Joseph Smith tarred and feathered at Hiram, Ohio
- When
- 1832
- Where
- Hiram, Ohio
- Episodes
- 1
On March 24, 1832, a mob in Hiram, Ohio, dragged Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon from their beds, beat them, and tarred and feathered them. The attack occurred amidst tensions following Smith's 1831 move west to build a communal Zion. Historian Todd Compton suggests the mob may have felt Smith committed sexual impropriety, noting they brought a doctor for a potential castration attempt.
Episodes
Background and detail
The Assault. On March 24, 1832, a mob dragged Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon from their beds. The group beat them badly before tarred and feathering them. The violence was severe, with historical speculation suggesting the attackers had planned the operation in advance, including bringing a doctor to perform a castration attempt, which indicates the mob believed Smith had committed a sexual impropriety.
People involved
- Joseph Smith · Mormon leader
- Sidney Rigdon · Church leader
Sources
- Joseph Smith Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-29
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.