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Welcome to

 Gila County Historical Museum

The Gila County Historical Society was founded in 1955 to study, collect, preserve, and disseminate the history of Gila County. The Society placed its collected artifacts in the former Globe-Miami Mine Rescue Station in 1972. Since then many more items have been acquired for the museum's collections and archives. The historic building and grounds were deeded to the society in 1988 and the following year the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The north wing was added in 1999.


The museum's exhibits include the Governor Hunt Victorian bedroom, a print shop, the Native American room, a Ranching room and many other standing exhibits and other displays depicting many aspects of local history. The museum's library contains a fine collection of archival material including geneological histories, books and over 4000 photographs.

Currently LOOKING FOR old City Directories for Globe-Miami
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Download a PDF form for Membership Here


Hours of Operation:
Monday - Friday  10am - 4pm
Saturday 11am - 3pm `
CLOSED SUNDAYS
 
Donna L. Anderson is the Museum's Director. Through the years, much of the Museum's photographs and records have been carefully catalogued. Donna is the author of two books on the history of Globe, "Honor the Past, Mold the Future", published in 1976, and "History of Globe, Arizona" published in 2007. The museum has a large selection of books on the area for sale, including the above and Bill and  Lynn Haak's published a book of 200 archival photographs, "GLOBE", through Arcadia Publishing, and Bill has also published "Copper Bottom Tales" and

"Globe's Historic Building's".
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Other books, represented by the Historical Museum include:

Recurring Events:  The Museum hosts a Hamburger Fry the last Friday of every month : APRIL - SEPTEMBER. Proceeds go towards the Museum's many projects. Come join us -- $5 per person.  Yummm! Feel free to join us on the museum lawn and visit friends and neighbors.

First Friday Programs: Presentations of historic interest are presented on the First Friday of each month, September through June, at the Miami Memorial Library in Miami, at 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted.  These programs are sponsored by the Bullion Plaza Cultural Center & Museum and the Gila County Historical Museum, and are made possible through the Arizona Humanities Council.

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 First Friday Programs

       sponsored by Bullion Plaza Cultural Center & Museum

                  and the Gila County Historical Museum

           Programs are free to the public.    Light refreshments served following.

November 4 - "Arizona Eastern Railway History" by Donna Anderson.  A 25-minute film will be shown relating the struggle to get rail to Globe, with the trials and tribulations of the four-year struggle to building the line that keeps copper and other freight rolling, plus its part in carrying passengers that helped build the community.  This will be followed by comments and a question and answer session.

December 2 - Christmas Open House for Gila County Historical Museum and the Bullion Plaza Cultural Center and Museum, to be held at the museum at 1330 N. Broad Street in Globe from 4 to 7 p.m. 

January 6 - "Local Ranching History" by Jane Hale.

February 3 - "Prehistoric Arizona" by Eddie Colyott. 

March 2 - "Arizona Statehood with All the Bells and Whistles" by Jim Turner. The story of the work it took for Arizona to become a state, and the people who were key to the movement.

April 6 - "Mexican American History in Miami, Az. by Christine Marin.

May 4 - "The Construction of Roosevelt Dam" by Rick Powers

June 3 - "Bill Roten and Friends" outdoor concert of old-time music.

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                        Community Centennial Events

October-March: Special Display: Governors from Globe, highlighting the Globe beginnings of Arizona's first governor, George W. P. Hunt, and Arizona's first woman governor, Rose Perica Mofford.

November 5:  "Mining Rocks", looking back at a century of mining in the Globe-Miami area, sponsored jointly by the Greater Globe-Miami Chamber of Commerce and area mining companies.  Located at Bullion Plaza Park in Miami, 1-5 p.m.

December 2: "Night of Christmas Music", an annual tradition, to be at 7 p.m. at 1701 Ensign St., in Globe. An evening of beautiful Christmas music performed by different members of our ommunity.  Guests will enjoy a display of vocal and instrumental talents.

December 3: "Christmas and Dessert Concert" by the Cobre Valley Community Players, 7 p.m. in the Center theatre and Governors' Room, Broad and Oak.

December 10:  First Community Centennial Band Concert in front of the historic depot building in downtown Globe, followed at 6 p.m. by the annual Light Parade. 

December 10: Annual Light Parade, "Centennial Tribute to Arizona" theme, 6 p.m. on historic Broad Street in Globe.

December 16 and 17: "First Christmas in Globe, Arizona 1876", a re-enactment, presented by the Gila County Historical Museum at St. Paul's United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall. Open to the public, 7 p.m. each evening.

December 18:  "Festival of Lights" 6 pm. at Besh-ba-Gowah Archaeological Park.  Luminaries will line the entire village, a musical program will be held in the central plaza of the Salado ruin, plus music in the museum auditorium.

February 11, 2012: Grand opening of the Old Dominion Copper Mine Park, 10 a.m. at the site.  Walking trails with interpretive signs showing the actual mine location and ruins of the copper mine founded in 1881.

March 10-11, 2012: Historic Home and Building Tour and Antique Show. Tickets on sale 9 am to 3 p.m. each day, sponsored by the Greater Globe Chamber of Commerce, with antique show sponsored by the Gila County Historical Museum.

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REQUEST:  The Museum gratefully accepts items of historical interest from individuals and/or families who wish to contribute to the Museum's collection of photographs and archival records. While the museum is unable to pay for items, they will acknowledge all gifts or items placed on permanent loan.
Items to be donated must be accepted by the  Board of Directors. 

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This last year the Museum has continued to co-sponsor the First Friday programs along with Bullion Plaza Cultural Center and Museum, and add to the Museum's collections. One of the major additions have been the 100 year old Roosevelt-to-Globe stagecoach, donated by the Globe-Miami Vigilantes.

We were also able to construct a new "Carriage House" for the stage coach and the 1920 Seagraves fire engine. The old structure was torn down, and the new building was completed in the Spring of 2009. The vehicles were added later in the year. This addition is not open on a regular basis, but is available by special request and during our on-site museum activities.  Both the stagecoach and fire engine are in need of restoration work. Any Volunteers?