The Kington Fort – Morrisite War Site

Utah fought a small, strange war here in June 1862. Joseph Morris, an excommunicated convert who declared himself a prophet, had gathered hundreds of followers at the abandoned Kington Fort to await the Second Coming — crops unplanted, dissenters held prisoner. When the Morrisites ignored court writs, a territorial posse arrived with cannon. The opening shots killed two women inside the fort; on the third day Morris and several followers died during the surrender. The governor pardoned the convicted survivors, the sect scattered west, and a monument in a quiet South Weber neighborhood now marks the spot.

What the plaque says

This monument was placed here to commemorate a three day, little known battle that occurred 13, 14 and 15 June 1862 The Kington (Kingston) Fort, a 645 foot by 645 foot enclosure was built on this site in 1853 to protect the early settlers from possible Indian attacks. Since there were no Indian problems in South Weber, the fort was deserted in 1858. In early 1862 the fort was taken over by Joseph Morris, an excommunicated member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, who had founded a church commonly known as the Morrisites. At one time the Morrisite fort population exceeded 200 men, women and children. In June 1862 three men, who no longer believed in Morris' teachings, attempted to leave the fort. They were captured by a Morrisite posse and forcefully returned to the fort. Responding to a report by observers of this action, the sheriff and a small posse approached the fort with the intention of taking the men for a formal hearing on the charges of which they were accused. The request was denied and further attempts were blocked. As a result, acting governor Frank Fuller ordered a militia under the command of Robert T. Burton to proceed to the fort. Even this large, heavily armed group failed to free the imprisoned men. A cannon ball fired to the fort killed two women and seriously wounded a teenage girl. As the army assaulted the fort and breached the gates, two militiamen were killed. In the ensuing confusion, Morris, his second in command, John Banks and two more women were killed. In all, eleven people died. After the death of their leaders, the Morrisites scattered, with most going to Soda Springs, Idaho. Others settled in Carson City, Nevada and Deer Lodge, Montana A few other members were rebaptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and remained in South Weber.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Hill Aerospace Museum — 2.1 mi
  Over 90 military aircraft displayed indoors and on the tarmac
• Ogden Union Station — 5.3 mi
  A grand 1924 train depot turned museum complex
• Snowbasin — 7.5 mi
  One of the country's oldest ski areas and a 2002 Olympic downhill venue — world-class terrain that somehow still skis uncrowded.
• Lagoon Amusement Park — 12 mi
  A beloved family amusement park operating since 1886

More markers nearby

• Settlement of South Weber — 1.6 mi
• The First Hundred Years... — 3.3 mi
• First Post Office in Roy — 4.0 mi
• Clinton — 4.5 mi