The Brunenkant Bakery

If you have been in Florence for any period of time you have probably noticed the two story brick building at the corner of 8th and Bailey. You may have even toured here on one of the stops during the historic home tours. In this issue we explore the history of this building.

The building was built by a baker by the name of Conrad Brunenkant around 1889, with the bakery opening in 1890. Conrad was an immigrant from Heidelburg, Germany and served in the German army during the Prussian War, presumably where he learned to bake. Around 1860 he moved to San Francisco with two of his brothers. In 1863 he met and married his wife, Augusta Hadis. Soon after, Conrad left California for Arizona. After briefly working near the Silver King mine he moved to Florence and opened his bakery.

In addition to building the bakery, he also built a residence for the family next door, made of adobe. The bakery is built in the Queen Ann style and made from locally produced red bricks. In 1892 one of the upstairs rooms was used as a doctor's office. Between 1898 and 1910 some of the upstairs rooms were used as hotel rooms.

After Conrad's death in 1919 his son Alvin continued the operation of the bakery. Between 1914 to 1941 the building also served as the meeting place of the local chapter of the “Alianza Hispano-Americana” fraternal organization. Alvin ran the bakery up to the 1930s, and then sold to others who ran it as a grocery store until the 1960s.

Brunenkant building back in the late 1800s, with Conrad on the right.

Items from the bakery in the PCHS Museum

When the grocery store shut down in the 1960s the building sat abandoned for several years. In 1970 the Florence Library Board of Trustees took over the building. Using private donations the board was able to restore the building and turn it into the Florence library in 1973. Around 2010 the library was moved out of this building, primarily because the weight of the books was making the building unstable. In 2011 the Chamber of Commerce moved in and turned the building into a visitor's center.

Today the building is used mainly for law offices and is part of the home tour. If you would like to see some of the original items from the bakery on display pay a visit to the PCHS museum!

Thank You for Making the Christmas Party Fundraiser a Success!

A big "Thank you" to all of you who donated or attended our Christmas Party Fundraiser! We had a wonderful time with old friends and new, and enjoyed a delicious dinner from Ma's Kitchen. We are still working out how much we raised, but it was a big success! We would like to thank our sponsors:

Green Tree Inn and Suites

Florence Copper

Mt Athos Restaurant

Faith's Creations

The Coffee Station

Copper Coyote

AZ Flower Girl

Irish Cowboy

Casa De Baca

Sweet P's

Loft and Pantry

Total Concept

Valentino's Restaurant

Chen's Restaurant

Dollar General

Windmill Winery

Toggenburg Goats

Dale Weibley

Rick Danielsen

Hermalene Wick

Museum Members

This money will go towards funding museum operating expenses and helps us keep our museum a great Pinal County institution!

Third Fridays in Florence!

The "Third Fridays" event takes place on the third Friday of each month through April. This event takes place at Padilla Park from 5-8 pm. The fun includes food trucks, live music, and various vendors (one of which is the museum gift shop!). Stop by and say Hello!

Looking for some great last-minute Christmas ideas? Check out our gift shop for children's books, stocking stuffers, jewelry, and ornaments. We have a wide range of items for the young and the young at heart. Many of our gift shop items are made by local artisans!

We welcome you to our Gift Shop Tuesday-Saturday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.