Jerome State Historic Park

Discover the history of Jerome, AZ at Jerome State Historic Park. This museum was once the stately mansion of mining mogul James Douglas.

Learn about Arizona’s history while visiting one of the grandest residences in the state. Not many towns have a historic mansion overlooking them, but that’s exactly what you’ll find here. Gaze out onto the mining site below the house and imagine a time when this area was bustling with the activity of miners and townspeople.

History & Nature

A landmark in Jerome, Arizona since 1916, the Douglas Mansion was built by mining mogul James “Rawhide Jimmy” Douglas on a hill, overlooking his Little Daisy Mine. Douglas built the home to be used as a hotel for mining officials and investors as well as a home for his family. With notable features including a wine cellar, billiard room, marble shower, steam heat, and a central vacuum system, the mansion was far ahead of its time. Douglas was especially proud that the house was constructed of adobe bricks made on site. The land was originally used by local Native Americans to mine the green and blue rocks, Malachite and Azurite, for dyeing textiles, making jewelry, and trading. When the settlers came in the 1800s, they established Fort Verde down in the valley to help protect the copper mining.

United Verde Copper Company operated the mine, which was the largest source of income for the area. Mining in Jerome amounted to over $18B in minerals and precious metals. The need for copper was astronomical for electricity, telephone lines, and telegraphs. When they shut down, all the employees had to leave to find jobs at other mines, making Jerome the largest ghost town in America. The Douglas Mansion, along with 2.43 acres of land was officially purchased by Arizona State Parks in 1962 and opened to the public in 1965, making Jerome State Historic Park the 5th state park in the state.

Things To Do

Today, the house is a museum devoted to the Douglas family history and history of Jerome. Filled with exhibits of photographs, artifacts, and minerals, plus a 3-D model of the town and underground mines, this mansion lets visitors step back in time to experience Arizona at the height of the copper boom. There are daily ranger programs on the patio outside of the visitor’s center that cover different topics, or you can take a self-paced tour through the museum and experience a variety of hands-on displays and demonstrations. Museum exhibits include an in-depth look into geology, mining technology, and the life people lived during those times.

Hotels, Lodging & Camping

There are lots of options for lodging in Jerome, including inns, vacation rentals, hotels, and the stately historic Jerome Grand Hotel, built in 1926 as a hospital. The hospital even had Arizona’s first self-service elevator.

Centrally located in the state, the park is located south of Sedona, north of Prescott, and west of Cottonwood, all of are which less than an hour’s drive away.