One street South Weber
An 1853 settlers' fort, a pioneer cemetery, and the memorial that marks them
Old Fort Road, the fort site at South Weber's west end
Old Fort Road runs along the west end of South Weber, and it carries the town's founding history in plain sight. This is the ground where Kington Fort stood from 1853, the Historic Pioneer Cemetery, a stone memorial raised in 2006, and, a little further along, an equestrian ground and a dog park. It is a street to walk slowly rather than an attraction to tick off, and it holds more of this town's early record than the whole of the main road does.
By Scott Buehler, Moving Utah
Updated October 2026
The short answer
Old Fort Road is a short residential street at the far west end of South Weber, and it is named for a real fort. Kington Fort, an enclosure built here in 1853 so early settlers could shelter inside it, once stood on this ground. Nothing of the fort is left, but the street around its site now holds the Historic Pioneer Cemetery, a stone memorial raised in 2006, an equestrian ground called the Posse Grounds, and a dog park, all inside about a quarter of a mile. It is the oldest ground in the city and the best place to see South Weber's founding history in person. Treat it as a quiet history walk rather than a signposted attraction.
The fort
The pioneer fort the street is named for
The street is called Old Fort Road because a fort stood on it. Kington Fort, also written Kingston, was a square enclosure about 645 feet on a side, built on this ground in 1853 so the valley's early settlers could shelter inside it if they needed to. They did not, in the end. The danger it was built against never reached this part of the Weber Valley, and the fort was left empty by 1858. It was named for Thomas Kington, an early bishop of the South Weber Ward, and the two spellings of his surname are the reason the fort, the street and the memorial do not always read the same way.
Seven years after the fort emptied, in June 1862, it was the site of the Morrisite War. A religious community that had gathered around a leader named Joseph Morris had settled in the abandoned enclosure earlier that year, and a territorial posse came to the ground in an armed confrontation that historians have since studied at length. That is as far as this account goes. The events themselves belong to the people who have written the scholarship, and the honest thing to do on a page about the west end of a small city is to name the event, fix its date and place, and point you to them. The Utah State Historical Society, the Utah History Encyclopedia and a 1976 article in the Utah Historical Quarterly are where the story is told in full.
What stands on the ground today is a stone memorial, raised in 2006 by two pioneer heritage groups, the Daughters of Utah Pioneers and the Sons of Utah Pioneers. It sits at the corner of 475 East and Old Fort Road, near the Weber River, and it names both the fort and the 1862 event. If you read one thing on the street, read the marker.
The cemetery
A burial ground a canal closed, and a canal that still runs here
A short way south of the memorial, at 6855 South 475 East, is the Historic Pioneer Cemetery. It began as a private burial place on the Firth family's property and grew into the resting ground for some of the valley's first settlers. By the city's account, it was abandoned after 1927 for a plain and unusual reason: a nearby irrigation canal, the Weber and Davis Canal, raised the water table under the ground until burials could no longer continue there. The graves were closed by water rather than by any decision.
That canal is worth a second look if you are shopping the west end. A canal company with almost the same name, the Davis and Weber Counties Canal Company, still delivers irrigation water in South Weber today, and secondary water here comes from a handful of separate companies rather than from the city. Anyone weighing a lot at this end of town is wise to ask which company serves the address and where the ditch runs, because the same water that shaped this ground in the 1920s is still moving through it. The reason South Weber ended up on this side of the county line at all is on the 1855 split page.
The cemetery is still here, and it is now owned by the City of South Weber. It was cared for over the years by Scout and community service projects, restored by the U.S. Army Reserve between 1973 and 1975, and deeded to the city in the late 1970s by its former owner, Brent Winchester. The city keeps the lawns and the irrigation and leaves the upkeep of individual graves to families, which is why some plots look tended and some do not. That is the arrangement the city has chosen, not neglect.
Visiting
Walking the street, and what else is on it
From City Hall, head west on South Weber Drive to the far end of the city and turn onto Old Fort Road. The memorial and the cemetery sit at and just south of the 475 East corner. A little further along the street, at 675 and 691 East, are two facilities most small cities do not have side by side: the Posse Grounds, an equestrian ground with an arena, a paddock, a fire pit and restrooms, and the city dog park right next door. The picnic area at the Posse Grounds can be reserved through the city for a modest fee, higher for non residents, while the arena itself cannot be reserved at all. The dog park is a newer addition and carries no published hours.
Nothing here is signposted from the main road, so work off the addresses. On foot the whole street takes about forty minutes to walk end to end and read; if you only want the memorial and the cemetery, fifteen is plenty. It is a burial ground and an active horse facility, so walk the cemetery quietly and stay out of the paddock.
Directions to the Historic Pioneer Cemetery
Plan the visit
Before you go
A few things worth knowing first
- This is a burial ground and an active horse facility, not an attraction. Read the marker, walk the cemetery quietly, and stay well clear of the paddock.
- Grave upkeep at the cemetery is left to families, so plots vary from tended to overgrown. That is the city's arrangement, not neglect.
- The Posse arena cannot be reserved by anyone. The picnic area beside it can, booked through the city rather than online.
- For the history itself, go to the Utah State Historical Society or the Utah Historical Quarterly rather than any summary written for movers.
A west end address
What it means to live at this end of town
For anyone weighing a home at the west end of South Weber, Old Fort Road is worth an evening. It is quiet and short, and it puts two things within a block of each other that most small cities never manage together: an equestrian ground with a paddock and a fire pit, and a dog park. A household that wants either is unusually well served here, and would never learn it from a listing.
