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Thomas L. Kane, although not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was nevertheless a courageous supporter of the Latter-day Saints. Kane first came into contact with the Mormons in May 1846 at a conference held in Philadelphia where he met Jesse C. Little who was trying to get support for the Saints' journey west.¹

Kane helped negotiate the enlistment of members of the Mormon Battalion and traveled to Utah as an unofficial negotiator to promote peace during the Utah War. He was a strong supporter for Utah Statehood. When Brigham Young passed away, he traveled to Utah to express his remorse and reaffirm his support to the Saints. ² He was a loyal friend of the Church until his death in 1883.³

In 1878, Kane built a Presbyterian chapel at the request of his aunt, Ann Gray Thomas. He expressed before his death that he would like to be buried between the stone entrances of the chapel. ⁴

The chapel was acquired by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1970 and restored. Two years later, a statue of Major General Kane was placed on the premises. The building currently serves as a meeting place for the local branch and contains a family history center in the basement.

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SOURCES

¹ Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 1-4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan, 1992), 780.

² Leonard J. Arrington, "'In Honorable Remembrance': Thomas L. Kane's Services to the Mormons," BYU Studies, Volume 21, Number 4, (Fall 1981), 395.

³ Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 779.

⁴ "In Honorable Remembrance', 400.