Acts of God / Intervention

Martin Harris and Others Find Stone Box - Supernatural Force Prevents Opening

Published March 25, 2026 at 7:03 PM

1820s · 1828
Near Cumorah, New York (hill)
Todd Morgan

Contributed by

Todd Morgan

Beaumont, CA, 92223

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Martin Harris testified of a remarkable experience after Joseph received the golden plates. He recorded: 'Three of us took some tools and went to the hill to dig for more plates of gold. We found a stone box. We got quite excited and dug around it very carefully and just when we were ready to lift it up out of the hole, some unseen power slid it back into the hill. One of us tried to drive a crowbar through the lid to hold it, but the crowbar glanced off and the corner of the lid was chipped off. Sometime that box will be found and you will find one corner of the lid broken and you will know that I have spoken the truth.' This demonstrates divine protection of sacred records.

In Their Own Words

“He then turned himself as though he had no more to say; and we made ready to go. But he spoke again and said, "I will tell you a wonderful thing that happened after Joseph had found the plates. Three of us took some tools to go to the hill and for some more boxes, or gold or something, and indeed we found a stone box. We got quite excited about it and dug quite carefully around it, and we were ready to take it up, but behold by some unseen power, it slipped back into the hill. We stood there and looked at it, and one of us took a crowbar and tried to drive it through the lid to hold it, but it glanced and only broke one corner off of the box. Sometime that box will be found and you will find one corner of the lid broken and you will know that I have spoken the truth."”

— Martin Harris, as recorded by Ole A. Jensen

Sources & References

Testimony of Martin Harris (July 1875, Clarkston, Utah) Full first-person account: Ole A. Jensen interviews Martin Harris who reaffirms his experience as a BoM witness, Book of Mormon Online https://bookofmormon.online/history/1875-07-martin-harris

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