The Pioneer Living History Museum is located at 3901 W. Pioneer Road in
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
. The museum, also known as Pioneer Village, has 30 historic original and reconstructed buildings from the 1880s and early 1900s on its 90-acre property.
History
In 1956, a group of Arizona history enthusiasts became concerned about the razing and demolition of historical buildings in the state Arizona as a result of new construction by land developers. This group formed the "Pioneer Arizona Foundation, Inc. Among the notable founders of the foundation were former Governor
Paul Fannin
Paul Jones Fannin (January 29, 1907January 13, 2002) was an American businessman and politician. A Republican, he served as a U.S. Senator from Arizona from 1965 to 1977. He previously served as the 11th governor of Arizona from 1959 to 1965.
Ear ...
, Senator
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and United States Air Force officer who was a five-term U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–1987) and the Republican Party nominee for presiden ...
, Senator
Carl Hayden
Carl Trumbull Hayden (October 2, 1877 – January 25, 1972) was an American politician. Representing Arizona in the United States Senate from 1927 to 1969, he was the first U.S. Senator to serve seven terms. Serving as the state's first Representa ...
, and
Wesley Bolin
Wesley Bolin (July 1, 1909 – March 4, 1978) was an American Democratic Party politician who served as the 15th governor of Arizona between 1977 and 1978. His five months in office mark the shortest term in office for any Arizona governor. Pri ...
.
The main goal of the foundation was to save some of the historical buildings that were built between the years 1870 and 1910. The members of the foundation believed that by saving these buildings and by creating an atmosphere of the era, future generations would benefit by learning about what the early pioneers of the west went through. The foundation purchased 90 acres of land in north Phoenix and the museum was inaugurated in February 15, 1969. Among the exhibits found in the museum is the Exhibit Hall Firearms, Tools, Locks & Keys.
In July 2010, the property where the museum is situated was put up in auction. Great Western Historical LLC outbid Phoenix in the state-land auction. According to one of the new owners, Eric Roles: "The state will not permit private lands, which the museum lands will become once the purchase transaction is closed, to serve water and wastewater from state leased lands." Therefore, the owners ordered the closure of the museum. The city purchased the land and a water line to the museum site was built and the museum was able to continue its operations.
Buildings and structures
There are 10 original historical buildings and structures including the structures of a ranch complex and a farm. The museum also has 15 reconstructed buildings and/or structures.
Historic original
The original structures are the following:
![Phoenix-Pioneer Living History Museum-Main Entrance](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Phoenix-Pioneer_Living_History_Museum-Main_Entrance.jpg)
* The Sears House a.k.a. the Victorian House which was built in the early 1890s on an acre homestead in Phoenix by John Marion Sears. It was originally located in 4032 N. 7th Street.
* The Ashurst Cabin which was built in 1878 near Prescott. This was the boyhood home of Senator
Henry Fountain Ashurst
Henry Fountain Ashurst (September 13, 1874 – May 31, 1962) was an American Democratic politician and one of the first two Senators from Arizona. Largely self-educated, he served as a district attorney and member of the Arizona Territorial le ...
, the first Arizona senator following statehood. Ashurst served in the senate from 1912 to 1942. The family cooked their food in the fireplace, however during the summer they did their cooking outside over a campfire. The family lived in the cabin until 1893.
* The Phoenix Bakery building which was built in 1881 and was originally located at 7 West Washington Street in Phoenix. Edward Elsele and Alfred Becker owned the bakery. In 1910, the bakery became the first one in the territory to try out a horseless carriage to deliver their products. In 1929, their sons decided to go wholesale and renamed their product
Holsum.
* The Flying “V” Cabin which was built in 1880 and was located in Canyon Creek, Young, Arizona. The cabin has notched gun ports which were used on July 17, 1882, during the
Battle of Big Dry Wash, the last Apache War in that area. John D. Tewksbury Sr., of
Pleasant Valley War
The Pleasant Valley War, sometimes called the Tonto Basin Feud, or Tonto Basin War, or Tewksbury-Graham Feud, was a range war fought in Pleasant Valley, Arizona in the years 1882–1892. The conflict involved two feuding families, the Grahams an ...
fame lived here with his two wives and children.
![As in a Looking-Glass 1887](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/As_in_a_Looking-Glass_1887.jpg)
* The Gordon School which was built in 1885 in Gordon Canyon which is located east of Payson, Arizona. The school was used to teach the citizens of the area until 1930.
* The Meritt Farm House which was built in 1910 on 100 acres which John and Emma Meritt purchased in Phoenix.
* The Northern Home which was built in 1885 in Newman Canyon close to Flagstaff, Arizona. The house once belonged to Jeff Newman who lived there with his family.
* The Opera House which was built in the early 1870s in Prescott by James Howey. In 1876, the Goldwater family established their first store there. Howey sold the building to Levi Bashford who in 1882, added a stage and converted the place into an opera house.
John Drew Jr.
John Drew Jr. (November 13, 1853 – July 9, 1927), commonly known as John Drew during his life, was an American stage actor noted for his roles in Shakespearean comedy, society drama, and light comedies. He was the eldest son of John Drew S ...
and
Lillie Langtry
Emilie Charlotte, Lady de Bathe (née Le Breton, formerly Langtry; 13 October 1853 – 12 February 1929), known as Lillie (or Lily) Langtry and nicknamed "The Jersey Lily", was a British socialite, stage actress and producer.
Born on the isl ...
performed in the opera house. The building ceased as an opera house in 1899.