The one thing that could change the street is a trail. The city adopted a plan in 2008 for the Old Fort Trail, a paved path running along the south side of Interstate 84 from about 1200 East to the west end of town, with much of it to be built by the developers of nearby land. It singles out the 475 East crossing, the same corner the memorial stands on, as one that needs extra care for safety. As of 2026 that remains a plan on paper. A path that leans on development to get built moves at the speed of development, so treat it as an intention rather than a date. South Weber's other adopted trail, the gravel one down at the river, is covered on the Weber River trail page.
And it helps to picture the shape of the city. Old Fort Road sits at the low, western edge, near the river and near the oldest ground in town. Almost everything else, the schools, the activity center, City Hall and the newer subdivisions, lies east of here along the main street on ground that climbs toward the canyon. The west end park, Canyon Meadows Park, is about a quarter mile north. What a home at either end of that slope asks of a household is laid out on the South Weber city guide.
Scott Buehler
Moving Utah About Scott
Quick answers
Old Fort Road, answered
A short street at the west end of South Weber, named for Kington Fort, an enclosure built there in 1853 to protect early settlers. Today the street carries the ground where the fort stood, the Historic Pioneer Cemetery, a stone memorial raised in 2006, an equestrian ground called the Posse Grounds, and a dog park, all within about a quarter of a mile. It is a quiet residential street rather than a signposted attraction, and it holds more of the town's founding history than anywhere else in the city.
Yes. Kington Fort, also written Kingston, was a square enclosure about 645 feet on a side, built on what is now Old Fort Road in 1853 so early settlers could shelter inside it. It was left empty by 1858, once the danger it had been built against never reached this valley. The fort was named for Thomas Kington, an early bishop of the South Weber Ward, and the two spellings of his name are why the fort and the street do not always read the same way. Nothing of the fort itself stands today, and the site is marked instead by a memorial.
A stone monument marking the site of Kington Fort and the Morrisite War of June 1862. It was raised in 2006 by two pioneer heritage groups, the Daughters of Utah Pioneers and the Sons of Utah Pioneers, and it stands at the corner of 475 East and Old Fort Road, at the west end of the city near the Weber River. The memorial names the ground and the date, and the fuller history belongs to the historians who have written it.
An armed confrontation in June 1862 between a territorial posse and a religious community that had settled in the empty fort earlier that year. The full account belongs to the historians who have studied it. The Utah State Historical Society, the Utah History Encyclopedia and the Utah Historical Quarterly, which published a long article on it in 1976, are the places to read what happened. The memorial on Old Fort Road marks the ground and the date.
Yes, quietly. The Historic Pioneer Cemetery sits at 6855 South 475 East, on open ground at the west end of the city, and it is a burial ground rather than a park, so walk it with the respect you would give any cemetery. The city keeps the lawns and the irrigation and leaves the upkeep of individual graves to families, so some plots look tended and some do not. For a specific plot or burial record, the city recorder is the place to ask.
Water. By the city's account, the cemetery was abandoned after 1927 because a nearby irrigation canal, the Weber and Davis Canal, raised the water table under the ground until burials could no longer continue there. A canal company with almost the same name still delivers irrigation water in South Weber today, so anyone buying a lot at the west end is wise to ask which company serves it and where the ditch runs.
The City of South Weber. The ground began as a private burial place on the Firth property, was cared for over the years by Scout and community service projects, was restored by the U.S. Army Reserve from 1973 to 1975, and was deeded to the city in the late 1970s by its former owner, Brent Winchester. The city has maintained it since.
A small city facility at 675 East Old Fort Road with an arena and a paddock for horses, plus restrooms, picnic benches and a fire pit. The picnic area can be reserved through the city for a modest fee, higher for non residents, while the arena itself cannot be reserved at all. It is the only city ground in South Weber set up for horses, and it sits right next to the dog park at 691 East Old Fort Road. The origin of the name is not recorded, so it is best left as a name rather than a guess.
Not a built one. The city adopted a Trails Master Plan in 2008 that proposes a paved path, the Old Fort Trail, running along the south side of Interstate 84 from about 1200 East to the west end of the city, with much of it to be built by the developers of nearby land. The plan singles out the crossing at 475 East, the same corner the 1862 memorial stands on, as one that needs extra care for safety. As of 2026 the path remains a plan on paper rather than a trail on the ground.
One short street where South Weber's history is still on the ground
Old Fort Road rewards being walked rather than driven, and it is the best place in South Weber to stand on the town's oldest ground. If the west end of the city is on your list, the useful questions are about the canal that serves each lot, the trail alignment and how the ground drains, and every one of them is answerable before you make an offer. Tell me what you are weighing and I will connect you with a Davis County partner agent who can work through them with you.
Or call Scott: (435) 357-4345or send Scott a message
Keep going
Continue your South Weber research
Eight more doors into South Weber, chosen for what this page covers.
Questions about South Weber?
Call Scott, send a message, or find out what your South Weber home is worth. No pressure, no obligation.
Referral Disclosure: For moves outside Southern Utah, I can connect you with trusted local agents. If you choose to work with one, their brokerage pays my brokerage (Real Broker, LLC) a referral fee from their commission. This costs you nothing extra, and you are never obligated to use my referral.