By Jamie Jonkman
KBYU is bringing to life the history of the Nauvoo Temple through a new documentary.
The award-winning team of Lee Groberg and Heidi Swinton, who produced “American Prophet” and “Trail of Hope,” have come together again to produce “Sacred Stone: The Temple at Nauvoo.”
“The rebuilding of the Nauvoo Temple is an acknowledgement that this is sacred ground and has been since it was first dedicated,” Swinton said.
This documentary is a tribute to the dedication and devotion of the saints who built the original temple under incredibly difficult conditions, Swinton said.
The documentary tells the story of the Nauvoo Temple, its eventual destruction, rebuilding and dedication.
“This is the first time the building of a Latter-day Saint temple has been documented to this extent,” said Nicole Martin, a publicist at Covenant Communications, the publishing company for the documentary.
To accurately tell the story, Swinton scoured hundreds of journals and recollections of early Nauvoo residents, read the significant newspapers from that period and visited Nauvoo numerous times to feel of its history, Martin said.
Groberg conducted dozens of interviews with noted scholars and church historians.
“I chose those people who had the expertise I needed to flesh out the story,” Groberg said. “As a result, we have both LDS and non-LDS scholars who weave the fascinating fabric of temple worship and religion.”
“Sacred Stone” is third in a trilogy from PBS, which includes “American Prophet: The Story of Joseph Smith,” and “Trail of Hope: The Story of the Mormon Trail.”
Diena Simmons, program services manager for BYU broadcast services said she has no doubt about the success of this documentary.
“Lee is a very talented producer and filmmaker,” Simmons said. “We are excited to work with him on this and all his future projects.”
The documentary, “Sacred Stone,” is set to air on PBS stations this fall. It is accompanied by a book that is already in stores.
