The Hill Cumorah Legacy Project

Items

• Interview with Darren and Sue Mathews, Sunday, April 10, 2022
  Alex Haurie and Ethan Herbst conduct a joint interview with Darren and Sue Mathews. Darren is a veteran of the U.S. Navy. Sue was born in the Philippines and was adopted by her uncle, who was in the Air Force. The couple lived in Utah for many years before relocating to the greater Rochester area. Sue discusses her experiences in the Primary Presidency of the Hill Cumorah Pageant, while Darren discusses his experience as a prop master. Particular attention is given to Darren and his daughter Jenna’s work on an Ark of the Covenant prop.
• Interview with Chris & Heidi Bjorling, Friday, March 18, 2022
  Chris and Heidi Bjorling are former staff members of the Hill Cumorah Pageant, with Chris having experience as head of security and president of the Pageant, and Heidi contributing to the choir and costume design and makeup. In this interview, they discuss how they originally became involved in the Pageant, what some of their roles and responsibilities were, what challenges they faced, any interesting or funny stories they recall of the Pageant, and their reactions to learning about the Pageant being discontinued by the LDS Church. They also discuss how the Pageant influenced their relationships with their family, coworkers, faith, and lives overall.
• Interview with Bryan Bywater, Thursday, March 24, 2022
  The transcript of the interview with former Hill Cumorah Pageant prop master Bryan Bywater. AJ Wells, Izzy Voegels, and Randall Weber interview Bryan about his thoughts, experiences, and memories as the Hill Cumorah prop master. The interview goes into detail about how some of the Hill Cumorah Pageant props were made, used, replaced, and organized for the Pageant. Touching on Bryan’s experiences, the interview also goes into detail on the effort it took to make and maintain Pageant props, as well as the creative process that produced those props. Bryan discusses his background in the Church as well. This 26-minute interview shows a piece of the lasting legacy that the Hill Cumorah Pageant left behind.
• Interview with Jerry Argetsinger, Monday, March 14, 2022
  Jerry Argetsinger was a longtime theater professor at RIT who joined the Hill Cumorah Pageant directing team in 1988, when the “New Pageant” was introduced, and he later directed the Pageant from 1990 to 1997. Argetsinger is a longtime friend of Orson Scott Card, who wrote the new script in 1988. During this interview, Argetsinger discusses the process of casting individuals through divine inspiration, bringing Hollywood-quality special effects to the Pageant, developing relationships with the Pageant’s non-LDS neighbors, and creating religious entertainment that would appeal to LDS and non-LDS audiences alike. Argetsinger argues that the 1990s Pageant triumphed because it was accessible, professional-grade theater. In his opinion, the Pageant declined in quality during the 2000s, when he felt it shifted to being an event primarily for LDS audiences. Argetsinger regrets the ending of the Pageant, but he expresses a strong appreciation for the experience.
• Interview with Gail Argetsinger, Monday, March 14, 2022
  Prof. Gail Argetsinger recounts her experiences designing costumes for the Hill Cumorah Pageant from the late 1970s to 1997. She first joined the Pageant administration when Jack Sederholm replaced Harold Hansen as director. Argetsinger designed new costumes, and what was intended to be a brief assignment continued for years, including after the 1988 launch of the “New Pageant.” Topics discussed in the interview include the logistics of Pageant costume design and construction, Argetsinger’s belief that the Pageant had run its course, Argetsinger’s disappointment that the costumes she made were later altered, and her testimony that miracles occurred during the Pageant.
• Interview with Amanda Lonsberry, Tuesday, April 5, 2022
  During this interview with Amanda Lonsberry, she described her position as the public affairs director for the Hill Cumorah Pageant held at Palmyra, New York. As the public affairs director, she was in charge of advertisement and the overall outside communications with members of the Church and the community. Lonsberry detailed her responsibilities relating to management of the media and press, as well as the weight of these obligations. She also spoke about the LDS concept of “callings.” Lonsberry stated that her time with the Pageant was not only fulfilling for her in her faith, but also for her children. She stated that participating and aiding in the Pageant strengthened their relationship with the Church and created many bonds that she and her children will hold for the rest of their lives.
