The
Washington County Historical Society (WCHS) has gathered and archived on its
website thousands of historic records and photographs regarding people, places and things all pertaining to Utah's Dixie and encourages input from others to ensure the history is kept and preserved. The website’s history of the
Pioneer Courthouse is a good example of the Historical Society’s efforts.
The WCHS was deeply involved in raising funds to erect a statue in honor of
Juanita Brooks, a local historian and author. A community-wide event was held in St. George's Town Square in March 2022 to unveil the statute to several hundred members of the community, family, and friends. Juanita was employed as a teacher at Dixie College. She immersed herself in researching and documenting the history of southern Utah. She produced the first treatise on the difficult subject of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Artist Annette Everett designed the life-size statue. There is a beautiful quilt hanging in the courthouse that commemorates the efforts to reconcile the members of the Fancher family and descendants of early Utah residents.
WCHS is currently spearheading a project to gather histories from residents on the effects, implications, and impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Stories have been
submitted to the Society.
WCHS is responsible for the overall operations of the Pioneer Courthouse.
