An archaeological hoax purporting to show Egyptian influence on Native Americans. The story of the Kinderhook Plates began in 1843, when a set of six brass plates were unearthed by amateur archaeologist Robert Wiley, a merchant in Kinderhook, Illinois. Each plate had a hole at the top through which an iron ring had been passed, binding the plates together. When the plates were cleaned, they revealed writing that resembled Egyptian hieroglyphics. The discovery became the subject of much discussion throughout the state, in large part because the Mormon movement was growing in Illinois. Smith claimed that the Book of Mormon, the group’s new scripture, had been translated by him from a “reformed” Egyptian text. The plates were shown to Joseph Smith in 1844, but he was assassinated before he could study them and offer an opinion.
The plates disappeared shortly afterward, and it was not until 1920 that one of them resurfaced. It was given to the Chicago Historical Society. In the meantime, however, the hoax had been exposed. In 1855, a letter revealed how Wiley had manufactured the plates with the help of two coconspirators, Wilbur Fugate and Bridge Whitton. Whitton, a blacksmith, cut out the original plates and Fulgate created the hieroglyphics in wax. The plates were etched with acid, artificially aged, and buried to be discovered later.