• Interview with Aaron Zsembery, Wednesday, March 23, 2022
  Digital History student Caitlin Quinn interviews Aaron Zsembery on his history with the Hill Cumorah Pageant. The first question asked is how Aaron came to be a Mormon. The remainder of the questions are focused on Aaron’s past involvement in the Hill Cumorah Pageant and his feelings about the Pageant coming to an end. His responses reveal the particulars of being the tent master of the Pageant, how his family was affected by the Pageant and the effects it had on the surrounding area, the role children played in the Pageant, the connections he made with others throughout his years of involvement, the complexities of the dispersal of the Pageant in 2021, and what the dispersal of the Pageant means for him going forward.
• Hill Cumorah Pageant Script 1980
  The Spring Script for the 1980 Hill Cumorah Pageant. There was a relatively new Pageant director, Jack Sederholm, at that time. Sederholm edited the script and continued to do so each year of his tenure (1978 through 1985). A handwritten notecard by Jerry Argetsinger is also included. Document Notes: Original script by H. Wayne Driggs; current script edited by Jack Sederholm. Digital Preservation Note: Optical character recognition (OCR) was used to make the PDF text-searchable, but the scan is not perfect, and it does not capture the script's handwritten notes.Copyright Note: After consulting with the LDS Church History Department about the script's copyright/intellectual property status, we determined that the PDF of the script cannot be made public here as of October 2022. For those interested in consulting the script, please see the following collection at the Church History Department in Salt Lake City.Argetsinger, Gerald Scott, 1946-. Gerald and Gail Argetsinger collection on the Hill Cumorah Pageant, circa 1930-2000. https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/record/78ed0e52-d180-46f1-9fcb-8f10ba47c34f/0?view=summary.
• Caroline Horbyn's Drawing of the Angel Moroni Statue at Hill Cumorah
  A paper print of a statue of the Angel Moroni on top of a tall pedestal. Clouds and foliage are depicted in the background. The piece originated from an area at the Pageant not owned by the LDS Church that sold souvenirs. The work is framed.
• Lamanite Warrior Headdress
  The headpiece of a Lamanite Warrior costume set. It is a leather skullcap with some animal fur covering it and has two antlers affixed on top. In addition to this are leather weavings along the animal fur and leather strips hanging down its sides. The artifact itself is accompanied by a picture displaying Pageant actors who are wearing the full Lamanite Warrior costume set.
• Prolog: A Tribute to The Founding Fathers
  This play script, produced by Brent Hanson for the Hill Cumorah Pageant in 1976, was a one-time-use prologue created to celebrate the bicentennial of the United States of America. In this prologue, the national anthem is played and actors portraying the Founding Fathers of the United States are introduced as they recite the dialogue contained in the script. The dialogue praises 200 years of sovereignty for the United States and celebrates the United States’s long history with religious freedom. Being a production by the Church of Jesus Christ of The Latter-day Saints, the dialogue additionally celebrates the discovery of the North American continent, which is important to the Mormon religion. A handwritten notecard by Jerry Argetsinger is also included. Note: Optical character recognition (OCR) was used to make the PDF text-searchable, but the scan is not perfect, and it does not capture the script's handwritten notes.
• Speaking Notes from the 1995 Hill Cumorah Pageant by Jerry Argetsinger
  As was a tradition, there would be a speech given to the cast on the opening night once everyone arrived. These are the notes from the speech that Jerry Argetsinger gave to the cast of the 1995 Hill Cumorah Pageant. Argetsinger welcomed the cast and explained how the Pageant will be run in the coming days, as well as show how the pageant has touched the lives of 12 people. He explained the way it changed their lives and their relationship with God.
• King Benjamin Crown
  The crown was worn by King Benjamin in the old Pageant (1969–1987) play. King Benjamin was a character who asked for repentance for the actions. Benjamin's crown was made in 1977 by Gail Argetsinger, who made many of the other costumes in the collection. The crown is very worn, with threads sticking out and beads yellowing, showing its use. It has a large golden fabric braid that goes around the bottom edge. The majority of the crown is made up of intricate beading. The background of the beading is a lush dark purple fabric. On top of the braid in the middle of the hat are hundreds of beads intersecting and weaving through different paths to mimic a king's crown. The beads used are long, small, big (almost like a diamond), yellow circular, and fake pearl beads. The beads' designs make flowers and leaves that go around the full length of the hat. There is a non-braided, straight, large golden fabric that goes around the top brim of the hat. In a dome is a rich red fabric that makes up the top of the hat. It still feels soft and smooth today. In the center on top of the hat is a small donut-shaped golden fabric piece.
