38-foot granite monument--one foot for each year of his life--was dedicated to commemorate the centennial of Joseph Smith's birth. During the Christmas season, lights adorn the monument's surroundings. About 70,000 visitors, including those at Christmas, come to the site annually.