List of historic properties in Prescott, Arizona facts for kids

Quick facts for kids List of historic properties in Prescott, Arizona
City
Whiskey Row
Location of Prescott in Yavapai County, Arizona.

John Noble Goodwin, First Territorial Governor

First Lot Sold-June 7, 1864

First Prescott Courthouse, circa 1885

Palace Hotel window sign

Captain William "Buckey" O'Neill

Prescott, Arizona, is a city with a rich past. It was once the capital of the Arizona Territory! This article will take you on a tour of its most important historic buildings and monuments. You'll learn about the people who lived here and the events that shaped this special place.

Prescott is the main city in Yavapai County. In 1864, it became the capital of the Arizona Territory. Before that, the temporary capital was at Fort Whipple. The capital moved to Tucson in 1867, then back to Prescott in 1877. Finally, Phoenix became the capital in 1889.

This list includes photos of buildings in several historic areas. These include the Downtown Historic Preservation District (where "Whiskey Row" is), the Courthouse Plaza Historic District, the Fort Whipple-Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center Historic District, and the Sharlot Hall Museum.

Prescott's Past: A Quick Look

The first people known to live in the Prescott area were the Yavapai tribe. Their name means "People of the Sun." They were mostly hunter-gatherers, meaning they moved around to find food. They followed the seasons to gather plants and hunt animals.

In the mid-1800s, more people of European descent started moving into the Yavapai lands. This happened especially after gold was found in California in 1849. Settlers began to take over the Yavapai's hunting and farming areas. The Yavapai fought back, but many were killed.

Prescott officially started as a town in 1864. It was chosen as the new capital of Arizona Territory. Richard Cunningham McCormick, a territory secretary, suggested naming it after historian William H. Prescott. William H. Prescott wrote famous books about the conquest of Mexico and Peru.

John Noble Goodwin was appointed the first Territorial Governor by President Abraham Lincoln. He served from 1863 to 1865. On June 7, 1864, the very first piece of land in Prescott was sold. Today, the Prescott City Hall stands on a historical site.

Fort Whipple was an important military base. It was used by the U.S. Cavalry during the Indian Wars from 1864 to 1882. The fort was named after Lt. Amiel Whipple, who found gold fields nearby. This gold discovery caused conflicts, and Fort Whipple protected miners and settlers. After the American Civil War, the Yavapai were forced to live on reservations.

Prescott became an official city in 1872. It was also named the County Seat of Yavapai County. This meant it was the main city for the county's government.

Prescott was the Territorial Capital until 1889. The capital moved to Tucson for a few years (1867-1877) but then returned to Prescott. Finally, it moved to Phoenix in 1889.

Richard Cunningham McCormick also became Territorial Governor in 1866. Both he and Governor Goodwin lived in the Governor's Mansion. This mansion is now a historic building at the Sharlot Hall Museum.

By 1878, Prescott had a famous street called "Whiskey Row." It was known for its many saloons and gambling places. Fires damaged the street over the years. But the "Great Fire" on July 14, 1900, destroyed five city blocks. Most of Whiskey Row was lost.

After the fire, people saw it as a chance to rebuild. They replaced the old wooden buildings with stronger ones made of concrete, brick, and stone. By 1901, the area was rebuilt. Some original buildings still standing include the Hotel Palace, the D. Levy Mercantile Building, and the St. Michael Hotel. Whiskey Row remained a lively center for the town.

In 1888, William "Buckey" O'Neill was elected sheriff of Yavapai County. Later, he became Mayor of Prescott. In 1898, war broke out between the United States and Spain. O'Neill joined the Rough Riders and became a Captain. He was killed in action on July 1, 1898, during a battle.

By 1895, the Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railroad connected Prescott to other areas. This helped businesses grow. Communication also improved with electric lights in 1889 and telephones soon after. Even though the capital moved to Phoenix in 1889, Prescott continued to grow and thrive.

The copper-mining industry also helped Prescott grow in the early 1900s. This was especially true during World War I, when copper was in high demand. However, after the war, Prescott faced an economic downturn like the rest of the country.

Prescott Historical Society

Some buildings in Prescott are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This list recognizes places important to the nation's history. However, being on the list doesn't always protect a building from being torn down. For example, the Goldwater Mercantile Building was listed in 1978 but was demolished in 1978 and removed from the list in 1992.

