The state of Vermont holds a special place in church history, not just because Joseph Smith Jr. was born in Sharon, Vermont, but because the first Sacrament Program factory was built in Burlington, Vermont in early 1870. Alfred Rosewater Peabody Sherman III built the factory there expecting to make a large profit buying cheap paper from the East coast, printing Sacrament Programs, and shipping them to Utah via the recently finished Transcontinental Railroad. Unfortunately for ARPS (as his friends called him), he had trouble securing space on the railroad given the high demand for transcontinental shipping.

In June of 1871 he purchased insurance on the factory, and in early July it was destroyed in a mysterious explosion. ARPS was a professional Sacrament Program Wrangler, so it is implausible that he didn’t understand the dangers of shredding Sacrament Programs to make confetti, despite testifying under oath that he didn’t know they were extremely flammable. He was found not guilty of arson and insurance fraud, but was found guilty of gross negligence and reckless endangerment. He spent 3 years in SSSSS (Saratoga Springs Sacrament Sinners Slammer), a special high security prison near Saratoga Springs, New York for people who don’t treat Sacrament Programs with the requisite respect.