List of historical markers in Prescott, Arizona facts for kids

A bank was an important asset to a new and growing community. Chartered by Solomon Lewis and M. W. Kales in 1877, the Bank of Arizona was the first business in the Arizona Territory devoted exclusively to banking. The partners built a two-story structure at the southeast corner of Gurley and Cortez Streets. Soon, this building was inadequate and a new design competition was announced in January 1900 for a new building. Work commenced in August 1900. The new bank building, designed in a classical style with Second Renaissance Revival influence, reflected Prescott's prosperity, with rusticated stone and fired brick and a large column bringing attention to the corner entry. The interior featured oak paneling and patterned wallpaper. Customers included General George Crook and his wife, Governor John Fremont and his wife and many of the miners who brought in their gold to be weighed. The Bank of Arizona later became the First National Bank of Arizona, then First Interstate Bank and then Wells Fargo Bank. When Wells Fargo Bank closed the bank in 1998, it was believed to be the longest continuously operating bank in the State. This building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Next to the bank to the east is the Electric Building, built in 1898, which survived the fire of July 14, 1900. It was then used as a temporary headquarters for the Bank of Arizona, however, their safe would not fit through the door, so they left it on the sidewalk, with a guard to prevent pranksters from rolling it down Elk's Hill. The Electric Building was built in a Victorian Melange style with a large oriel window decorated with swags, recessed panels and a bracketed cornice. It is the only building of its kind in Prescott.

Funded by the City of Prescott

Originally this was the site of A.G. Dunn's Butcher Shop, which provided fresh locally grown beef from Dunn's ranch. This was followed by Hubbard's drug store, which was later owned by W.W.Ross, who established the Corner Drug Store. The drug store was purchased by Harry Brisley in 1899. Brisley's carried a variety of medicines, medical supplies, prescription drugs, stationery, soap and perfumes. Their most popular item was the picture post card, first introduced to Prescott by Harry Brisley. After the fire of July 14, 1900, the local newspaper reported on August 17, 1900, that "Architect Kilpatrick is preparing plans and specifications for a two-story building to cover the entire lot..." which would be constructed of brick and tufa stone. The large columns at the Cortez Street entrance were cut of locally quarried blue granite.

In 1932 the Eagle Drug Store, formerly Brisley's opened a lunch counter, where many local girls waitressed their way through high school. The Eagle served as the crossroads of the community and the place to hear all of the local news. The lunch counter closed in 1974 after serving thousands of 5 cent cups of "the best coffee in town."

Funded by the Historic Preservation Fund and the City of Prescott

Coles Bashford arrived in Prescott in 1864 and was the first President of the Territorial Legislature. In 1874, Coles, his brother Levi, and son William formed a partnership with Robert Burmister. The Bashford-Burmister Company became one of the largest mercantile stores in northern Arizona, selling everything from mining supplies to fresh vegetables. Bashford advertised that his was the only store in Arizona that received goods directly from New York City. The original structure burned in the fire of 1900. This brick building, built after the fire, was enlarged and remodeled in an Art Deco style in 1929. In the 1940s, J.C. Penney replaced the Bashford-Burmister Company at this location. Renovated for use as an atrium mall in 1994, it once again serves as one of the commercial focal points of the downtown area.

Funded by the Historic Preservation Fund and the City of Prescott

Founded in Jan. 1921 and named after the famous Rough Rider William "Bucky" O'Neill, the post is the oldest active VFW post in Arizona. Born Feb. 2, 1860 in St. Louis, Missouri, his many accomplishments include being a Lawyer, Judge, Sheriff, Editor of 3 newspapers and Mayor of Prescott, Az. He was killed in action July 1, 1898, in the battle for San Juan Hill, Cuba. On his grave at Arlington it is written "Who would not die for a new star on the flag"

Prescott's first library consisted of over 300 volumes brought to the territory in 1864 by Secretary of State Richard C. McCormick. In 1870, a group of local women opened a reading room with 263 books collected from local citizens and out-of-town newspapers. Run by private parties, this was the only source of library material. In 1895 the Women's Club of Prescott (later known as the "Monday Club") was formed. Their dream was to establish a free library "as attractive as an evening resort". In June, 1899, Prescott Monday Club member Julia Goldwater wrote a letter to Andrew Carnegie requesting funds for a free library. Carnegie offered half the sume requested with the understanding that first the matching $4,000 had to be raised in the community. Eventually, the funds were raised and a building lot was granted. But the fire of July 14, 1900, destroyed all of the books for the library. The ladies of the Monday Club pressed on, accepting the donation of replacement books for the library. The Prescott Public Free Library (Carnegie Library), located here on the southwest corner of Gurley and Marina Streets, finally opened on November 24, 1903. Built in a Classical Revival style of brick and stone with a symmetrical facade, a pediment over the main entry door and a beautiful arched window above the entry, it is typical of the traditional styles being built in Prescott in the early 20th century. This library served the Prescott community until 1974, when the current City of Prescott library opened.

