Banner image by Jerrye and Roye Klotz MD, via Wikimedia Commons
Designed by Levi Ruggles and built in 1878, the first Pinal County Courthouse in Florence constructed of locally made adobe blocks and wood that had been brought from northern Arizona by wagon. When a second courthouse was completed in 1891, the first courthouse was converted into a hospital that served the County for almost 50 years. When the hospital moved, building was converted into a public health and welfare center. From 1968 to 1970 the building housed the Pinal County Historical Society Museum. The building was vacant until it sold to Governor Ernest McFarland at public auction in 1974. He subsequently donated the building to the Arizona State Parks Board for use as a museum. Rooms were returned to their original sizes and appearance.
The building represents a transition between Sonoran and Anglo-American architecture. It has a wood-shingled pitched roof and traditional adobe brick walls.
The museum includes an exhibit about the Japanese-American Internment Camp located in Florence during World War II.
