Established in 1973, MetroCenter, a regional shopping district located in northwest Phoenix, was designed by the architectural firm Flatow, Moore, Bryan and Fairburn. Its impressive two-story, enclosed shopping mall was accessible through a massive 7,000-space parking lot and by prominent tenant signage. Boasting its status as one of the largest shopping malls in the United […]

February 19, 2023 On this day in 1942, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, commanding the military “to prescribe military areas in such places and of such extent… from which any or all persons may be excluded.” The term “persons” was never defined as a specific group, but Executive Order 9066 was only […]

February 2, 2023 Borderlands Theater and Los Descendientes de Tucson receive new landlords in Rio Nuevo at historic adobe Tucson, AZ On January 27, 2023, the Arizona Historical Society Board of Directors  unanimously approved the sale of the Sosa-Carrillo House to Rio Nuevo. The historic, 1880s  home on the Tucson Convention Center Campus is one […]

Arizona Heritage Center’s Newest Exhibit Explores How Baseball Served and Saved the Japanese Americans Imprisoned in Arizona’s Incarceration Camps During World War II “Rebuilding Home Plate – Baseball in Arizona’s Japanese American Incarceration Camps” opens  January 26 at the Arizona Heritage Center in Tempe, Arizona   “Rebuilding Home Plate – Baseball in Arizona’s Japanese American […]

With tears in his eyes, a student from a history class at the University of Arizona toured Los Desconocidos: The Migrant Quilt Project, the newest exhibit at the Arizona History Museum in Tucson. Covering more than 20 years of the history and stories of those who made the perilous journey through the Southern Arizona deserts, this […]

A National History Day season for the history books! Arizona students stayed committed to their NHD projects despite facing an ever-changing NHD landscape! The theme for 2022 was Debate and Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, and Consequences.  Congratulations to the 43 students from Arizona representing 28 entries that were promoted to the national contest. They […]

The COVID death toll in the United States has climbed to more than 900,000 lives lost. In Arizona alone, we have lost over 27,000 lives. Each death leaves behind family and friends who mourn the loss of their loved ones. Public memorials are a way for grieving families to come together to share their stories […]

Arizona Historical Society Announces Dr. David Breeckner As the New Executive Director Dr. Breeckner Will Lead the State’s Oldest Historical Agency Starting December 2021 The Arizona Historical Society (AHS) is proud to announce Dr. David Breeckner (pronounced “BrEHck-ner”) as the incoming Executive Director. With a passion for history and learning, Dr. Breeckner will start his […]

Very early in the morning on September 16, 1810, the bells of the church in Dolores (now Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato) rang, gathering the congregation from their beds into the plaza. Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla gave an impassioned speech, urging people to take up arms against the corrupt and morally reprehensible Spanish Crown. This is […]

Arizona Historical Society Awarded Re-Accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums The Arizona Historical Society (AHS) has achieved accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition afforded the nation’s museums. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public. The Arizona History Museum […]