Nauvoo, Ill. Emotions, both spiritual and personal, will envelop William Cunningham on Thursday.

The Rogersville resident a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will celebrate as church leaders dedicate the reconstructed Nauvoo Temple, one of the most historically significant structures in the LDS culture.

But he will also feel connected to his ancestors: His family first joined the church six generations ago in the early 1840s in Nauvoo, participating in the old temple. His family was driven out of this lush hamlet on the banks of the Mississippi by fear, mob violence and the death of church founder Joseph Smith.

"I don't know how to describe (the feeling)," he said, noting his recent visit to tour the building. "You know that the people there during that time worked so hard and with such sacrifice to finish that so that they could be sealed (joined for eternity) to their families. And they knew they had to leave. They knew they'd have to abandon it, and yet they worked night and day to finish it.

"And most of them never saw it again."

On the 158th anniversary of the death of Smith, the church, commonly known as the Mormons, will dedicate the temple, originally begun in 1841. First completed in 1846, it was used for a short time before church members known as Saints fled. The building was decimated by an arsonist in 1848 and finished off by a tornado in 1850.

The temple had been open to all for tours from May through Saturday. The hundreds of thousands who have flocked to it were an economic boon for the community and surrounding areas such as Keokuk, Iowa; Quincy, Ill.; and even Hannibal.

"We have one tour company from Utah that is bringing 75 buses," said Faye Bleigh, director of the Hannibal Visitors & Convention Bureau, which advertised in Utah after learning of the temple plans. "After they visit Nauvoo they are coming to us."

Mormons came to Nauvoo after having a tough time in Missouri in the 1830s. Originally settled in the Independence area near Kansas City, they fled the state after Gov. Lilburn W. Boggs signed an order permitting members to be killed if they didn't leave.

The church prospered in Nauvoo. Smith became mayor and construction of the temple began. But it was short-lived. Imprisoned on treason charges in Carthage, Ill., Smith was killed June 27, 1844, by a mob. Members completed the temple by February 1846, and were able to perform rites known as endowments and ordinances there for a short period before a majority of them left, eventually settling in what is now Salt Lake City.

In 1999, LDS church president Gordon B. Hinckley announced the Nauvoo Temple would be re-created as close to original specifications as possible. Builders used stained glass from Europe made the same way since the 1700s rugs woven on circa-1840 looms and solid wood floors.

"It was quite inspiring," said Russell Jones, 27, a roofer and student in Springfield who toured the temple. "Not only the history, but the craftsmanship as well."

Some concessions were made: smoke detectors, computer wiring, electric lights and infrared beams that broadcast lessons in more than 70 languages. But remaining as true as possible to the first design has added to the affinity church members have for the building and solidified a bond between them and early pioneers.

"Walking up the steps, it just grabbed my heart when it said 'commenced in 1841,'" said Marilynn Barnes of Springfield, who toured the temple with her husband. "It was such a powerful reminder. This is all the hopes and dreams of these people. It was such an emotional moment."

The open house ended Saturday with more than 300,000 visitors from all 50 states and more than 40 countries touring the temple in six weeks, said Marilyn Snow, spokeswoman for the LDS Church in Nauvoo.

While there, many visited the community where Smith and others lived. Many buildings have been restored by the church and the Community of Christ, which operates the Joseph Smith Historic Center.

During the temple open house, the center was "getting 4,000 to 5,000 people a day," said Joyce Shireman, site coordinator for the center. "Typically, we get 500 to 1,000."

Once dedicated, the temple with be open only to Mormons with church approval. Due to the overwhelming demand, the church will broadcast the dedication to its buildings all over the world.

Rogersville's Cunningham, 50, will attend. And he will remember Ute Perkins. The Revolutionary War veteran was the first of Cunningham's family to join the church. He was sealed to his family in the old temple. And he is buried in Nauvoo. Perkins' son, Absalom, eventually joined the exodus to Utah.

"I was telling my kids, 'We have a history here,'" said Cunningham.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.