Richmond Fort
Reason for a Fort
Some of the settlers in 1860 believed that Richmond was not a great place to build a home, so they moved far from each other, spreading out their homes. When Brigham Young visited Richmond, he commanded the settlers to build a fort to protect themselves from Native American attacks. This was one of the main reasons why he commanded them to build a fort. The other is to build friendships with one another. Having men, women, and children from different parts of the world can isolate or alienate one group or culture. George M. Thomson said about the fort, "... we became, as families, very closely associated and each helped the other in sickness and in health. ... The close associations they had together in those days were almost as one family."2
The Construction of Richmond Fort
After the sermon by Brigham Young, settlers started construction immediately for their new fort. The fort was constructed heading east to west, as was the slope of the mountainside they resided, the easiest way for water to travel to the fort; and was the highest point to view the rest of the valley in case of Native American attacks. The fort had two rows of houses with a break in the middle for a road to enter heading north to south, in and out of the city that was two rods (33ft) in depth. Each plot of land had a home facing inward the fort with a garden and yard. On the outside of the fort were fences for cattle, horses, and other animals. The inside of the fort had a courtyard for people to mingle, walk, ride, and perform other activities. A small stream of water ran on opposite sides of the courtyard to water plants and horses.1
Richmond Fort Today
Today, Main Street is what remains of Richmond Fort, and still serves as the city's main road as it did 150+ years ago. In Oct of 1936, the Daughters of Utah Pioneers erected a marker and plaque dedicated to the fort. The marker sits in the southwest corner of where the fort was located, exactly were Beason Lewis's lot was located.
Richmond Fort Members
South Side
B. Lewis - The Beason Lewis Family
Jessie Hobson - The Hobson Family
Henry Standage - The Standage Family
Robert Lewis - The Neriah Lewis Families
W. C. Lewis - The William C. Lewis Family
C. Whittle - Unknown
G. Whittle - Unknown
Thomas Whittle - The Whittle Families
WM. Harris - William Harris Family
A. Harris - Alexander Harris Family
A. Walton Pool - The Walton Family
Joseph Biddlecome - The Biddlecome Family
Peter Tidwell - The Peter Tidwell Family
V. Tidwell - The Tidwell Family
D. P. Rainey - The Rainey Family
Arch Keer - The Archibald Kerr Family
Marian Kerr - The Robert Kerr Family
John Bair - The Bair Family
J. Anderson - The Andersen Family
W. Thompson - The Thompson Family
Geo. Thompson - Unknown
C. W. Funk - The Funk Family
G. Hogan - The Hogan Families
C. Christensen - The Christensen Family
A. Romerell - The Roberell Family
E. Nash - The Nash Family
Ephriam Nash - The Nash Family
Albert Marsh - The Marsh Family
Cash. Lilly - The Lilly Family
Menjar Family
Enoch Daniels - The Enoch Daniels Family
Richard Prater
C. Hyar - The Hyer Family
W. H. Stanley - The Standley Families
M. W. Merrill - The Merrill Family
Edwin Pace - The Pace Family
John R. McDaniel - John Daniel
William Allen - Unknown
Jobe Barlow - The Barlow Family
John Winn - The Winn Families
Joseph Bright - The Bright Families
Gilbert Bright - The Bright Families
John Wiser - The Wiser Family
John Telford - The Telford Family
Jesse Walker - The Walker Family
Wm. McCarrey - The McCarrey Family
Isaac Smith - The Smith Families
M Hoops - The Hoops Family
Chas. R. Lincoln - The Lincoln Family
North Side
W.H. Lewis - William Hendricks Lewis Family
Thos. Petty - The Petty Families
S. Pond - The Pond Family
W. T. Van Noy - The Van Noy Family
Samuel Roskelley - The Roskelley Family
Jos. S. Hendricks - Joseph Smith Hendricks Family
W. D. Hendricks - William D. Hendricks Family
Jas. Hendricks - James Hendricks Family
Jas. Davenport - The Davenport Families
W. Henderson - Unknown
A. Cooper - Agrippa Cooper Family
W. J. Cooper - Vinson J. W. Cooper Family
S. D. Allen - Unknown
Alma Winn - Alma Winn Family
M. Winn - Unknown
Burnham Family - The Burnham Families
M. P. Fifield - The Fifield Family
McCarthy - The McCarthy Family
Henry Gibson - The Gibson Family
Enoch Dayley - Enoch Dayley Family
James Dayley - James Dayley Family
John W. Brown - Unknown
John Cole - Unknown
M. Cole - The Cole Families
John Ash - The Ash Family
Henry Tuttle - Unknown
Walter E. Gardner - Unknown
Justin Shepherd - The Shephard Families
Hyrum Pew - The Pew Families
Justin Shepherd - The Shephard Families
Isaac Shepherd - The Shephard Families
John Richardson - The Richardson Families
Frank Orvins - Unknown
Hyrum Bowman - The Bowman Families
A. F. Stewart - The Stewart Family
M. F. Bell - The Bell Family
Wm. F. Darling - The Darling Family
Wm. H. Wright - The Wright Family
John Albiston - The Albiston Family
Thomas F. Jeffs - The Jeffs Family
Chas. Kerson - Unknown
Stephen H. Goddard - Unknown
Lars R. Jensen - Unknown
John Hibbert - The Hibbert Family
East End
John Hibbert - The Hibbert Family
John Robinson - The Robinson Family
Homer Griffiths - Unknown
Richard - Unknown
Joseph Dobson - The Dobson-Bee Family
John Crosher - The Croshaw Family
Chas R. Lewis - Unknown
"Pictured from left to right are [Martha Ann Kingsbury], [Margaret W. Thomson], and [Harriet B. Skidmore] at the dedication of the [DUP] Monument in the Richmond Park on October 30, 1936. The Rocks on the monument were some that had been used in the construction of the old rock school in the 1870's and later in the foundation of the Red Brick School."
Cheri Housley, Marie Lundgreen, Kathy Jones. (2001). Images of America: Richmond. Arcadia Publishing. pg 31
Sources
Bair, Amos W. (1976). History of Richmond, Utah. The Richmond Bicentennial Committee. pgs 12-13
Willie, Mary Diana Beach. (Year made Unknown) George Jorgen Andersen, Uploaded to FamilySearch.org by Valarie M. Rich, March 15, 2020. https://www.familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/102589751?p=48591182&returnLabel=George%20Jorgen%20Andersen%20(KWCH-ZH2)&returnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.familysearch.org%2Ftree%2Fperson%2Fmemories%2FKWCH-ZH2
Map:
Creator Unknown. (Year made Unknown) Map of Richmond Fort, Uploaded to FamilySearch.org by LauraElzbthRskllyMrbl, Aug 3, 2021. https://www.familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/130525648?p=40003556&returnLabel=Samuel%20Roskelley%20(KWZ4-RQQ)&returnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.familysearch.org%2Ftree%2Fperson%2Fmemories%2FKWZ4-RQQ
Richmond, Utah Fort Layout, Daughters of Utah Pioneers; MendonUtah.Net, Rodney J. Sorensen, 1997. https://www.mendonutah.net/images/richmond_fort.jpg