Sharlot Hall Museum

Sharlot Hall Museum is named after its founder, Sharlot Mabridth Hall (1870-1943), who became well-known as a poet, activist, politician, and Arizona’s first female Territorial Historian. She was one of the West’s most remarkable women; as early as 1907, Ms. Hall saw the need to save Arizona’s history and planned to develop a museum. She began to collect both native American Indian and pioneer material. In 1927, she began restoring the first Territorial Governor’s residence and offices, and moved her extensive collection of artifacts and documents opening it as the “Gubernatorial Mansion Museum” in 1928. After her death in 1943, the museum was named in her honor.

Today, the Sharlot Hall Museum features eleven exhibit buildings (six of which are historic), compelling exhibits, and beautiful gardens, which serve as the setting for numerous public festivals and events. The east wing of the Lawler Exhibit Center presents the Pre-History of Arizona’s Central Highlands featuring the time of the Beasts to the first indigenous peoples; the main gallery provides a venue for temporary exhibits and displays;  and the west wing provides a venue for special events and temporary exhibits.

The new Fred W. Veil Education Center provides a venue for the historical lecture series, educational presentations, music events, and serves as a community center for organizations large and small. The Museum’s Living History programs held throughout the year bring the past alive through hands-on demonstrations and learning activities held throughout the four-acre campus. When visiting the Museum, be sure to stop by our Museum Store which is located in the Bashford House – an 1875 Victorian home. The Sharlot Hall Museum Research Center (formerly the Library & Archives) is across street on McCormick, is open to the public, and holds a vast collection of rare books, original documents, historical photographs, maps and oral history.