Joseph hid the golden plates in many places , but here's a few... He hid them in the floorboards , a barrel of beans , and a hollowed log. There was a mob once when he hid them in the floorboards , the mob looked everywhere but couldn't find them. Another mob looked for them when they where in the barrel of beans. They checked everywhere in the floorboards and even in the barrel of beans , but couldn't find them. Joseph couldn't tell anyone where the plates were. Not even his wife Emma.