The Florence Ice Wagon

While it's hot outside lets talk about something cool... like the history of ice in Florence! In the early 1900s Florence had an ice factory, but it only lasted couple of years before burning down.

People during this time period purchased ice for refrigeration. Unlike the modern refrigerators we have in our homes today, the refrigerators at that time were basically insulated boxes, with a place for a block of ice to keep things cool.

After the Florence ice factory was destroyed ice was hauled to Florence in a horse-pulled wagon from an ice factory in Mesa. The ice was hauled to a storage room at the Florence Hotel, where it would be sold at noon each day. This took place from about 1910 to the early 1930s.

The wagon that moved the ice to Florence is shown in the figure at right. This wagon was pulled by 4 horses and made the 80 mile round trip 3 times a week. After the wagon was replaced in the 30s it was unused and left in disrepair.

Restored Ice Wagon at the PCHS Museum

In the 1980s a man by the name of Jim Faul restored the wagon. It took him 14 months to restore the carriage and he paid $3500 to have the wheels restored by specialist in Patagonia. In 1986 he completed the restoration and donated the wagon to the PCHS museum. The wagon currently sits on the front porch of the museum. To see this piece of Florence history come by the museum and take a look!

Mark Your Calendars: Yard Sale and Christmas Party!

Find your next treasure at our Yard Sale! Vintage items, books, and much more! All proceeds benefit the museum. 

The Yard Sale takes place on our front lawn on November 9th from 7:30 am to 12:00 pm.

Our annual Christmas Party Fundraiser is also coming up! For this year it will be on December 18 at the GreenTree Inn and Suites in Florence. Further details will be forthcoming.

We are looking forward to seeing you at these great events, and as always, we appreciate your support!

Just a reminder that we have an election coming up. If you are not registered to vote the deadline is October 7. Make sure your address is current, as election material can't be forwarded. To register, to request a ballot-by-mail, or for more voting information click the link below:

Arizona votes

If you are doing early voting by mail this takes place between October 9 and November 1.

Election day this year is November 5.

Check out some of the latest items in our gift shop! Our book selection now includes "Enemies in Love", by Alexis Clark. This is a love story about a German POW and an African-American nurse in Arizona during WWII, and the struggles they had to overcome to be together.



We welcome you to our Gift Shop Wednesday-Saturday from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm.