Church doctrine says Joseph Smith translated most of the Book of Mormon there; busloads of visitors have little else to see
OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, Pa.—When Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon and received a series of religious revelations here, he stayed in this northeast Pennsylvania township for three years.
Thus far this summer, though, the busloads of Mormons descending on this rural area are sticking around for only a few hours.
That is a source of frustration in the faded community of less than 600 residents along the Susquehanna River, which largely missed out on the fracking boom that lifted other parts of the state. Things aren’t much better a mile away in Susquehanna Depot, where the main street has struggled since the Erie Railroad began shutting its train-repair operations starting in the 1950s.
Local officials hope the Mormons bring some salvation. The pilgrims are coming to visit a newly restored site that pays homage to Mr. Smith, who founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. According to church doctrine, Mr. Smith translated most of the Book of Mormon here between 1827 and 1830 and received a visit from John the Baptist.
The site, which includes a large visitor center and a re-creation of Mr. Smith’s home, is expected to draw Mormons from around the world. Once they get here, though, there is not much else to see or do.
The Main Street Cafe has nine tables and only recently extended its weekend hours to 8 p.m. The biggest local attraction is the Penn-Can Speedway, where semipro stock-car drivers race on Friday nights. The nearest lodging is a 50-room motel in a shopping center about 5 miles away.
“We need motels, we need restaurants, we need gas stations in the area, but so far there has been nothing,” said Robert Templeton, planning director of Susquehanna County.
Paul Sanders, his wife, Jessica, and their five daughters didn’t leave anything to chance when they stopped last month as part of a visit to several Mormon sites on the East Coast. “We just brought a picnic because we didn’t know if there was anything around,” said Ms. Sanders, who lives in Logan, Utah.
Susquehanna Depot Mayor Nancy Hurley has her eye on Palmyra, N.Y., a town about 160 miles away that is the birthplace of the Mormon Church. Palmyra has enjoyed an economic boom since the church restored a site about 20 years ago where the Book of Mormon was first published. Some 40,000 people visit the town of 3,500 each July to watch a re-creation of Mormon events in the Hill Cumorah Pageant—a spectacle that starred Donny Osmond in 1997.
Patrick Mason, the Howard W. Hunter chair of Mormon studies at Claremont Graduate University in California, said the restored site in Oakland Township should be a big draw for Mormons and the area can benefit if it chooses new projects carefully. “The site won’t help the local taverns [since Mormons avoid alcohol], but hamburger and ice cream places will do well—Mormons love ice cream,” said Mr. Mason, a Mormon.
That fondness for frozen treats isn’t enough to convince Jane Frye, who owns an ice cream stand a mile down the road from the site. While she will happily scoop more cones for tourists, she has turned down suggestions from church members that she clear an area for tour buses to park.
She also fears that local customers might be turned off by long lines of visitors. “We can only cook three orders of fries at a time,” she said.
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