List of historic properties in Tombstone, Arizona

Last updated

List of historic properties
in Tombstone, Arizona
Tombstone-Allen Street.jpg
Historic Allen Street
AZMap-doton-Tombstone.png
Location in Cochise County and the state of Arizona

This is a list of historic properties in Tombstone, Arizona, which includes a photographic gallery of some of the remaining historic structures. The majority of these structures are in the Tombstone Historic District which was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on October 15, 1966. The gallery includes the Sacred Heart Church, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, the Tombstone City Hall, and the Tombstone Courthouse, among many other historic structures. The historic Boot Hill Graveyard is also included here, with images of the graves of some of the town's notable internees; however, the graveyard was specifically excluded from the NRHP historic district due to its lack of historic integrity. [1]

Contents

Brief history

Ed Schieffelin in 1880 Ed Schieffelin in Tombstone year 1880.jpg
Ed Schieffelin in 1880

Tombstone was a mining town founded in 1879 by Ed Schieffelin. Schieffelin was a prospector who laid claim to what became one of the biggest silver mines in Pima County, Arizona Territory. The mine was named the Schieffelin Mine. Schieffelin, together with some partners, owned or had interest in the Contention Mine and the Tombstone Mining and Milling Company, which owned the Tough Nut Mine. Prospectors and business entrepreneurs began to settle the town after news spread of the silver strike. [2] [3]

On October 26, 1881, Tombstone gained national notoriety with the famous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral involving the brothers Wyatt, Morgan, and Virgil Earp (the town marshal and a deputy U.S. marshal), joined by Doc Holliday, against Ike Clanton, Billy Clanton, Frank McLaury, Tom McLaury, and Billy Claiborne, members of an outlaw group called the Cochise County Cowboys. [4] [1] [5]

Bird Cage Theatre poker table where the longest poker game was played Tombstone-Building-Bird Cage Theatre-Poker Room Table.jpg
Bird Cage Theatre poker table where the longest poker game was played

One of Tombstones best known structures is the historic Bird Cage Theatre. The theatre provided the citizens of the town with entertainment including live performances, liquor, prostitutes, and poker games. The longest poker game in history was played in the basement of the theater. Players had to pay $1,000 for a seat at the table. Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson, George Hearst, Diamond Jim Brady, and Adolphus Busch were some of the notable players. The poker game was played continuously 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for eight years from 1881 to 1889. Approximately $10 million was exchanged in the game through those eight years, and the Bird Cage retained ten percent of that money. [6] [7]

The structures along Allen Street are included in the Tombstone Historic District, which was declared a National Historic Landmark on July 4, 1961. [4] The district was also added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966, reference #66000171. [1]

Structures and places of historical interest

Tombstone Historic District

The Tombstone Epitaph building Tombstone-Building-Tombstone Epitaph-1880-2.jpg
The Tombstone Epitaph building

The following are the major, registered structures in the Tombstone Historic District:

The Crabtree Livery Stable and San Jose House are in the background of this 1940 photograph. Covered board sidewalk in Tombstone, Arizona - May 1940.jpg
The Crabtree Livery Stable and San Jose House are in the background of this 1940 photograph.

Other structures within the boundaries of the Tombstone Historic District, along Allen, Fremont, and Toughnut Streets: [1]

The following religious buildings have individual NRHP listings:

Other structures of historical interest

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 Wyatt Earp House and Gallery House-2-1879.jpg
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

Boot Hill Graveyard

The bodies of Billy Clanton, Frank McLaury and Tom McLaury Mclauriesclanton.jpg
The bodies of Billy Clanton, Frank McLaury and Tom McLaury

Further reading

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Marilyn Larew (February 1978). "Tombstone – National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination". National Park Service . Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  2. "Arizona Pioneers' Historical Society". Arizoniana, 1960, p. 17
  3. "The Schieffelin Family". Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
  4. 1 2 "Tombstone Historic District". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on October 30, 2007. Retrieved September 27, 2007.
  5. "Tombstone – Accompanying 14 photos, 1 from 1880, 13 undated". National Park Service. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  6. The Longest Poker Game
  7. Tombstone, Arizona – The Old West's Most Historic Town The Bird Cage Theater
  8. Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records: State Library of Arizona
  9. Wallace Yegors (May 22, 1970). "Tombstone Courthouse – National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form". National Park Service. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  10. Robert Fink (July 26, 1971). "Tombstone City Hall – National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form". National Park Service. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  11. 1 2 Chinese Residents in Tombstone
  12. Bella Union Saloon and Opera House
  13. Tombstone Times
  14. Longhorn Restaurant
  15. The Oldest Restaurant In Arizona Has A Truly Incredible History
  16. Karen Sprinkles (n.d.). "Bars in Tombstone, AZ". traveltips.usatoday.com. Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  17. "Vogans Alley Bar". chamberofcommerce.com. n.d. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  18. Fly's Photography Gallery
  19. Tombstone History
  20. Silver Nugget
  21. "Allen English Home, Adobe Home Built in 1882". hmdb.org. March 15, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  22. "304 E Toughnut St Tombstone AZ". realtor.com. Move, Inc., a subsidiary of News Corp. n.d. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  23. Sally Alves (January 15, 2001). "Sacred Heart Church – National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form". National Park Service. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  24. Robert Fink (February 17, 1971). "St. Paul's Episcopal Church – National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form". National Park Service. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  25. 1 2 Wyatt Earp's House
  26. Monument to Ed Schieffelin who discovered the mineral deposits at Tombstone, Arizona
  27. Moore, Richard E. (Winter 1986). "The Silver King: Ed Schieffelin, Prospector". Oregon Historical Quarterly. 87 (4): 367–387. JSTOR   20614087.
  28. Original Tombstone High School
  29. "Legends of the Judiciary" (PDF). Arizona Judicial Branch. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
  30. Tombstone Western Heritage Museum
  31. Arizona Women's Hall of Fame
  32. "National Register Digital Assets". nps.gov. National Park Service. October 15, 1966. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  33. Boothill Graveyard
  34. 1 2 Old West Legends: John Heath and the Bisbee Massacre Archived 2012-06-28 at the Wayback Machine