• Lamanite Priest Cape
  A colorful cape of green, blue, and yellow macramé cord. Designed to appear like a feather cape from a distance, this cape was originally created for the Lamanite priest in the old Pageant. It was since repurposed for the new Pageant as loot in the "Spoils of War" scene.
• Lamanite Dancer Cape
  This cape was word during the ceremonial battle dances by the Lamanites to emphasize the intent for war. The Lamanite Dancer cape is made out of a rough, rope-like fabric. The colors vary, including black, blue, green, white, orange, and gold. There is a golden eagle located on the middle back area, and gold strings go horizontally through the blue and green-colored areas around the cape. The orange ball-like pieces and white split ends toward the bottom of the cape are to give the audience a vision of feathers from a distance. The colors blue and green on the cape were to add contrast to the “blur” effect for viewers at a distance. The front of the cape was open so the actor could put it on easily.
• Lamanite Princess Headdress (White Feathers)
  This headdress has gold beading designs (in a rounded shape and a line shape), with a black velvet half cap. The beading on the front is in a zigzag pattern, continues to the back, and is secured with a strap around the back of the head. There are white feathers with gold ribbon detailing, which is displayed as a half circle surrounding the head to represent a white or gold aura or halo effect, often seen in depictions of religious figures or people of royalty. There is a bird detail at the top of the front of the head which is made with a half-sheer soft black body with a gold background, silver thread detailing, a woven gold beak with shimmery red eyes and tongue, and silver leather curled feathers.
• Nephi the Disciple
  Costume for the role of Nephi the Disciple in the 1988 opening of the new Pageant. The top tunic is a soft turquoise fabric with a less smooth black and bronze pattern encased by a black and white pattern that can be found on the front collar of the piece. Along the back collar of the top, there is a marking stating "3rd Ne." The kilt is a soft caramel fabric with another similar pattern. The cape has a more elaborate pattern using the same colors in the previous patterns. The headpiece is a soft royal blue with suede loops.
• Hill Cumorah Devotional Speech by Jerry Argetsinger
  This document includes notes on a speech and the speech itself as written by Jerry Argetsinger on 8.5'' x 11'' college-ruled loose-leaf paper. The total document consists of 8 single-sided pages. The paper is written in pencil, along with black and blue ink. The blue ink largely contains annotations on the material, most likely written at a later date. The speech recounts the spiritual impact of the Hill Cumorah Pageant and encourages those involved on the benefits of the production. When consulted on the document in February 2022, Argetsinger recounted the impact of international converts in the Pageant, in particular, that of the portrayal of the Virgin Mary by a Japanese woman.
• Lamanite Crowd Costume #4
  Lamanite Crowd Costume (Red): Made for a Lamanite civilian, used in background of scenes with Lamanites. Consists of a hat and cloak, mostly red and gold with silver trim. The cloak has faux-fur trim and macrame feathers. The headpiece depicts a heavily stylized coyote, with highly reflective materials used throughout.
• Prop Master Kyle Mattson's Prop Photo Album
  This is the photo album of Kyle Mattson, who was the prop master of the 1995 Hill Cumorah Pageant. It consists of 41 images of various props, including, but not limited to, flags, weapons, furniture, and animal replicas. This was used to keep track of the props that were used in that year of the pageant. Each individual prop did not have a date attached, which means that not every prop was necessarily made for the 1995 production, but they were all used in that production. These props would have been used in the Orson Scott Card version of the pageant, which was first staged in 1988. All pages that included images are attached in the order that they appeared, but blank pages were excluded.
• Lamanite Priest Headdress
  A headdress with blue/black feathers towards the front and green towards the back. There's an emblem on the front that resembles a sunrise, and circular ear flaps hanging down from either side. Behind the feathers, there's a cone sticking out with braided macrame coming out of it, intended to flow down the back of the wearer. The front and rim are adorned with a shiny gold material. The feathers were likely replaced several times throughout the headdress's life, as opposed to the braided macrame, which was made to look like feathers from a distance, but was easier to clean and reuse. The Lamanites were one of the two warring tribes in the Book of Mormon, typically considered the "bad guys."
