In May 2021, I had a lovely trip to the Pioneer Living History Museum in Phoenix, Arizona! The hours are reduced for the summer (it gets very hot here) but it’s definitely worth a visit as soon as the temperature is cool enough that you can tolerate it.

There are a ton of historic and reproduction cabins and other Old West-looking buildings, nicely furnished. But I’m more fascinated by what you’d find in towns and cities.

Let’s start with the bank! It’s a reconstruction of a building from 1884! It was the first building in Arizona used entirely for banking in Arizona.

And here’s the reproduction of St. Paul’s Methodist Episcopal Church from 1880!

I hadn’t noticed the visible gaps in the slats in the pews until I looked back at the photos. The pew on the left (below) is an original, which they used as inspiration for the reproductions.

And let’s visit the dress shop. I find historic clothes fascinating!

I think my favorite place was the Victorian house, though. I’ll post about that another time!