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Tuesday's report

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Wednesday's report

More than a century and a half after the first one was destroyed, a new Nauvoo Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is about to open its doors to visitors.

Some of the first visitors will be the media. And, our Religion Specialist Carole Mikita is one of them.

She has details from Nauvoo.

The new temple sits on the exact site of the original one. It is a sacred building to leaders and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

It is a new landmark in the area, and for the immediate future, a tremendous tourist attraction.

Perhaps as many as 400,000 people will visit here in the next six weeks, some of them to remember their ancestors who built the original one.

On this bend in the Mississippi River in the mid-1800s sat the thriving community of Nauvoo, which is Hebrew for "Beautiful Place."

Religious persecution forced the Latter-day Saints to leave their homes, businesses and new temple, which was destroyed by fire and vandalism.

In the 1960s and '70s, a restoration committee, under the direction of church leaders, brought the historic community back to life. But it was April of 1999 when President Gordon B. Hinckley surprised conference-goers with the announcement that the Nauvoo Temple would be rebuilt.

Thousands were on hand for the groundbreaking, and President Hinckley spoke of a personal connection.

His grandfather was in Nauvoo as a young man. His father was mission president there in 1939 and wanted the temple rebuilt then.

Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley: "I COUNT IT SOMETHING OF A STRANGE AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE THAT I'VE HAD A PART IN THE DETERMINATION TO REBUILD THIS TEMPLE."

So many descendants of the original Nauvoo residents came for this ceremony and to later work on the new structure, starting with the new temple's architect from Salt Lake.

Roger Jackson/Nauvoo Temple architect: "MY GREAT-GREAT GRANDFATHER LIVED HERE IN NAUVOO AND WORKED IN THE QUARRY AND WORKED ON THE BUILDING AND HAD THE TEMPLE CEREMONIES FOR HIM. AND THEN HE WALKED AWAY AND LEFT."

Chris Frogley/Descendant of Hyrum Smith: "TO SEE THIS HAPPENING, IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE DREAMED ABOUT FOREVER AND NEVER THOUGHT WE'D LIVE TO SEE... SO THAT... THERE AREN'T WORDS TO DESCRIBE WHAT'S IN THE HEART."

Church leaders wanted this new temple to look like the original did in 1846. That was a challenge with modern building codes. But at each stage-- the cornerstone ceremony, the placement of the sunstones, and then the statue of the Angel Moroni-- the workers say there came a connection with the past.

"WE'RE VERY PROUD OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH, AND THE INCREDIBLE CRAFTSMANSHIP OF THE WORKERS HAS REALLY SHOWN THROUGH ON THE BUILDING."

The first tours take place Wednesday morning for members of the media.

Wednesday on Eyewitness News at Five, we'll show you the interior for the first time... the artwork, the furnishings, the woodwork-- all with historical significance.

Note: Transcripts for Wednesday's reports are unavailable. See video above.