Palmyra in Wayne County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Martin Harris Farm

This farm’s most plentiful harvest was a book.

Photographed by Susan A. Dalaba, August 22, 2025

1. Martin Harris Farm Marker

Inscription.
In the 1820s, a man named Martin Harris ran a successful farm in this area. Martin shocked family members and friends in August 1829 when he mortgaged a large portion of his property, including the land that surrounds you now, to pay for the publication of the Book of Mormon. He had a deep conviction that the book was true and that his friend Joseph Smith had translated it by the gift and power of God.

Martin’s donation amount noted to $3,000 - a lot of money in 1829. Thanks to Martin’s generosity, Egbert B. Grandin agreed to print 5,000 copies of the book at his shop in Palmyra. The first copies were available there by March 26, 1830. Since then, millions of copies have been printed throughout the world. The Book of Mormon, with its testimony of Jesus Christ was this farm’s most plentiful harvest.

The architectural style of the home currently on this property featuring smooth stones from Lake Ontario, is unique to this region. The home was built in 1849 on the foundation of the home that once belonged to Martin and Lucy Harris. The original home had burned down earlier that year.

( photo caption )
Martin Harris

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was born on May 18, 1783, in Easton, New York. His family moved to this area in 1793. He became a landowner soon after serving in the War of 1812. In 1829, he was one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon. An angel showed him the gold plates from which the book was translated. He died on July 10, 1875, in Clarkston, Utah.

In the map above, the boundary of Martin Harris’s mortgaged farm is superimposed on the modern landscape.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1829.

Location. 43° 5.026′ N, 77° 14.407′ W. Marker is in Palmyra, New York, in Wayne County. It is on Maple Avenue south of Division Street, on the right when traveling south. Located near the pavilion. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2095 Maple Avenue, Palmyra NY 14522, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York,

specifically in Western New York,

in the Finger Lakes,

and in the Rochester Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American Northeast

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it

Martin Harris Farm image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Susan A. Dalaba, August 22, 2025

2. Martin Harris Farm

is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

New Netherland,

and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Lake Stone House (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Martin Harris Farm (within shouting distance of this marker); Palmer Homestead (approx. 0.8 miles away); First Church (approx. 1.3 miles away); First School House (approx. 1.4 miles away); Palmyra - Macedon Lions Club War Memorial (approx. 1.4 miles away); Palmyra - Macedon Vietnam Veterans Memorial (approx. 1.4 miles away); The Founders of Palmyra (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Palmyra.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Martin Harris Farm (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing).

Also see . . . Martin Harris (Latter Day Saints) (Wikipedia). (Submitted on September 20, 2025, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.)

Photographed by Susan A. Dalaba, August 22, 2025

3. Martin Harris Farm

Photographed by Susan A. Dalaba, August 22, 2025

4. Martin Harris Farm Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on September 20, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 14, 2025, by Susan A. Dalaba of Cortland, New York. This page has been viewed 71 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 14, 2025, by Susan A. Dalaba of Cortland, New York. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.