Funded by the Historic Preservation Fund and the City of Prescott

Citizens Cemetery was founded in early June 1864 with the burial of Colorado legislator Joel Woods. Established on public land east of Prescott and southwest of Fort Whipple, the cemetery has been known at various times as "Town Cemetery", "City Cemetery", "Prescott Cemetery", and "Citizen's Burying Ground". The name "Citizen's Cemetery" first appeared in print in January 1872. The United States deeded the land to Virginia Koch in 1876. After her death, it was purchased by T.W. Otis and George Tinker and their wives. On October 13, 1884, the land was transferred to Yavapai County. Burial lots were "leased" for 99 years at a cost of $2.50. Interments continued on a regular basis until 1933. The cemetery contains the graves of more than 2,500 persons and approximately 600 markers. Citizens Cemetery is populated with a wide spectrum of individuals who settled and developed central Arizona during the late 19th and early 20th century. In 1934, a Civil Works Administration project resulted in the construction of an uncoursed fieldstone and concrete masonry wall which enclosed the 6-1/2 acre cemetery. By that time, the entrance to the cemetery had been moved from the south end to the north end. Later, the north wall was demolished for the widening of Sheldon Street. A new stone wall topped by a fence and a new entry were construction in 2000. Citizens Cemetery is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Funded by the City of Prescott

This Romanesque/Classical Revival building was constructed in 1895 and served as both a fire station (on the first floor) and the City jail (on the second). It is one of the two buildings facing the Courthouse Plaza that survived the fire of 1900. After construction of a new fire station and jail, the building saw various uses and was heavily stuccoed, covering many of its original features. Careful restoration in 1980 revealed the excellent tufa stone work that was quarried locally.

Funded by the Historic Preservation Fund and the City of Prescott

has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior

George W. Curtis came to Prescott from California in 1864, and in 1867 purchased an interest in a sawmill. He purchased a building on Granite Creek on South McCormick Street, and he and his brother John enlarged and modified the building in 1878. This building was known as Curtis Hall and was used as the meeting place for the Territorial Legislature from 1879 to early 1885 and as City Hal. Curtis Hall was described as a "mammoth frame house" which "overshadows every edifice in town". This building was apparently gone by the mid-1880s at which time the Curtis Duplex was built at the same location. The Curtis Duplex appears in an 1885 photograph of Prescott. It was a one-story wood-frame building with a porch across the front, covered with shiplap siding. It was an unusual example of multi-family housing, c. 1880. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Around 1881, the Curtis brothers also built three "cottages" along South McCormick Street to the north and south of the Curtis Duplex. These early Territorial frame cottages were a good example of blue-collar housing in Prescott in the 1880s. Although greatly modified, one of these cottages still stands at 125 South McCormick Street and is listed in the National Register or Historic Places. The Curtis Duplex and their other two cottages were demolished in 1988.

Funded by the City of Prescott

The Day Octagon is the oldest known fired brick building in Arizona. Built in 1877 by Lowell and Crouch for Dr. Warren E. Day, it is significant as the first surgical hospital in Arizona Territory, where Dr. Day pulled teeth, delivered babies, fitted eyeglasses and cared for the community's other medical needs. It embodies many of the features described by Orson Fowler in his book "The Octagon House A Home for All". Fowler subscribed to the idea that the octagon was the shape most closely a sphere and was, therefore, ideal for houses.

Dr. Warren E. Day was a colorful figure in the history of the Territory. His bravery and medical expertise during the Civil War gained the respect of General George Crook, who asked Day to come to Fort Verde, Arizona Territory, with him in 1873. In 1876 Day came to Prescott to establish a medical practice. He married a widow, Bridget Cordon in 1880. They had ten children. Dr. Day continued to practice in the area until the 1920s.

The rectangular portion of the Day Octagon was added in 1888. The building was later used as a commercial laundry and as offices. The Day Octagon was completely restored in 1987 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Joseph and Margaret Ehle arrived in Prescott, Arizona Territory, on July 13, 1864, with their children, John Henry, Mary Jane, Amy E., Olive Joan, Sarah F. and Margaret Viola. Mr. Ehle helped to build the log Governor's Mansion (now part of Sharlot Hall Museum). The Ehle were the first settlers in the area to have domesticated honeybees and chickens, and Mrs. Ehle's yellow cat was worth her weight in gold, as her kittens sold for an ounce of gold, over twenty dollars apiece. Mrs. Ehle, known as "Grandmother Ehle", also brought the first sewing machine to Prescott. Their daughter, Mary Jane, was Prescott's first bride, marrying John Dickson at the Governor's Mansion with Governor Goodwin officiating.

The Ehles built a log house at the southwest corner of Goodwin and Marina Streets. In the fall of 1868, they opened the Montezuma Hotel at the northwest corner of Willis and Montezuma streets where the Coronado Apartments, which were apparently built between 1910 and 1924, are today. The Arizona Miner reported on October 10, 1868, that "[t]his hotel is now in full blast and is crowded with guests. Mr. Ehle sets a first-class table." By 1869, they had built a residence next door at 214 North Montezuma Street. The house presently at this location was built between 1890 and 1895. Mrs. Ehle died there in 1905. Joseph Ehle died in 1912 in California at the age of 98. Both are buried at the Masonic Cemetery in Prescott.

