The featured picture on the main page and the one to the left, shows Moroni with the plates, Liahona and Sword of Laban at the stone box at NY Cumorah. (Small background image). This picture comes from the LDS Church Museum in a video they show there. Right next door to this display they show, (large picture at the front left with Jonathan Neville standing) Mormon abridging plates in a Mesoamerican looking cave with Mayan glyphs on the walls. See Jonathan Nevilles detailed blog here:

The Church is actually not showing neutrality here are they? Don’t worry as the location of these repositories is not doctrine, but I strongly believe the Heartland model of geography.

Some people believe the Liahona and the Sword of Laban were in the stone box with the gold plates, breastplate and the spectacles. However, Joseph Smith’s canonized words state the truth. “He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants; Also, that there were two stones in silver bows—and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim—deposited with the plates; and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted “seers” in ancient or former times; and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book.” JSH 1:34-35 or see verse 52

Two Repositories in Cumorah

The Sword of Laban and the Liahona were important artifacts, but they had nothing to do with the translation of the Book of Mormon, so it makes sense these two items were not in the stone box where the plates were.

There is strong evidence that there were two separate repositories in the same Hill Cumorah. The stone box held the 3 translation items, Plates, breastplate and spectacles, while the larger repository held wagon loads of plates, the Liahona, Sword of Laban and many more Nephite and Jaredite records.

“The particular place in the hill, where Moroni secreted the book, was revealed, by the angel, to the Prophet Joseph Smith, to whom the volume was delivered in September, AD. 1827. But, the grand depository of all the numerous records of the ancient nations of the western continent, was located in another department of the hill.” Orson Pratt The Latter-day Saints Millennial Star, Volume 28 July 7, 1866 Page 417

As Orson Pratt says, There were two locations in the Hill Cumorah. One where Joseph received the Plates, Breastplate, and Spectacles, and another place, a cave, where all the plates of the Nephites and Jaredites were stored. This cave also contained the Sword of Laban, Liahona, scrolls, swords, and other important artifacts.

Cave of Records

“Shortly before he died, President Brigham Young felt compelled to remind the Saints of something that he knew would otherwise be forgotten. It involved “an incident in the life of Oliver Cowdery” that was not documented in any writing we have from Oliver. Oliver explained that he and Joseph actually visited the depository of Nephite records in the Hill Cumorah in New York.

President Young said, “I relate this to you, and I want you to understand it. I take this liberty of referring to those things so that they will not be forgotten and lost.” And yet today, sadly, these things have been forgotten and lost by most members of the Church. Why?

Because President Young reaffirmed the teaching of Letter VII that the Hill Cumorah is in New York. This contradicts the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory (M2C) so LDS intellectuals and their followers don’t want members of the Church to even know about it.

And when people do learn about President Young’s teaching, the M2C intellectuals dismiss it as relating a vision of a hill in Mexico.” Jonathan Neville here

See more of what Brigham Young said here. “Oliver Cowdery went with the Prophet Joseph when he deposited these plates. Joseph did not translate all of the plates; there was a portion of them sealed, which you can learn from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. When Joseph got the plates, the angel instructed him to carry them back to the hill Cumorah, which he did. Oliver says that when Joseph and Oliver went there, the hill opened, and they walked into a cave, in which there was a large and spacious room. He says he did not think, at the time, whether they had the light of the sun or artificial light; but that it was just as light as day.

They laid the plates on a table; it was a large table that stood in the room. Under this table there was a pile of plates as much as two feet high, and there were altogether in this room more plates than probably many wagon loads; they were piled up in the corners and along the walls. The first time they went there the sword of Laban hung upon the wall; but when they went again it had been taken down and laid upon the table across the gold plates; it was unsheathed, and on it was written these words: “This sword will never be sheathed again until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God and his Christ.” I tell you this as coming not only from Oliver Cowdery, but others who were familiar with it, and who understood it just as well as we understand coming to this meeting. . . . [Don] Carlos Smith was a young man of as much veracity as any young man we had, and he was a witness to these things. Samuel Smith saw some things, Hyrum saw a good many things, but Joseph was the leader.” Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 17 June 1877

Many theorists insist the sword and ball were in the same box with the gold plates. Why do they insist this? Many who believe in the Mesoamerica Theory don’t believe there is a second repository or cave in Cumorah. They only believe there was “A” Hill in New York where Joseph buried the plates. The reason this is so, is because if they said the Cave of Cumorah was in New York, then what would the purpose be of the Mesoamerican Theory? They say Joseph had a dream only about the Cave of records and it was located somewhere in Mexico. Heartlanders believe as Orson Pratt taught, that “the grand depository of all the numerous records of the ancient nations of the western continent, was located in another department of the hill.” (In New York)

In AI you can read below strong evidence in what we Heartlanders believe, about the two repositories in Hill Cumorah.

