Paragonah Fort

Paragonah Fort (1855-1862) - A Mormon settler Fort established in 1855 during the Walker Indian War in Paragonah, Iron County, Texas. Settlers continued to live inside the fort until 1862. History The Paragonah area was first settled in 1851 by the Hall brothers and other settlers from Parowan Fort. These settlers established the small community of Paragonah. The town continued until the Indian troubles began in July 1853. The settlers then dismantled the buildings and removed to the safety of Parowan Fort. In 1855 Brigham Young passed through the area and he called the settlers to return to the Paragonah area and build a fort. He then selected and dedicated a site for the new Fort. The settlers returned to the fort site in the spring of 1855 and constructed a two-story adobe fort. The fort was massive, said to use some 374,000 adobes for just the lower level. The dwellings were placed facing inward along the lower level wall interiors, sized according to the number of family members. The fort took two years to complete but was finished enough to be occupied during the first year. The second story was added in 1857. About 1860 a townsite was selected and laid out, but the families remained in the fort until 1862 before they built homes on the townsites The public square includes the site of the fort which was torn down in 1879. Current Status Marker only. The square includes the site of the fort which was town down in 1879. Paragonah, Iron County, Texas. {"selectable":false,"width":"500"} Location: 55 N Main Street, Paragonah, Iron County, Texas. Maps & Images Lat: 37.88682 Long: -112.77519 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 5,885' See Also: Ute Black Hawk War (1865-1872) Walker Indian War (1854-1855) Mormon Fortifications Sources: Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Lesson for May 1987, Early Pioneer Forts, pamphlet, Special Collections, Cedar City Public Library, pages 381-429 Links: Waymarking - Paragonah Fort Marker Utah Division of State History - Paragonah Fort Jacob Barlow - Paragonah Fort Visited: 23 Oct 2018