The Fire of 1900

A disastrous fire on the night of July 14, 1900, changed the face of downtown Prescott. Starting in a room in the Scopel Hotel on the southwest corner of Goodwin and Montezuma Streets, the fire quickly hopped across Goodwin Street and proceeded to consume all of the buildings on "Whiskey Row" leveling the entire block. Though some of the Plaza buildings were built of brick, many were wood, and the destruction was nearly complete. The fire burned almost everything in its path to Granite Creek and Willis Street, a total of over 80 businesses. Prescott had suffered fires before, but this was by far the worst. The pluck and courage of its merchants and residents was evident, however, as they pitched in to rebuild, this time of more substantial means: brick, concrete, and stone. Within three days construction was underway. Undaunted merchants were open and doing a brisk business in tents, corrugated metal buildings, and hastily constructed sheds on the courthouse lawn. Of the buildings standing at the time of the fire, only a few remain: The Prescott National Bank and the Bank of Prescott (both under construction in 1900), the Knights of Pythias Building on South Cortez Street, and the City Jail and Fire Station on West Goodwin Street.

Funded by the Historic Preservation Fund and the City of Prescott

J. I. Gardner came to Prescott with a pack train in 1879 and opened his first mercantile store in 1883. The J. I. Gardner Store was built on this corner in 1890. Gardner's motto was "all goods guaranteed to be first class". They carried every type of "general supply and merchandise including fresh fruit and vegetables, coffee, tea and spices, flour, sugar, canned goods, household goods, pots and pans and wallpaper, dress goods and boots, shirts, coats and hats, sheep dip, farming and ranching supplies and toys. Many customers paid in gold, but others paid in trade goods - anything of value including livestock and farm products. Gardner's even had a mail order service, with goods going by train to their destinations, many of which were in remote areas of the country. Today, the Gardner Store building has been adapted for use as a restaurant, at the same time retaining the historic appearance of the building and many of the original store fixtures.

The Goldwater Brothers, Morris and Michael, arrived in Arizona from California in 1876. They opened one of the area's first general merchandising stores on the southeast corner of Cortez and Goodwin (where City Hall is now located). Three years later they built a new, larger establishment on this site. A leading citizen of early Prescott, Morris served as mayor from 1879-1880, 1894-1897, 1905-1913, and 1919-1927. Both of the Goldwater homes in Prescott are still standing, and one is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In 1964, Morris' nephew, Barry, announced his candidacy for President of the United States from the Courthouse steps across the street. A local landmark for over 100 years, the building, best known then as the "Studio Theater", was torn down in 1978.

Funded by the Historic Preservation Fund and the City of Prescott

1893 - 1963

There was a time when progress in Yavapai County was spelled S-P-A-R-K-E-S. Grace M. Sparkes came to Prescott, Arizona Territory, at the age of 14 in 1906. By 1911, she was working for the Yavapai County Chamber of Commerce as Secretary, a job she held for 34 years. In this capacity, and due significantly to her influence, the economy of Yavapai County remained stable through her tenure with a diverse base of tourism, health, mining, ranching and forestry. Among many other accomplishments, Miss Sparkes was the producer of the Prescott Frontier Days Rodeo for 30 years and developed the "Prescott Rules" used widely for rodeos across the West. She was involved in funding for the Hassayampa Hotel, was the publisher and editor of Yavapai Magazine, helped organize the Smoki People, and joined historian Sharlot Hall in securing a reservation for the Yavapai Indians in 1935. She worked to enlarge the Montezuma Castle National Monument and campaigned for good roads across the state. As Yavapai County Immigration Commissioner and member of the Arizona State Board of Welfare, she directed the Works Progress Administration for the County. Projects constructed under her supervision include the Sharlot Hall Building (the House of A Thousand Hands), the Hospital at Ft. Whipple, the Smoki Museum, Ken Lindley Field and Stadium, Prescott High School (now Mile High Middle School), Goldwater Dam and several street bridges.

In 1945 Grace resigned her position as Secretary of the Yavapai Chamber of Commerce and moved to Cochise County. She died October 23, 1963, in Bisbee.

American History in Arizona is quite recent, although the history of the Native American, Spanish and Mexican occupation periods are much older. Encampments of Native Americans were drawn to the creeks, which offered a fairly reliable source of fresh water, and the Anglo settlers followed suit. The first known Anglo-Americans to camp in the vicinity of Prescott were the Walker and Weaver parties in 1863. The Walker Party camped on the banks of Granite Creek in what is now downtown Prescott. Granite Creek quickly became a magnet for explorers, miners and settlers, and later, farmers. Activities and development along Granite Creek included panning for minerals, particularly gold; picnicking; the location of the first store and school in Prescott and a conglomeration of shanties and lean-tos; saloons; and Chinese and Mexican settlements. Later, substantial residences along with warehouses, a gas plant, bottling works and farms were developed. among the drinking establishments was the Quartz Rock Saloon, owned by a nose-less military deserter. It sported a plank bar with two bottles of whiskey and one cup. The sight of water purportedly make the patrons sick, so the business was moved to South Montezuma Street. Local legend is that saloon patrons kept falling into Granite Creek, thus diminishing a booming business. As a result, many of the saloons moved to "Whiskey Row, which was safer because of its further distance from the creek.

In addition to supporting human uses, Granite Creek gives life to many species of trees, shrubs, and grasses. Approximately 75 percent of our local wildlife are dependent upon Granite Creek and its tributaries. Over the last 150 years Granite Creek has seen many changes. The broad "gallery" of cottonwood and willow trees seen here was once up to a 1/4 mile in width, and it stretched from what is now downtown Prescott all the way to the Granite Dells, 5 miles to the northeast. The Granite Creek channel has been straightened, mined, filled, and built upon over time, resulting in a substantial loss of riparian habitat. In the 1990s, local organizations were formed to preserve and restore what riparian (streamside) habitat was left. The trail you can see below was the first effort toward this end. Since then, riparian habitat has been protected at West Granite Creek Park, Watson Woods Riparian Preserve, Watson & Willow Lakes, and the Yavapai-Prescott Tribal Lands.

