Haun’s Mill

In 1838, the settlement of Haun’s Mill was the site of one of the worst massacres in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Jacob Hawn, the owner of the mill was counseled by Joseph Smith to bring the settlers to Far West for safety from mob and state sponsored violence. Either deliberately misrepresented, or garbled through misunderstanding, that counsel never reached the settlers at the Mill. On October 30, 240 men from the state militia attacked the mill a few days after Gov. Lilburn W. Boggs issued his famous extermination order. One captain of the militia stated he specifically received orders from Gov. Boggs concerning the attack, other historians claim the attack came before the extermination order was published and the militia attacked solely because of the hatred of Mormons in the region.

Women and children fled into the woods as the militia approached, the men gathered at the blacksmith shop where they were massacred. Surviving men and even children were butchered and mutilated in the aftermath. ”Nits will make lice, and if he had lived he would have become a Mormon”. After the massacre, women were assaulted, the town was plundered and the surviving families left destitute.