Sharlot Hall Museum

The Sharlot Hall Museum is an open-air museum and heritage site located in Prescott, Arizona. Opened in 1928 by Sharlot M. Hall as the Gubernatorial Mansion Museum, the museum that now bears her name is dedicated to preserving the history and culture of the Central Highlands of Arizona.

Sharlot Hall Museum
Established1928
LocationPrescott, Arizona
Coordinates34°32′30″N 112°28′25″W
TypeLiving history
DirectorLisa Hayes
Website
Old Governor's Mansion
Sharlot Hall Museum is located in Arizona
Sharlot Hall Museum
Sharlot Hall Museum is located in the United States
Sharlot Hall Museum
Location400 block of W. Gurley, Prescott, Arizona
Coordinates34°32′29″N 112°28′23″W
Area1.5 acres (0.61 ha).
Built1864
NRHP reference No.71000121[1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 10, 1971

Overview

The museum grounds comprises almost four acres and includes 11 exhibit buildings, six of which are historic. This includes the Governor's Mansion built at its site in 1864 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Several historic buildings and structures were moved to the property, and include:

  • Fort Misery (the oldest log cabin in Arizona, built in 1864, moved to this property in 1934),
  • Frémont House (built in 1875, home of 5th Territorial governor John C. Frémont, moved to the museum in 1971),
  • Bashford House (built in 1877 and was the Victorian home of businessman William Bashford).

Additional historic buildings built on-site include the Sharlot Hall Building (stone exhibit building built during the Depression as a CWA project) and the nearby Ranch House.

Additional exhibit buildings include the Lawler Exhibit Center, built in the 1970s which houses the museum's pre-history exhibit; the Transportation Building, built in 1937 and houses the museum's rolling stock; and the School House, built as a replica to the first school house built in Prescott in 1868.

Sharlot Hall Museum also has a Library and Archives, located across the street at 115 S. McCormick Street. It provides full-service research opportunities through its vast collections of rare books and special holdings of original documents, photographs, maps, and oral histories.

History

Old Governor's Mansion

The Old Governor's Mansion was built in 1864 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.[1]

It was built at a cost of $6,000 by contractors were Blair, Hatz, and Raible, who reportedly underestimated the cost of transporting building materials and lost $1,500 on the contract.[2]

In front of the mansion are roses, of French "Boursault" type, descended from 1865 planting by Margaret McCormick, wife of the 2nd governor of the Arizona Territory (see photo including informational plaque).

  • Descendants of Margaret McCormick's roses
    Descendants of Margaret McCormick's roses

Images

Images of some historic structures and exhibits in the Sharlot Hall Museum:

Sharlot Hall Museum
Old Governor's Mansion on the museum grounds
  • Inside the "Old Governor's Mansion"
    Inside the "Old Governor's Mansion"
  • Inside another room of the "Old Governor's Mansion"
    Inside another room of the "Old Governor's Mansion"
  • Inside the "Old Governor's Mansion"
    Inside the "Old Governor's Mansion"
  • The William C. Bashford House
    The William C. Bashford House
  • Inside the Bashford House
    Inside the Bashford House
  • The Bashford House staircase.
    The Bashford House staircase.
  • The John Charles Frémont House
    The John Charles Frémont House
  • Fort Misery Log Cabin
    Fort Misery Log Cabin
  • Inside the Fort Misery Log Cabin
    Inside the Fort Misery Log Cabin
  • Different room in the Fort Misery Log Cabin
    Different room in the Fort Misery Log Cabin
  • The Ranch House
    The Ranch House
  • Inside the Ranch House
    Inside the Ranch House
  • The Transportation Building
    The Transportation Building
  • Exhibits inside the Transportation Building
    Exhibits inside the Transportation Building
  • A 1937 Columbia Ordinary Bicycle on exhibit.
    A 1937 Columbia Ordinary Bicycle on exhibit.
  • Sharlot Hall's 1927 Durant Star Touring Car on exhibit.
    Sharlot Hall's 1927 Durant Star Touring Car on exhibit.
  • The Iron Turbine Windmill.
    The Iron Turbine Windmill.
  • The Sharlot M. Hall building which also served as her residence
    The Sharlot M. Hall building which also served as her residence
  • Replica of Prescott's first 1872 community schoolhouse.
    Replica of Prescott's first 1872 community schoolhouse.
  • Inside the replica of Prescott's first community schoolhouse.
    Inside the replica of Prescott's first community schoolhouse.

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. Robert Fink (April 14, 1971). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: "Old Governor's Mansion" / "Old Capitol" and Grounds / Gubernatorial Mansion". National Park Service. Retrieved February 9, 2019. With accompanying five photos from 1969 to 1971
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