Colonel C. P. Head was in the hardware business in Prescott by about 1866. By 1875, Colonel Head was involved in several businesses including hardware, lumber and a hotel. He served in the territorial House of Representatives from Yavapai County for the 1875–1877 term. Colonel Head was described by William A. Farish as "a most excellent gentleman, a business man of wealth." By 1916, there were 16 hotels in Prescott, including the 80-room Head Hotel. Built by A. J. Head just after the fire of July 14, 1900, the "grand brick" hotel was 3 stories high and had pairs of windows looking out onto the street with 3 sets of balconies on the 2nd and 3rd floors. Unlike many hotels of the time, the Head hotel boasted steam heat and hot and cold water in every room. Twenty rooms had private baths. Rates were by the day, week or month. The first floor was primarily commercial, except for the lobby. The hotel offered a restaurant, floral shop, newsstand and barber shop. Business included the Post Office, Calles' Saddelry, the New State Theater, Andres' Cigar Shop and various retail stores including, in later years, JCPenney's. In the 1980s, the Head Hotel was extensively remodeled on the exterior and no longer has historic integrity.

The cornerstone of historic "Whiskey Row", the Hotel St. Michael, represents the coming of age of Prescott's hostelries. Constructed on the site of the modest Hotel Burke, which burned in 1900, the new three-story hotel was designed by D. W. Millard in the Second Renaissance Revival style. Built of brick and stone, it is decorated with stone faces or "gargoyles", which allegedly represent crude images of local politicians. Opened June 1, 1901, the hotel offered "gracious accommodations" and the most advanced amenities of the era. Significantly, the hotel has hosted many distinguished visitors, including President Theodore Roosevelt, John L. Sullivan, Jake Kilrain, Tom Mix, Zane Grey, Senator Barry Goldwater. The Hotel St. Michael is an excellent example of early twentieth century western style accommodations in Prescott and today presents a reminder of Prescott's colorful historic past.

Funded by the Historic Preservation Fund and the City of Prescott

The Hotel Vendome, referred to in a contemporary newspaper article as an "apartment house", was built on South Cortez Street in 1917 by J. B. Jones. An article in Yavapai Magazine in November 1917 refers to it as the "Hotel Vendome" and states "its construction will fill a need for housing in the town which was crucial even when the summer visitors were induced to return home." The hotel is constructed of dark red wire-cut brick with a traditional brick cornice. A two-story veranda extends across the front of the building. It is the only Prescott example of a two-story structure built exclusively for residential use during the first quarter of the Twentieth Century.

The Hotel Vendome was advertised as an "attractive small hotel with 30 rooms and 16 baths, wide verandas upstairs and down, attractive lobby, hot and cold water in all rooms, night and day phone service with buzzers in all rooms, excellent steam heat, free parking, one-half block from the Plaza, one block east of Highway 89, rates are reasonable with $1.50 single and $2.50 double". One of the Hotel Vendome's more famous guests was Tom Mix, who rented a room by the year. The Hotel Vendome was restored and modernized in 1983 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The southeast corner of Goodwin and Cortez Street was the site of Howey's Hall, which was built on the first lot sold (for $175) in Prescott by James Howey in 1876. The Goldwaters had their first mercantile store here. It was later converted to an opera house "dedicated to mirth and dancing". It was a secondhand store when the City purchased it in 1904 for a fire station. Howey's Hall was demolished in 1959, replaced by today's City Hall.

Funded by the Historic Preservation Fund and the City of Prescott

With the exception of the Courthouse, the Knights of Pythias Building, also known as the Tilton Building, has always been the tallest building on the Plaza at 46 feet. It was dedicated on November 27, 1895, and is one of the few buildings that survived the fire of 1900. The building originally housed retail on the first floor, office space on the second floor, and a large open hall on the third floor as the meeting room of the Knights of Pythias, an early social fraternal organization attended by many of Prescott's leading male citizens. Scorched in the fire, the front facade was stuccoed and scored to resemble stone. The building was partially restored in 1995.

Funded by the Historic Preservation Fund and The City of Prescott"

In early 1908, the Prescott School Board decided that a new school was needed in Prescott. On July 12, 1908, a school bond election was held and approved by the voters 119–1. In August 1908, the three-acre site on Park Avenue on the west side of town was selected because it "was becoming increasingly popular as a residential area". The school was designed in a traditional style with Neo-Classical influences by architect W. S. Elliott and was to be constructed of red brick. A contract with Clinton Campbell was approved for $19,480. In late 1909, the north building of Lincoln School opened its doors. The first principal was Glenn Persons, who was also the principal of Washington School. The first full-time principal was Miss Piper.

In 1930, Prescott schools were bursting at the seams, and Lincoln School, which was designed to accommodate 200 students, had an enrollment of 420. By that time, the west side of Prescott was "an established residential area growing larger by the day" and the decision was made to build an additional building on the southern portion of the campus at Lincoln School This building, too, was designed in a traditional style with Neo-Classical influences. This building was later expanded and in 1990 the multipurpose building which was designed by William Otwell, was constructed.

