List of historic properties in Tombstone, Arizona facts for kids

Quick facts for kids List of historic properties in Tombstone, Arizona
Town
Historic Allen Street
Location in Cochise County and the state of Arizona

This article shares a list of amazing old buildings and places in Tombstone, Arizona. You'll see pictures of many of these historic spots. Most of them are part of the Tombstone Historic District. This district was named a special "National Historic Landmark" in 1961. It was also added to the "National Register of Historic Places" (NRHP) in 1966. The pictures include churches, the City Hall, and the Courthouse. You'll also see the historic Boot Hill Graveyard. This graveyard has graves of some famous people from Tombstone's past.

Tombstone's Early Days

Ed Schieffelin in 1880

Tombstone started as a mining town in 1879. It was founded by a prospector named Ed Schieffelin. He found one of the biggest silver mines in Pima County, Arizona Territory. The mine was called the Schieffelin Mine.

News of the silver discovery spread quickly. Many prospectors and business people came to settle in the new town.

On October 26, 1881, Tombstone became famous for a big event. This was the well-known Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. It involved the Earp brothers: Wyatt, Morgan, and Virgil Earp. Virgil was the town's marshal. They were joined by Doc Holliday. They faced off against a group of outlaws called the Cochise County Cowboys. These included Ike Clanton, Billy Clanton, Frank McLaury, Tom McLaury, and Billy Claiborne.

Bird Cage Theatre poker table where the longest poker game was played

One of Tombstone's most famous buildings is the historic Bird Cage Theatre. This theater offered fun to the town's citizens. It had live shows, drinks, and poker games. The longest poker game in history happened in the theater's basement. Players had to pay $1,000 to join the game. Famous players included Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and Bat Masterson.

This poker game went on non-stop, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It lasted for eight years, from 1881 to 1889! About $10 million was exchanged during the game. The Bird Cage Theatre kept ten percent of that money.

The buildings along Allen Street are part of the Tombstone Historic District. This district was named a National Historic Landmark on July 4, 1961. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.

Historic Buildings and Places

Tombstone Historic District Buildings

The Tombstone Epitaph building

Here are some of the main historic buildings in the Tombstone Historic District:

• The O.K. Corral – The offices of this famous corral are on Allen Street. The gunfight happened near here, in an empty lot by Fly's Photography Gallery.
• The Crystal Palace – This building was built in 1879. It was first called the Golden Eagle Brewing Company. Virgil Earp, a U.S. Deputy Marshal, had his office on the second floor.
• The Tombstone Epitaph building – The Tombstone Epitaph newspaper started in this building in 1880.
• The Bird Cage Theatre – This theater was built in 1881. It was open from 1881 to 1889, offering entertainment.
• Schieffelin Hall – This theater hall was built in 1881 by Albert Schieffelin.

The Crabtree Livery Stable and San Jose House are in the background of this 1940 photograph.

• The San Jose House and Crabtree Livery Stable – These two adobe buildings were built in 1881. The San Jose House used to be a boarding house.
• The Tombstone Courthouse – The courthouse was built in 1882. It is a very important historic building.
• Tombstone City Hall – The city hall was built in 1882. It is also a listed historic building.

Other important buildings in the Tombstone Historic District include:

• The Can Can Restaurant – This building was built in 1876.
• The Bella Union Saloon and Opera House – This building was constructed in 1878.
• The Oriental Saloon – This saloon was built in 1880. Wyatt Earp worked here as a faro dealer.
• The Bucket of Blood Saloon – This building once held the Holiday Water Company and the Owl Cafe and Hotel. It is the oldest restaurant in Tombstone that has been open continuously. The building you see today was built in the 1950s. It was renamed the Longhorn Restaurant in the 1970s.
• Vogan's Alley Bar and Grill – This was a saloon and bowling alley built in 1880. James Earp, another of Wyatt's brothers, worked here.
• Fly's Photography Gallery – This building was constructed in 1880.
• Big Nose Kate's Saloon – This saloon used to be the Grand Hotel. The original building was built in 1881.
• The Silver Nugget Bed and Breakfast – This building was constructed in 1881.
• Allen English home – This house was built in 1882. Allen English was a lawyer and served as the Cochise County District Attorney.

These religious buildings are also listed as historic:

• The Sacred Heart Catholic Church Parish and the Sacred Heart Catholic Church – The first church building was built in 1881. Later churches were built in 1882 and 1947.
• St. Paul's Episcopal Church – This church was built in 1882.

Other Historic Places

The Wyatt Earp House and Gallery, on the corner of Fremont and 1st Streets; an art museum, not a house once owned by Wyatt and Mattie Earp

• The Ed Schieffelin Monument – This is the grave of Ed Schieffelin, who founded Tombstone. The monument is 25 feet tall and 16 feet wide. It stands over his grave on a hill.
• Schiefflin's Mine – This silver mine was started in 1877 by Ed Schieffelin.
• Tombstone High School – This is the original high school building, built in 1922. A famous student from this school was Lorna E. Lockwood. She became the first female chief justice of a state Supreme Court in the United States.
• Wyatt Earp House and Gallery – Built in 1879, this is an art museum. It is near where Wyatt Earp once lived.
• The William Herring building – This building was the home and office of William Herring. He was Wyatt Earp's lawyer. His daughter, Sarah Herring Sorin, became the first woman to argue a case before the United States Supreme Court without male help. Today, this building is the Tombstone Western Heritage Museum.
• The Territorial Drug Co – Tombstone Pharmacy – This pharmacy was started in 1898.

Historic Structures Gallery

Boot Hill Graveyard

• Boot Hill Graveyard – This graveyard started in 1878 as the Tombstone Cemetery.
• The graves of Billy Clanton, Frank McLaury and Tom McLaury – These were members of the Cochise County Cowboys. They died in the 1881 gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
• The grave of Newman Haynes "Old Man" Clanton – He was the father of the famous Clanton group. He was killed in Mexico in 1881.
• The symbolic grave of John Heath – Heath was accused of planning a robbery that led to a terrible event known as the Bisbee Massacre. His body was not buried here.
• The graves of Dan "Big Dan" Dowd, Omer W. "Red" Sample, James "Tex" Howard, William E. "Billy" Delaney and Daniel "York" Kelley – These people were involved in the Bisbee massacre and were executed in 1884.
• The grave of China Mary, also known as Mrs. Ah Lum, who passed away in 1906.

See also

• Tombstone, Arizona
• Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Cochise County, Arizona