• America's Witness for Christ: Script of the First Hill Cumorah Pageant, 1937 [Copy B]
  This entry is a printed paper copy of the 1937 Script of the Hill Cumorah Pageant. The title reads, “America’s Witness for Christ,” and the subtitle is “A Pageant in Six Episodes Prepared from the Stick of Joseph Known to the world as THE BOOK OF MORMON.” A handwritten note, "Corrected Copy June 16, 1937," appears above the title. The script is written by H. Wayne Driggs, and it is the original script for the Hill Cumorah Pageant, which was performed from 1937–2019 in Palmyra, New York. The script is annotated with pen markings that change stage direction or change some lines entirely. Some annotations change who the speaker of certain lines is, and other markings appear to get rid of certain monologues. The document is 20 pages, printed on single-sided photocopy paper. The typeface appears to be a Courier-style serif font and is black text on white paper. On the top of the first page of the document, the date June 16, 1937, is written, which dates this to be one month and 7 days before the first production, which was on July 23, 1937. Digital Preservation Note: Optical character recognition (OCR) was used to make the PDF text-searchable, but the scan is not perfect, and it does not capture the script's handwritten notes.Copyright Note: After consulting with the LDS Church History Department about the script's copyright/intellectual property status, we determined that the PDF of the script cannot be made public here as of October 2022. For those interested in consulting the script, please see the following collection at the Church History Department in Salt Lake City.Argetsinger, Gerald Scott, 1946-. Gerald and Gail Argetsinger collection on the Hill Cumorah Pageant, circa 1930-2000. https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/record/78ed0e52-d180-46f1-9fcb-8f10ba47c34f/0?view=summary.
• Nephite Leather Headdress
  The Nephite leather headdress is made of worn brown leather with side ear straps and includes a light brown suede neck flap. The silver and gold decals along with the gold trim around the edges give a shine while performing on stage. This headdress was created for the new Pageant opening in 1988. Headdress such as these were to be worn by the Nephites, followers of Nephi, while engaging in battle with the Lamanites, the followers of Laman. These two groups loathed on another due to the hatred and betrayal of Nephi by his two brothers Laman and Lemuel. Both the Nephites and Lamanites continued to war against each other for centuries.
• Postcards
  Throughout the Hill Cumorah Pageant’s history, the only items produced and sold for the public to buy as souvenirs were postcards, each year adhering to a specific theme. These postcards feature notable locations in the history of The Church of the Latter Day Saints, themed as “Historic Mormon Country.” These locations include the Joseph Smith home, the Hill Cumorah Visitors’ Center, the E. B. Grandin Building, the Peter Whitmer home and reconstructed log home, the Martin Harris farm, the Fayette Chapel and Whitmer Farm visitor’s center, the Angel Moroni Monument, the Sacred Grove, and the Hill Cumorah itself. Each postcard features a glossy photo front with a descriptive caption on the back.
• America's Witness for Christ: Script of the 1937 Hill Cumorah Pageant [Copy A]
  This item is a paper photocopy of the 1937 Script of the Hill Cumorah Pageant titled "America's Witness for Christ," written by H. Wayne Driggs. The original script was typewritten and heavily annotated for sounds and music direction. This includes which records to play during each part of the Pageant and timing for other sound effects. The records are noted as belonging to "Victor" for music records and "Gennett" for sound effects records. It is not recorded who annotated the script. The script is 24 pages long on single sided pages. The photocopy is in good condition, with some minor wear on the edges and no noticeable tears. Digital Preservation Note: Optical character recognition (OCR) was used to make the PDF text-searchable, but the scan is not perfect, and it does not capture the script's handwritten notes. Copyright Note: After consulting with the LDS Church History Department about the script's copyright/intellectual property status, we determined that the PDF of the script cannot be made public here as of October 2022. For those interested in consulting the script, please see the following collection at the Church History Department in Salt Lake City. Argetsinger, Gerald Scott, 1946-. Gerald and Gail Argetsinger collection on the Hill Cumorah Pageant, circa 1930-2000. https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/record/78ed0e52-d180-46f1-9fcb-8f10ba47c34f/0?view=summary.