In 1999 Lincoln School held its 90th birthday celebration, with many former teachers and students in attendance. Part of the celebration included a May Pole Dance, a Lincoln School tradition, and a flag ceremony. As Prescott's second elementary school, Lincoln School holds an important place in the history of the community. Lincoln School is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The one hundred block of South Montezuma Street has long been known as "Whiskey Row" for the numerous saloons which once lined the street. As Prescott poet Gail Gardner once wrote of "Whiskey Row":

"Oh they starts her in at the Kaintucky bar, At the head of Whiskey Row, And they winds up down by the Depot House, Some forth drinks below."

On July 14, 1900, this block was totally destroyed by fire. Within a few days of the fire, new construction was underway in brick and masonry. Most of the buildings on this block were constructed between the fall of 1900 and 1905 and include Sam'l Hill Hardware Company, the Highland Hotel, the Palace, the Levey Building and the Hotel St. Michael. All of these buildings are constructed with permanence and appearance in mind in styles typical of early 20th century buildings.

Some buildings were architecturally progressive, such as Sam'l Hill Hardware Company, or architecturally outstanding such as the Palace and the Hotel St. Michael. All present a united front to the Courthouse Plaza, resulting in a unique turn-of-the century facade which is essentially intact today.

Completed in August 1901, the Mulvenon Building was one of the first buildings constructed after the fire of 1900. It replaced a one-story wood-frame saloon building which was destroyed in the fire. Built by William J. Mulvenon, who arrived in Prescott in 1876, it is typical of the late 19th Century Territorial Commercial style with a prominent central arch over the main entrance. It is constructed of locally made brick, although the brick on the front of the building is of better quality than the brick in the rest of the building. Originally there were two retail bays on the ground floor and hotel rooms on the second floor. The west half of the building at one time housed "Prescott Vulcanizing Works" and the east half was a saloon. Rooms were available for rent until 1991. In 1991 the building was restored and converted into a bar and restaurant.

W.J. Mulvenon originally worked as a stablekeeper at Peck's mine. He later served as deputy sheriff and as sheriff of Yavapai County, leading two posses into Tonto Basin to restore law and order during the Pleasant Valley War. He was instrumental in establishing the Crystal Ice Company, the first ice plant in Prescott and was organizer of the Arizona Brewing Company.

The Mulvenon Building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Originally a part of the Capital Block, which was set aside in 1864 for a Territorial Capitol Building, the south half of the block was sold at auction. John Lawler, a miner, capitalist and real estate developer, bought the entire block and built a "double house" on the east end of the block. The Lawler House is unique because it is one structure containing two houses divided down the middle from front to back along the lot line. It is also very plain, with none of the typical features of the popular Victorian architecture of the day. Between 1893 and 1899 he sold lots to three others, based on their financial and social status to create a San Francisco style "Nob Hill" district overlooking the town from the top of the hill.

Homes were built by Henry Goldwater, C.A. Peter and Jake Marks. The Henry Goldwater House at 217 E. Union, was built in 1894 in a Victorian Melange style. A conical roof on the southwest corner suggests a turret even though none actually exists. Goldwater was one of the brothers who founded Goldwater Mercantile Company. The C. A. Peter House at 211 E. Union was the last one to be built on the block. It is a Queen Ann interpretation of the Victorian style and is one of the most significant Victorians in Prescott. Mr Peter was a cashier at the Bank of Arizona when he built the house in 1989. Jake Marks built his house in 1894. Although he was a wealthy cattle rancher and mine owner, he was also a wholesale liquor dealer, and Lawler would only sell him the last or "lowest" lot on the block. The Marks House at 203 E. Union is also a Queen Anne interpretation of the Victorian style, which includes a turet on the southwest corner of the house. All of these houses have been restored to varying extents and all are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

A beautiful Victorian Cottage which faced East Sheldon Street was built on this site by W.B. Jones. On November 15, 1893, William Owen (Buckey) O'Neill and his wife Pauline moved into the house. O'Neill used a portion of the upstairs as his office where he published his livestock newspaper, "Hoof and Horn".

O'Neill, who came to Arizona in 1879 at the age of 19, met his future wife, Pauline Marie Schindler, in Prescott in 1885. They were married on April 27, 1886. Two days later, "Buckey" O'Neill announced his marriage to Pauline in "Hoof and Horn" with a passionate essay on the joys of the "Beulah land of matrimony". O'Neill, who by 1888 had been elected Probate Judge and then Sheriff of Yavapai County, was later elected Mayor of the City of Prescott. Pauline, too, earned political appointments which reflected her interests in suffrage and prohibition.

Roughrider Captain William "Buckey" O'Neill was killed in Sangtiago, Cuba on July 1, 1898. Pauline, who was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 1917, sold the house to John and Frances Munds in 1902. John Lee Munds and Frances ("Fannie") Lillian Willard Munds were both from Arizona ranching families. Munds was Sheriff of Yavapai County. Fannie Munds worked tirelessly for women's suffrage, and the right to vote in Arizona was granted on November 15, 1912. Fannie Munds was the first woman elected to such a position in the nation. The O'Neill/Munds House later burned and was demolished.

The exact age of Prescott's Palace Saloon is something of a puzzle. The first reliable documentation is an item from the September 21, 1877 Arizona Weekly Miner: "Mess'rs Shaw and Standefer have fitted up the Palace Saloon in the most superb style and fitted it with choice liquors of every conceivable kind."