Historic Centennial Tree

Historic Centennial Tree dedication

The Prescott Historical Society was started in 1964. Its job is to run the Sharlot Hall Museum and the old Governor's Mansion. The Society also keeps historical collections and shares them with the public. They help protect and preserve Prescott's history.

Prescott also has its own list of historic buildings called "The City of Prescott Register of Historic Places." This list helps protect and manage these special buildings. A building can be added to this list if it is already on the National or State Register. It can also be added if it has:

• Important history or culture.
• A unique architectural style or amazing craftsmanship.
• Visual beauty that adds to the neighborhood.

There are also some ancient ruins near Prescott from the Sinagua tribe. These ruins are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, you can't visit them because access to the area is restricted.

Historic Properties

Historic Districts

These twelve areas are considered historical by the National Register of Historic Places:

• Courthouse Plaza Historic District – This area is around the main courthouse. It was listed in 1978.
• East Prescott Historic District – This district is near the old railroad tracks. It was listed in 1989.
• Fleury's Addition Historic District – This area includes streets like Western, Gurley, Willow, and Grove. It was listed in 1994.
• Hassayampa Historic District – Located on Old Hassayampa Lane and Country Club Drive. It was listed in 2003.
• Joslin and Whipple Historic District – This area includes streets like S. Mt. Vernon and Arizona. It was listed in 2000.
• Mile High Park Historic District – Found along Oregon Avenue and Josephine Street. It was listed in 1999.
• North Prescott Townsite Historic District – Located between Gurley, Sheldon, Alarcon, and Summit Streets. It was listed in 2009.
• Pine Crest Historic District – This area is bounded by San Carlos Street and Coronado Avenue. It was listed in 1989.
• Prescott Armory Historic District – Located around E. Gurley and N. Arizona Streets. It was listed in 1994.
• South Prescott Townsite – This area is bounded by Alarcon, Montezuma, Union, and Leroux Streets. It was listed in 1998.
• West Prescott Historic District – Located around Gurley Drive and Park Avenue. It was listed in 1989.
• Whipple Heights Historic District – Includes E. Gurley, N. Virginia, and E. Moeller Streets. It was listed in 2000.

Bridge

The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) Granite Creek Bridge is a special railroad bridge. It was built in 1910 and used until 1961. Now, it's part of the Downtown Prescott Greenways Trail.

Buildings

Vintage sign of the Hassayama Inn

Here are some historic buildings in Prescott that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

• Elks Building and Theater – Built in 1904, this building is at 117 E. Gurley St.
• James I. Gardner Store – Built in 1890, it's located at 201 N. Cortez Street.
• Hassayampa Inn – This inn was built in 1927 and is at 122 E. Gurley St.
• Sam Hill Hardware building – Built in 1900, you can find it at 154 S. Montezuma.
• Samuel Hill Hardware Company Warehouse – This warehouse was built in 1903 at 232 N. McCormick St.
• Hotel Vendome – Built in 1917, it's located at 230 S. Cortez St.
• Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Exchange Building – This building, from 1933, is at 116 N. Marina St.
• The City Park and Ball Field (also known as "Ken Lindley Field and Park") – Built in 1908, it's on the northeast corner of Gurley & Washington Streets.
• Carnegie library/Prescott Public Library – Built in 1903, this library is at 125 East Gurley St.
• Mulvenon Building – Built in 1901 at 230 W. Gurley St. It was one of the first buildings rebuilt after the big fire of 1900.
• Prescott National Guard Armory – This armory was listed in 1994.
• Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railroad Depot – Built in 1907, it's on Cortez St.
• Sisters of Mercy Hospital and Convent – Built in 1896, located at 200 Grove Ave.
• United States Post Office and Courthouse – This important building was built in 1931 at 101 W. Goodwin Ave.
• The Washington Traditional School – Built in 1907, it's at 300 E. Gurley Street.
• The A.J. Head Hotel – Built in 1901 at 117 N. Cortez Street. It once housed the Post Office and a movie theater.
• The Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railway Depot – Built in 1894, this building is now the Iron Café at 1501 W. Iron Springs Road.