* The Teacherage Cabin which was built in 1890 in Pleasant Valley, Payson, Arizona. This was a small cabin which served as a home and incentive for the local teacher.
* The Ranch Complex which was built in 1870 and was located at Gordon Canyon in Payson, Arizona.
Historic reconstructed
The buildings and structures which were authentically reconstructed are the following:
* The Bandstand is a reconstructed bandstand built in 1881 in
Globe, Arizona
Globe ( apw, Bésh Baa Gowąh "Place of Metal") is a city in Gila County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,249. The city is the county seat of Gila County. Globe was founded c. 1875 as a mining cam ...
.
* The Bank is a reconstructed Valley Bank built in 1884 which was located in Phoenix.
* The Blacksmith Shop is the reconstructed Middleton & Pascoe's blacksmith shop which was built c. 1870 in the town of Globe.
![Pioneer Village SW02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Pioneer_Village_SW02.jpg)
* The Carpenter Shop is a reconstructed shop which serviced Prescott in 1880.
* The Community Church is the reconstruction of the St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church which was built in 1880 in the town of Globe.
![Pioneer Village SW03](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Pioneer_Village_SW03.jpg)
* The Dress Shop is what a ready made clothing shop looked like in Phoenix in 1890.
* The Mercantile is a reconstructed 1890s store which now serves as the museums gift shop.
* The Miner's Cabin is a replica of the type of cabin in the mountains of
Clifton
Clifton may refer to:
People
*Clifton (surname)
*Clifton (given name)
Places
Australia
* Clifton, Queensland, a town
**Shire of Clifton
*Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong
*Clifton, Western Australia
Canada
*Clifton, Nova Scotia ...
which a miner and his family would live in.
* The Print Shop is a reconstructed 1890s Phoenix printing shop.
* The Sheriff's Office is a reconstructed adobe building which was built in 1881 in the town of Globe.
* The Southern House is a reconstructed typical "Anglo" house built in 1858 in
Tucson
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
, image_map =
, mapsize = 260px
, map_caption = Interactive map ...
which is located in southern Arizona.
* The Stage Stop is an exact reconstructed duplicate of the Darrell Duppa Stage Station which served the old Phoenix to Wickenburg road from 1871 to 1873. It was operated by
Phillip Darrell Duppa
Phillip Darrell Duppa (October 9, 1832 – January 30, 1892) was a pioneer in the settlement of Arizona prior to its statehood.
Life
Duppa, who called himself Lord Darrell Duppa, was born in Paris, France, in 1832. He attended Cambridge Universit ...
, the pioneer credited with giving Phoenix its name.
* The Smith and Dodd's Tonsorial Parler is the reconstruction of a territorial barber shop.
* The Town Ditch is a replica of the type of ditch which was used in the towns founded by the early pioneers. The water carried by the ditches was used for drinking, cooking, washing, etc.
Fort Woods is a replica what a fort looked liked in the west in the 1860s. The first structures built were replicas of those found in Fort McDowell. After other structures were added to the fort, it was decided that the fort be named after Sergeant
Brent Woods
Brent Woods (1855 – March 31, 1906) was an African American Buffalo Soldier in the United States Army and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Indian Wars of the western United Stat ...
, a Buffalo Soldier of company B, 9th Cavalry who was awarded the
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
.
The Town Cemetery is a replica of a common pioneer cemetery. The graves at the time were covered with rocks with the intention of keeping wild animals away. This particular cemetery serves as a memorial to honor some of the volunteers who helped build the museum and who are now deceased. Their names and date of death are craved on the headstones.
Town Cemetery
/ref>
Gallery of the original historic buildings
See also
* List of historic properties in Phoenix, Arizona
This is a list, which includes photographic galleries, of some of the remaining historic structures and monuments, of historic significance, in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. Included are photographs of properties identified by the African, Asia ...
* Cave Creek Museum
The Cave Creek Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit entity at the base of the Black Mountains in the town of Cave Creek in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The museum preserves artifacts of the prehistory and objects related to the culture of ...
* Children's Museum in Phoenix
* Pioneer and Military Memorial Park
The Pioneer and Military Memorial Park is the official name given to seven historic cemeteries in Phoenix, Arizona. The cemeteries were founded in 1884 in what was known as "Block 32". On February 1, 2007, "Block 32" was renamed Pioneer and Milita ...
* Martin Auto Museum
The Martin Auto Museum is a privately owned non-profit automobile museum located in Glendale, Arizona. The museum is dedicated to the preservation of collectible automobiles for educational purposes. Admission is a free for children 5 and under, c ...
* Phoenix Police Museum
The Phoenix Police Museum is located on 2nd Ave & Jefferson Street, on the 1st floor of the Historic Phoenix City Hall. The museum highlights the history of the Phoenix Police Department from 1881, when Henry Garfias, was elected the first city ma ...
* Wells Fargo Museum
* List of museums in Arizona
This list of museums in Arizona encompasses museums which are defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scien ...
*
* List of historic properties in Goldfield, Arizona
This article catalogs the historic properties in the mining town of Goldfield, Arizona. The town was originally known as Goldfield, later renamed to Youngberg and again named Goldfield by the current owners. The list below highlights a photogra ...
References
External links
Pioneer Living History Museum
{{Coord, 33, 49, 9.4074, N, 112, 08, 39.141, W, display=title, type:landmark
1969 establishments in Arizona
Museums in Phoenix, Arizona
Living museums in Arizona
Museums established in 1969
Ghost towns in Arizona
Cemeteries in Arizona
Blacksmith shops