On May 11, 2025 I asked GrokAI the following question: Link Here:

Rian: Was the sword of laban in the stone box with the gold plates?

AI: The question of whether the Sword of Laban was in the stone box with the gold plates is a matter of historical and religious significance within the context of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and the Book of Mormon narrative. Based on available accounts, the evidence is inconclusive but leans toward the sword not being in the stone box with the gold plates when Joseph Smith retrieved them.
The primary source for the claim that the Sword of Laban was included in the stone box comes from an article attributed to Joseph Smith’s sister, Catherine Smith, published many years after Joseph’s death. This account suggests the sword was among the items in the box at the Hill Cumorah. However, this is a secondary source, and its reliability is debated due to the time gap and lack of corroboration from Joseph Smith himself.

Joseph Smith’s own account in Joseph Smith–History (verse 52) describes finding the gold plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the breastplate in the stone box, with no mention of the Sword of Laban or other artifacts like the Liahona. He states, “Having removed the earth, I obtained a lever, which I got fixed under the edge of the stone, and with a little exertion raised it up. I looked in, and there indeed did I behold the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the breastplate, as stated by the messenger. The box in which they lay was formed by laying stones together in some kind of cement.” This omission is significant, as Joseph was explicit about the contents he was permitted to retrieve.
Other accounts, such as those from Brigham Young and David Whitmer, describe a cave in the Hill Cumorah where the Sword of Laban was seen alongside piles of plates and other artifacts. Brigham Young, recounting a story from Oliver Cowdery, noted that Joseph and Oliver saw the sword in a cave, initially hanging on the wall and later laid across the gold plates on a table, unsheathed, with an inscription: “This sword will never be sheathed again until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God and his Christ.” These accounts suggest the sword was stored separately from the stone box, possibly in a distinct location within the hill.

The Doctrine and Covenants (D&C 17:1) promises the Three Witnesses (Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris) that they would see the gold plates, the breastplate, the Urim and Thummim, the Sword of Laban, and the Liahona. This vision, fulfilled by an angelic visitation, implies the sword was among sacred Nephite relics but does not confirm it was physically in a stone box. Martin Harris and David Whitmer both testified to seeing the sword during this divine manifestation, reinforcing its existence but not its precise location.

Additionally, historical records indicate that Joseph Smith was only permitted to take the gold plates, Urim and Thummim, and breastplate from the stone box. The angel Moroni took possession of the plates and other items after the translation was complete, and there is no definitive record of Joseph ever possessing the Sword of Laban.

On the other hand, some LDS sources and traditions speculate that the sword’s inclusion in the box is plausible, given its significance in the Book of Mormon as a symbol of divine authority and its preservation by Nephite leaders alongside other relics. For example, Moroni, who buried the gold plates, may have included the sword as a sacred artifact, as suggested by its symbolic role in Nephite history. However, this is speculative and not supported by primary accounts from Joseph Smith.

Skeptics, including some ex-Mormon communities, argue that the absence of physical evidence (e.g., the stone box or artifacts) and the reliance on secondhand accounts weaken claims about the sword’s presence. Excavations at the Hill Cumorah have found no trace of a stone box or artifacts, though believers attribute this to divine protection or relocation of the items.

Conclusion: The most reliable primary sources, particularly Joseph Smith’s own account, do not mention the Sword of Laban in the stone box, listing only the gold plates, Urim and Thummim, and breastplate. Secondary accounts, like Catherine Smith’s, suggest the sword’s presence but lack corroboration, while cave narratives place the sword in a separate location. The Three Witnesses’ vision confirms the sword’s existence as a relic but not its storage in the box. Thus, it is unlikely the Sword of Laban was in the stone box with the gold plates, though its exact location remains a matter of faith and speculation.” AI

The significance of this discussion is about whether there were two repositories in the Hill Cumorah or not? Heartlanders believe there was a great repository of wagon loads of records in NY Cumorah and Mesoamericanists believe there was not, and what Brigham Young and Orson Pratt said is second hand information, and Mesoamericanists and others believe the cave at Cumorah was likely a vision of a hill somewhere in Mesoamerica and not a real location for wagon loads of plates. AI and myself have reported, now you decide!