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. 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: 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 and currently 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. 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. 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). Images. The following are the images of some of the historic structures and exhibits in the Sharlot Hall Museum.