Van Fleet Hotel

This building has married a lot of people into their honeymoons. Thomas and Electa Hunt put it up in the 1860s as a home, next to a Wells Fargo stage stop and the county courthouse on the old Salt Lake–Ogden road — a busy spot that soon made it a hotel. Hyrum VanFleet bought it in 1908 and, after a fire nearly took it in 1913, rebuilt it twice its size. Couples wed at the courthouse next door would spend their first night here, and it earned a fond nickname: the Honeymoon Hotel.

What the plaque says

Originally built by Thomas and Electa Hunt in the 1860s, the VanFleet Hotel was probably first used as a residence. Located next to a Wells Fargo stagecoach stop and county courthouse on what was once the highway connecting Salt Lake City and Ogden, it was at the center of commerce and government in the city and county. This location made the building well suited for a public function and it was apparently used as a hotel after the 1870s. Hyrum VanFleet purchased the hotel in 1908 during an era when the city was enjoying a period of wealth and expansion fostered by the Farmington Commercial Club. After a fire in January 1913 nearly destroyed the structure, VanFleet undertook a major renovation which resulted in the doubling of its size. The hotel became known as the "Honeymoon Hotel" because many couples who married in the courthouse would spend their honeymoon here. The VanFleet family lived in and operated the hotel for more than four decades until 1953 when they converted the building into apartment space. In 1995, after years of vacancy, the building was rehabilitated by Drs. P. Berrett Packer and Scott W. Corry for dental offices. Marker placed in 1995 Division of State History

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Lagoon Amusement Park — 0.6 mi
  A beloved family amusement park operating since 1886
• Hill Aerospace Museum — 10 mi
  Over 90 military aircraft displayed indoors and on the tarmac
• Ensign Peak — 13 mi
  A short hike to the spot where Brigham Young surveyed the valley
• Salt Lake City — 14 mi
  Utah's capital and largest city — where the Wasatch Range meets the Great Salt Lake.

More markers nearby

• Daniel C. Davis — steps away
• Civil War Cannon — steps away
• Pioneer Cabin — 0.3 mi
• Primary Organized & Farmington Meeting House — 0.3 mi