Courthouse Plaza Historic District Buildings

In 1907, a statue of William "Buckey" O'Neill was placed in the historic Courthouse Plaza. Here are some other important buildings in this district:

• The Yavapai County Courthouse – Built in 1916, it's a central part of the Courthouse Plaza.
• The Prescott Gas and Electric Company (1875)/ Masonic Temple (1907) – This building at 107 N. Cortez Street has a long history.
• The Bank of Arizona – Built in 1877, it's on the corner of Gurley & Cortez Streets.
• A.G. Dunn's Butcher Shop – Built in 1890, located on the corner of Gurley & Cortez Streets.
• Bashford Burnister Building/Balentine Building – Built in 1901, on the corner of Gurley & Montezuma St.
• The Grand Highland Hotel – Built in 1903, this hotel is at 154 S. Montezuma St.
• The Palace Hotel – Built in 1901 at 120 S. Montezuma Street.
• The D. Levy Mercantile Building – Built in 1901, located at 112 South Montezuma Street.
• Hotel St. Michael – Built in 1901 at 205 W. Gurley St. It was originally called the Burke Hotel. In 1925, it got a special Otis Traction Elevator.
• The Knights of Pythias Building – Built in 1892, located at 105 S. Cortez Street.
• The Prescott National Bank Building – Built in 1902, on the corner of Gurley and Cortez Streets.
• Bashford Courts – Built in 1888 at 130 W. Gurley Street.
• The United States Post Office and Courthouse – Built in 1931 at 101 W Goodwin St. This building is important enough to be on the National Register.
• The Prescott Jail and Firehouse – Built in 1895 at 117 W Goodwin Street. The fire station was on the first floor, and the city jail was on the second. Today, it's the Prescott Chamber of Commerce Tourist Information Center.
• The Olaf Helsa Clock – Built in 1920, this clock stands in front of the Helsa Jewelry Store at 113 W. Goodwin St.

The original Prescott Opera House was built in the early 1870s. It was later moved to the Pioneer Living History Museum in Phoenix. In 1876, the Goldwater family opened their first store there. Later, it became an opera house where famous performers like John Drew, Jr. and Lillie Langtry appeared. It stopped being an opera house in 1899.

Houses of Religious Worship

Here are four historic churches in Prescott. Three are on the National Register of Historic Places, and one is eligible to be listed.

• 1st Congressional Church and Parsonage – Built in 1899 at 216–220 E. Gurley Street. It's the oldest Congregational Church in Arizona.
• Mormon Church – Built in 1927 at 126 N. Marina St. In 1982, it was changed into a business building.
• Sacred Heart Catholic Church and Rectory – Built in 1894 at 208 N. Marina. Today, it's used as the Prescott Fine Arts Association gallery.
• Solid Rock Christian Fellowship – Built in 1927 at 148 S. Marina Street.

Houses

Governor Richard Elihu Sloan

Big Nose Kate

• The Arizona Pioneers' Home – Built in 1911 at 300 McCormick St. This retirement home was created for early Arizona pioneers. Big Nose Kate, a famous figure from the Old West and companion of Doc Holliday, is buried in its cemetery.
• The A. W. Robinson Building – Built in 1899 at 115 N. Grove St.
• The Blumberg House – Built in 1900 at 143 N. Mt. Vernon St.
• The Brinkmeyer House – Built in 1899 at 605 W. Gurley St.
• The Burmister/Timerhoff House – Built in 1899 at 116 S. Mt. Vernon St. Robert B. Burmister was the son of a pioneer merchant. Later, H. Timerhoff, a local politician and drug store owner, lived here.
• The Clark House – Built in 1883 at 109 N. Pleasant St. Eli Payson Clark was a saw-miller and railroad company secretary. He also served as Territorial Auditor.
• The Curtis Cottage – Built in 1881 at 125 S. McCormick St.
• The Day House – Built in 1887 at 212 E. Gurley St.
• The Detwiler House – Built in 1900 at 310 N. Alarcon St.
• The Drake House – Built in 1901 at 137 N. Mt. Vernon St.
• The Charles H. Dunning Log Cabin – Built in 1932 at 811 Boulder Dr.
• The Fisher/Goldwater House – Built in 1894 at 240 S. Cortez St. Mayor Morris Goldwater lived here and later married Sara Fisher.
• The Fredericks House – Located at 202 S. Pleasant St. R.N. Fredericks was president of the Prescott National Bank.
• The Gage/Murphy House – Built in 1875 at 105 S. Alarcon St.
• The Goldwater-Henry House – Built in 1894 at 217 Union St. Henry was the uncle of U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater.
• The Lawler-Hetherington Double House – Built in 1894 at 223 E. Union St.
• The Hawkins House – Built in 1895 at 122 S. Mt. Vernon St. John J. Hawkins was a well-known attorney and judge.
• The Hazeltine House – Built in 1903 at 202 S. Mt. Vernon St. Moses Hazeltine Sherman helped organize Arizona's schools. He built the Prescott Free Academy, the first graded school in the Territory.
• The Head House – Built in 1875 at 309 E. Gurley St.
• The Hill House – Built in 1906 at 144 S. Park St. Amy Hill owned this house. She was the widow of Sam Hill, who owned a large mercantile company.
• The Kenwill Apartments – Built in 1925 at 119–127 E. Goodwin St.
• The Marks House – Built in 1875 at 203 E. Union St.
• The Martin/Ling House – Built in 1892 at 125 N. Pleasant St.
• The Morin House – Built in 1899 at 134 N. Mt. Vernon St.
• The Morrison House – Built in 1902 at 300 S. Marina St.
• The Otis House – Built in 1877 at 113 N. Pleasant St. Theodore Weld Otis was a teacher, Army veteran, and grocer. He also served as a judge and postmaster.
• The Peters House – Built in 1898 at 211 E. Union St.
• The Roberts House – Built in 1880 at 136 N. Pleasant St.
• The Sewall House – Built in 1893 at 220 N. Mt. Vernon St.
• The Shekels House – Built in 1872 at 226 S. Cortez St.
• The Sloan House – Built in 1900 at 128 N. Mt. Vernon St. This house belonged to Richard Elihu Sloan, who was the last territorial governor.
• The Wells House – Built in 1878 at 303 S. Cortez St.
• The Wilder House – Built in 1891 at 346 S. Montezuma St.