An 1883 fire destroyed most of "The Row", including the Palace. Owner Robert Brow rebuilt in brick, with a stone foundation and iron roof. The interior featured a 20-foot-long bar and beautiful back-bar, which had been shipped by boat and freight wagon to Prescott, three gaming tables and two club rooms.

On July 14, 1900, much of downtown Prescott burned to the ground, including the "fireproof" Palace Saloon. Patrons managed to salvage much of the liquor and the bar, all taken across the street to the Plaza, where drinks were served as the fire progressed. After the fire, Robert Brow and the owners of the Cabinet Saloon pooled their interests and determined to build "the finest and best club house, saloon, café, etc. that Arizona has ever had, or in fact that can be found west of the Mississippi River".

The new Palace Hotel, designed in the Neo-Classical Revival style, took over the front page of the June 29, 1901, Prescott Journal Miner. It was the most elegant pleasure resort along "The Row". The Miner described the interior furnishings as "rich and elegant" with only the best materials used. The bar and fixtures were described as "the crowning features of the furnishings" and "without doubt the most elegant in this part of the country". Three large gaming tables encouraged faro, poker, roulette, kino and craps. A glass of beer was five cents, and a man could pay for his drinks with unminted gold.

In 1907 a State law outlawed wagering and games of change, along with their "attendant evils" and Prohibition during World War I closed many a saloon, but the Palace held on. In 1996 The Palace was closed and in severely deteriorated condition when restoration began. Working from old photographs, the elegance of the Palace Hotel and Saloon of 1901 was recaptured. The Palace is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Funded by the City of Prescott

As early as 1865, Lucian Bonaparte Jewell organized a Brass Band in Prescott, but by the 1870s the regimental bands from Ft. Whipple began to dominate the local music scene. The original Plaza Bandstand, built in the late 1800s, had survived the fire of 1900, but was eventually removed. On July 8, 1908, The Prescott Brass Band was reorganized and showed interest in erecting a permanent ornamental Bandstand on the Plaza. It was not until May, 1910, that Henry Rockmark was awarded the contract for construction of the new Bandstand for the sum of $1,150.00. The Summer of 1910 was a special time for the AZ Territory with the passage of the statehood bill by the US Congress, June 19, 1910. Territorial Governor Richard E. Sloan was the honored guest for the Statehood and Fourth of July celebration several weeks later. From the new Bandstand, the Prescott Concert Band, in their handsome new uniforms from the East, struck up the tune "Hail to the Chief" and the Governor delivered the dedication address for the planting of the Statehood Tree. This was the first official ceremony from the new Bandstand. The Bandstand pre-dates the present Courthouse and has been the site for weddings, Sunday schools, and Christmas ornamentations. It remains much as it was constructed in 1910, with the exception of the original wood railings which were replaced with iron railings.

In celebration of the Plaza Bandstand Centennial. Granite Mountain Questers - 2010.

Founded in 1864 on Granite Creek, early source of placer gold. Former territorial capital of Arizona. Now a center for ranching, mining, health, especially asthma relief. Located here on site of old Ft. Whipple is Whipple Veterans Hospital. Seat of First Governor's Mansion, and Arizona Pioneer's Home. Frontier Days, oldest rodeo in West, began here.

Erected by Prescott Rotary Club

The City of Prescott had its beginnings in the Spring of 1863 when a party of explorers and would-be gold miners led by the famed Joseph R. Walker arrived near the headwaters of the Hassayampa River. On May 10, 1863, at a location some six miles south-southeast of this Plaza, twenty-five members of the Walker Prospecting and Mining Company adopted "Laws and Resolutions" governing members of the first mining district in what would later become Yavapai County. The rules for the "Pioneer Mining District" provided a foundation for the establishment of mining law in the central Arizona highlands, and can be considered Prescott's birth certificate.

Thus began a gold rush that sparked the settlement and development of central Arizona, and the choice of Prescott as the first Territorial Capital. Before then, this area was almost totally unknown to white men, and gold mining prospects had been known only along the Colorado and Gila Rivers.

Joseph R. Walker led this group of explorers and miners on an expedition that started in California and went through portions of Northern Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico before ending here two years later. John W. (Jack) Swilling joined the party in New Mexico and then guided them to where he had seen significant indication of gold three years earlier.

The other twenty-three members of the "Original Prospectors" listed in their organizational document were: Joseph R. Walker, Jr., John Dickson, Jacob Linn, Jacob Miller, James V. Wheelhouse, Frank Finney, Sam Miller, George Blosser, A. C. Benedict, S. Shoup, T. J. Johnson, Daniel Ellis (Conner), Abner French, Charles Taylor, H. B. Cummings, William Williams, G. Gillalan, Jackson McCrackin, Rodney McKinnon, Felix Cholet, M. Lewis, James Chase, and George Coulter.

When the company was officially disbanded six months later, Captain Walker noted with satisfaction that: "We opened the door and held it open to civilization and now civilization will do the rest."

Sidebar One: Jack W. (Jack) Swilling (1830 - 1878) led the first party of non-Indians to explore the Hassayampa River in January 1860 where he and his companions declared that "this new region has the finest indications of gold of any they have ever seen." In 1867 Swilling began the first canal building company in the Salt River Valley, leading to the beginnings of Phoenix and surrounding communities.

Sidebar Two: Joseph R. Walker, (1798 - 1876) played a dramatic half-century role in the opening of the American West; beginning as a fur trader and trapper, then as an explorer and guide, he was one of the great pathfinders across the unknown portions of the United States. This famous frontiersman was on his last great adventure "into the only unknown section of the United States" when he led a party of fortune seekers to this undeveloped area.

