Washington County Historical Society hosts walking tour of historic downtown St. George

The historic Pioneer Courthouse in downtown St. George, Utah, June 2017 | File photo by Mike Cole, St. George News

ST. GEORGE The Washington County Historical Society will kick off the first of four upcoming downtown historic district walking tours with the Pioneer Courthouse block tour on Feb. 13.

The Pioneer Courthouse in historic downtown St. George, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Historical Society, St. George News

The free tour begins at the Pioneer Courthouse, located at 97 E. St. George Blvd., at 11 a.m. and will be led by longtime local resident and prominent physician Craig Booth. Participants are asked to wear walking shoes, a jacket for cool weather and a face mask for COVID-19 compliance.

Be prepared to learn unique pieces of history about various historic buildings along the tour. They include the Pioneer Courthouse, which was constructed in 1870 and served as the county’s main public facility until 1960.

Tour participants will also gain insights on the Pickett Lumber Building at 67 E. St. George Blvd., which was once used as a lumber yard, furniture business and carpentry shop in early St. George. Other attractions include M&S Turquoise, 41 and 53 E. St. George Blvd., which fills orders for wholesale jewelry gift shops and Milne Jewelry, 43 E. St. George Blvd., one of the oldest businesses still operating in St. George (since 1951).

The Silver Reef Saloon/Washington County News Building, 24 E. St. George Blvd., was originally a saloon in Silver Reef; the newspaper operated from 1900 to 1988. It was later used as a print shop by Classic Printing. The old JCPenney building, 5 E. St. George Blvd., was a major retail store that eventually expanded to include the Sprouse Reitz building. St. George Fire Station No. 2 (now Zion Brewery Station II), at 150 N. Main St., was constructed in 1918 and served as a fire station until about 2019. The Mary Ann Gardner House, 158 N. Main St., was the first ladies’ co-op founded by the house’s namesake.

The last building on the hour-long tour is the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum, built in 1938, which houses pioneer relics. The tour will end at the Pioneer Courthouse parking lot.

Succeeding tours of the downtown historic district will be held on March 13, April 10 and May 8.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!