Sharlot Hall Museum

Sharlot Hall

The Sharlot Hall Museum is named after Sharlot Hall. In 1909, she became the first woman to hold a public office in Arizona. She was appointed the territorial historian. Two of the museum's exhibits are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the Governor's Mansion and the Iron Turbine Windmill.

Here are some of the outdoor exhibits you can see at the museum:

• The Old Governor's Mansion – Built in 1864, this was the home of Governor John Goodwin. It has rooms set up to show what a 19th-century house looked like.
• The Bashford House – Built in 1877, this is a beautiful Victorian-style house.
• The Fremont House – Built in 1875, this was the home of Arizona's fifth governor, John Fremont.
• Fort Misery – A log cabin built in 1864. It's the oldest log building from the Arizona Territory.
• The Ranch House – Built in the 1930s, this single-room house shows what a ranch home was like.
• The Transportation Building – Built in 1937. It holds the museum's collection of old vehicles. You can see a stagecoach, a Conestoga wagon, an old bicycle, a 1917 Ford Model T truck, and Sharlot Hall's own car!
• The Sharlot Hall Building – Built in 1936, this building holds many of the museum's historical exhibits. Sharlot Hall herself once lived here.
• The Iron Turbine Windmill – Built in 1876. This historic windmill is very special because it's one of the only all-metal windmills from that time still standing in the Southwest.
• Replica of Prescott's First Community Schoolhouse – This is a copy of the first schoolhouse from 1872.

Arizona Pioneer Home Cemetery

The Arizona Pioneers’ Home Cemetery was started in 1911. It was built on top of an older cemetery from 1864. It's located on a hill at 1300 W. Iron Springs Road. Some famous people are buried here:

• Mary Katherine Horony-Cummings – (1849–1940), also known as Big Nose Kate. She was a Hungarian woman who was a longtime companion of the Old West gunfighter Doc Holliday.
• Kate Thompson Cory – (1861–1958) was an American photographer and artist. She lived among the Hopi people and took many photos of their lives.
• Sharlot Mabridth Hall – (1870–1943) was the first woman to hold a government office in the Arizona Territory. Her collection of photos and artifacts started the history museum named after her.

Fort Whipple

Fort Whipple is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the "Fort Whipple-Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center Historic District." Here are some of the historic buildings from 1872 that are still at Fort Whipple:

• The Fort Whipple Museum, which used to be the Commanding Officer's Quarters.
• The Fort Whipple NCO Quarters (NCO stands for Non-Commissioned Officer).
• The Fort Whipple Army Barracks (where soldiers lived).
• The Fort Whipple Post Headquarters (the main office).
• The Fort Whipple Theater.
• The Fort Whipple Guardhouse.

See also

• Prescott, Arizona
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Yavapai County, Arizona