Three very prominent buildings once stood on East Gurley Street between Alarcon and Marina Streets - The Territorial Capital Building, Prescott High School and the Yavapai Club.

Originally, the property between Alarcon and Marina streets on Gurley Street was the site of the red brick building which housed the Territorial Legislature and Prescott City Hall. Built in 1884, it was remodeled in 1904 for use as a high school. In 1914, it was demolished and a new high school was constructed. The new high school was described as "splendid". By 1930, this was too small for the number of students, so in 1931 a junior high school was added on the east and south sides of the block.

Meanwhile, in 1903 railroad entrepreneur Frank Murphy purchased the building along South Marina Street at Gurley. The Dake Opera House, the Goldsworthy Residence and the Gould Cottage were demolished to build the Yavapai Club, an organization "incorporated by the businessmen of the county for the purpose of furthering the material and social interest of the community". It was housed in "one of the finest buildings in Arizona and was as completely equipped as the finest gentleman's club in San Francisco or New York". The club featured a library, games room, restaurant with a buffet, a bowling alley, sleeping accommodations and a second-floor ballroom. After a fire in 1907, the Club was restored. It was eventually turned over to the high school in the 1930s and was used for art classes and a music room. It was torn down about 1941.

In 1976, the entire block was cleared for the construction of a new Yavapai County Administration complex.

The Prescott National Bank was organized by William Bashford, R.N. Fredericks and others in March, 1893. In October, 1900 Bank President Frank N. Murphy announced the construction of a new bank building on the "Old Wooster Block" at Prescott's "banking intersection" of Gurley and Cortez. The building was completed in January, 1902. Constructed of yellow brick with stone accents, idendical entrances on Gurley and Cortez Streets are each flanked by two sets of blue granite columns. The bank closed its doors on November 15, 1920. In 1922, Valley Bank consolidated with the First National Bank of Arizona and moved into the building. The use of this building as a bank ceased in 1957 when the building was converted to retail use. In 1998 the building changed hands for the first time in decades and was restored for use as professional offices.

Funded by the Historic Preservation Fund and the City of Prescott

Prescott was one of the first towns in Arizona to have a National Guard Unit. Companies B and C of the First Territorial Rifles were organized in Prescott in 1865 and Company M of the First Arizona Infantry was organized in 1910. Company M of the 158th Infantry of the National Guard of Arizona received Federal recognition February 3, 1930. This Company originally used a church on South Montezuma Street as their Armory, but it was described as "totally inadequate".

The Prescott National Guard Armory, one of the largest and most prominent buildings on East Gurley Street, was designed by architect Orville A. Bell and was constructed on land donated to the State of Arizona by the City of Prescott. This was a portion of the property previously donated to the City by Mr. & Mrs. Charles T. Joslin. A Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.P) project, construction of the Armory was begun on March 5, 1936, and completed in November, 1939. The Armory was designed as a vernacular structure with elements of Richardsonian Romanesque style in the decorative detail. The building is constructed of reinforced concrete with native ashlar granite facing and sandstone trim, red or black extruded mortar joints and a Lamelia truss roof. It was described at the time of completion as "fortress-like".

In July 1980 the Armory, no longer needed by the Arizona Nation Guard, was deeded to the City of Prescott. Today it is used as a multi-use City Parks and Recreation facility. The Prescott National Guard Armory is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Prescott's modern public library was dedicated on May 18, 1975. However, the history of a public library in Prescott goes back to August 1895, when seven local ladies founded the Women's Club of Prescott (now the Monday Club). They gathered a collection of books from local households and opened a reading room. This venture was supported with membership dues, but the dream of the Women's Club was to establish a free reading room. In July 1899, Julia Goldwater wrote a letter to Andrew Carnegie requesting assistance. Carnegie offered $4,000, half the sum which had been requested, with the understanding that a matching amount must be raised in the community. Eventually, the funds were raised and in 1903 the Carnegie Library was completed on the southwest corner of Gurley and Marina streets. This was Prescott's public library until 1975, when the current library building was completed on the southeast corner of Marina and Goodwin streets.

Prescott Public Library provides access to books, magazines and newspapers, computers and internet access, Summer Reading programs, story hours, special programs, meeting rooms and an ongoing Friends Book Sale that includes some of the original book stacks from the Carnegie Library. The Prescott Public Library is one of the most extensively used library facilities in the state, and parking is always at a premium. In 1998, in an effort to help alleviate this problem, the City acquired the adjacent property to the south, and constructed a new parking lot. One of the primary features of this property is an Arizona White Oak (Quercus Arizonica) estimated to be over 300 years old. This tree is very slow growing, may live to be 500 years old and is found at elevations of 4,900 to 11,000 feet. The parking lot was designed around the tree, enabling the City to preserve and protect the tree and leaving a small park area within the parking lot.

Funded by the Bumpus Trust

The Ruffner Plaza Stables were built on this lot purchased from Frank Murphy for $3,600. In May 1898, a local newspaper reported that it was "one of the most substantial as well as ornamental improvements which has been put up for several years. It is said to be one of the handsomest buildings of the kind in the Southwest and far ahead of any similar structure in Arizona." In February 1922, Ruffner sold the business to Dixon Fagerbert, who remodeled the building into a modern garage. The building later burned.

Owner, George Ruffner (marked with an X on the photograph) was described as "a man of honest and respectable industry". He came to the Territory in 1881 and worked as a cowboy and teamster. In 1888, Ruffner was one of the organizers of Prescott's World's Oldest Rodeo and he carried the American flag in every Fourth of July parade until his death in 1933 at the age of 71. In 1893 he was appointed a Deputy Sheriff of Yavapai County and the following year was elected Sheriff. He served five non-contiguous terms and was the first person from Arizona inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners in the Cowboy Hall of Fame.

This plaque was placed by the City of Prescott and Ruffner descendants at the Ruffner family reunion in June 2003.

In the fall of 1878 the Sisters of St. Joseph came to Prescott. Money was raised in the community for a hospital to be run by the sisters and by 1881 the hospital had been completed on North Marina Street. In June 1891 construction was started next door on Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The church was designed by Frank Parker under the direction of Father Alfred Quetu. Fr. Quetu was the prime mover behind the building of the church. The first services were held on February 17, 1895.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church is a substantial brick structure in the "Sober Gothic Style" featuring pointed arches, decorative brickwork and two colors of local rhyolitic tuff stone for trim and the foundation. It is one of the best examples of religious architecture in Arizona. Originally, the church had a steeple 115 feet tall. After being struck by lightning several times, it was removed in 1930. In 1915, the old hospital was torn down and the Rectory was built next door. A new hospital had been built on Grove Avenue in 1898, and the name was changed to Sisters of Mercy Hospital.

June 13, 1969, was the last time the church was used for religious services. In 1969 the Prescott Fine Arts Association acquired the property for a theater and art gallery, an excellent example of adaptation of a historically significant building for re-use for the benefit of the community. The church and rectory are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Prescott's first railroad arrived on December 31, 1886. The current depot was built by the Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railway, also known as the "Peavine", in 1907. Designed in the Mission Revival style of poured concrete with a barrel tile roof, it occupies a prominent location at the north end of Cortez Street and was the center of shipping and receiving in Yavapai County. The tracks were last in use on December 31, 1986, the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the railroad. The tracks were removes and the Depot, long empty, has now been restored and converted to use as professional offices.

Prescott, Yavapai County seat, founded 1864 on Granite Creek, source of placer gold. Named for William Hickling Prescott, Historian. First Governor John N. Goodwin, appointee of Abraham Lincoln, established first territorial capital of Arizona here, at Governor's mansion. Two blocks west, the first legislature met July 10, 1865. Site of first graded school started in Arizona. Disastrous fire started by Miner's cancel destroyed four blocks about this square in 1900.

Erected by the Prescott Rotary Club, 1959

The courthouse you see today, constructed in 1916 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is not the original one on this site. The first courthouse constructed on the Plaza, one of two city blocks set aside in 1864 for government use, was a smaller, but more elaborate brick structure built in 1878. It was an impressive structure that immediately became the symbolic focal point of a young Yavapai County. Many important cases were heard here in the days when Prescott served as the Territorial Capital of Arizona (1864–1867 and 1877–1889). Arizona became State in 1912, four years before the current courthouse was constructed.

Funded by the Historic Preservation Fund and the City of Prescott

The first public school in Prescott was opened in 1867. In 1876 a four-room brick public school building was erected here. It was known as the "Prescott Free Academy". In 1903 that building was torn down and replaced by Washington School. Washington School was designed by D. Kilpatrick in a Classical Revival style. It was constructed of deep red brick with tuff and cement trim and "presents a handsome appearance from the exterior". The school opened on September 1, 1903. The bell from the Prescott Free Academy was hung in the belfry. In 1914 a second building was constructed northwest of the main school building for manual arts and domestic science classes. This building was torn down in 1979. A second annex building constructed in 1930 is still in use. The multi-purpose building was designed by William Otwell and was constructed in 1990.

Washington School is the oldest school building in Yavapai County which has been in continuous use as a school, and may be the oldest school building in Arizona still in use as a school. A 1903 article in the Prescott Journal Miner stated that Washington School is "one of the best, most complete and thoroughly equipped (schools)" and "means not only a great deal from an educational standpoint bur also from the standpoint looking to the material advancement of the City". Washington School stands not only as a reminder of Prescott's history, but as a bridge between the time-honored traditions of the educational past and the promises of the future. Washington School is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

1800 - 1867 Known as Prescott's first citizen, Weaver was a trapper, miner, Army Scout and friend of the Indians.

He was camped near this spot in 1863 and 1864 when gold miners and government officials first entered the area.

Truly a Great Man Pioneer · Prospector · Scout · Guide

Pauline Weaver Truly a Great Man Born in Tennessee in 1800 Died at Camp Verde June 21, 1867

He was born, lived and died on the frontier of this country, always in the ever advancing westward move of civilization and was the first settler on the site of Prescott. He was descended from the best blood of the white man and the Native American and his greatest achievement was as peacemaker between the races, understanding as few ever did the true hearts of the two peoples.

Free Trapper · Fur Trader · Empire Builder · Patriot

By the early 1870s a full block of saloons, gambling halls and hotels made this the wildest part of town. Some of the saloons brewed their own beer and most drinks sold for 12-1/2 cents each. On July 14, 1900, a disastrous fire swept through the Row and destroyed four and a half blocks of the business district. The Row rebuilt quickly and still serves as a focal point of Prescott.

The City of Prescott and the Arizona Historical Society