List of historic properties
in Duncan, Arizona
Town
Simpson Hotel entrance- 1914
Simpson Hotel entrance- 1914
Location of Duncan in Greenlee County, Arizona
Location of Duncan in Greenlee County, Arizona
Coordinates: 32°43′33″N 109°5′52″W / 32.72583°N 109.09778°W / 32.72583; -109.09778
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Cities, towns and CDPs in Arizona with lists and images of historic properties, forts, cemeteries or historic districts
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Lists of structures, etc.
Forts
Cemeteries
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Side view of the Knights of Pythias lodge#27 building - 1900
Freiheit Building - 1913

This is a list, which includes a photographic gallery, of some of the remaining historic buildings, houses, and other structures in the mining town of Duncan, which is located in Greenlee County, Arizona. The Duncan Pride Society has identified various structures as significantly historical. The society has taken it upon themselves the task of restoring many of them. Also included are photographs of the antique town clock and the 1950 Chevrolet 6400 2-ton fire truck once used in Duncan. Among the historic properties is the Benjamin F. Billingsley House, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Brief history

According archeologists the specimens of pottery and stone implements found in the area of Greenlee County, where the town of Duncan is located indicate that the members of the Anasazi were among the first people to inhabit the region. This was hundreds of years before the first white men, the Spanish explorers arrival. The Anasazi are considered by historians to have been an advanced ancient native-American civilization. Eventually the Apaches, who were hunters, gatherers, and raiders, would become the dominant native-American force.[1][2][3][4]

New Spain

Francisco Vasquez de Coronado was a governor of a province in New Spain (in Mexico). He heard reports of the legend of the Seven Golden Cities and believed they were located north of Mexico's western coast. Vasquez de Coronado organized an expedition which eventually passed through the area where the San Francisco River is located. He failed in his mission.[5][4][1][2][3] Fray Marcos de Niza, who was a notable Spanish missionary, also passed through the area with the intention of converting the natives to Catholicism.[6]

New Mexico

The territory that includes present-day New Mexico and Arizona was designated as "New Mexico”. Mexico became independent from Spain in 1821. A team of mountain men and trappers that were led by James Ohio Pattie in 1824 and 1825 arrived, and they searched the San Francisco River edges for beavers in the area. Hats made from the fur of beavers were very popular in the 1800s.[1][2][4][7][8]

In 1845, Mexico severed its relations with the United States because of the annexation of Texas by the United States. United States President James K. Polk declared war against Mexico in what became known as the Mexican–American War. The Mormon Battalion was among the troops which entered the area. Arizona north of the Gila River was taken by the United States under the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo at the end of the war.[9][2][4][8]

Arizona Territory

The California volunteers pursuing the Apaches in 185, discovered the first minerals in the Greenlee area. Conflicts between the Apaches and the advancing Anglo settlers resulted in a war known as the Apache Wars. The conflict with the Apaches lasted 26 years. Mining for gold and silver began in 1864, followed by copper in 1872.[1][2][10][4][8]

Duncan had its origin on the north bank of the San Francisco River where two men, whose surname was Purdy, established a way station on the ore haulage line that ran between Clifton and Silver City, New Mexico. In 1883, a post office was established in Purdy. Thus the new settlement was named Purdy. Scottish investors financed the building of a narrow gauge railway from Clifton to Lordsburg, New Mexico. The railway line was called the Arizona and New Mexico Railroad, and it passed through Purdy. James Duncan Smith became the managing director of the Arizona Copper Company, and, after Purdy was moved to the south bank of the river, it was renamed Duncan. The Purdy post office was relocated to the new location of Purdy and thus the settlement was renamed Duncan. Duncan was officially founded in 1883 and became a shipping point for markets in the middle west and east. Zinc and copper mines were established in the hills around Duncan. The railroad stop in Duncan made the town a marketing center for farm produce and a shipping point for ore and cattle. Greenlee County was created in 1909 and named for Mason Greenlee, who was an early settler in the Clifton area.[11][7][8][12]

Duncan Pride Society

The Duncan Pride Society was established on March 8, 2001. The society's vision statement is the following: "PRIDE is committed to work with our town government, community leaders and all area residents to preserve and enhance our town's overall image and historic value". The society's first project was Spezia Square, placed on a historical corner located on the Old West Highway. Among the society's accomplishments is the clean-ups and painting of scenes on most of the old buildings.[13]

Jim McPherson, Arizona Preservation Foundation board president, has stated the following:

It is crucial that residents, private interests, and government officials act now to save these elements of our cultural heritage before it is too late.[14]

An individual structure listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Benjamin F. Billingsley House listed on August 25, 1983, reference: #83002998. The following is in accordance to the NRHP: Applicable Criteria: Architecture/Engineering Person; Architectural Styles: Queen Anne; Areas Of Significance: Commerce, Architecture; Periods Of Significance: 1900–1924[15] Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female justice of the United States Supreme Court, grew up on the Lazy B, a cattle ranch near Duncan.[16]

Historic properties

Saint Mary's Catholic Church corner block - 1936
Greenlee County Building -1890
House on 211 Railroad Ave. - 1920

The following historic structures are listed as contributing factors within Duncan. The names posted are the original names used when the properties were first built.[13] Also pictured is the antique town clock located in Spezia Square Park and the 1950 Chevrolet 6400 2-ton fire truck once used in Duncan.

Duncan, Arizona
Duncan
  • Benjamin F. Billingsley House - 1900
    Benjamin F. Billingsley House - 1900
  • Simpson Hotel (former Hotel Hobbs) - 1914
    Simpson Hotel (former Hotel Hobbs) - 1914
  • Freiheit Building - 1913
    Freiheit Building - 1913
  • Country Store - 1909
    Country Store - 1909
  • Duncan Restaurant - 1909
    Duncan Restaurant - 1909
  • Duncan Theater - 1921
    Duncan Theater - 1921
  • River Front Lounge (former Bonnie Heather Bar/Pool Hall) - 1925
    River Front Lounge (former Bonnie Heather Bar/Pool Hall) - 1925
  • Bonnie Heather Inn - 1920
    Bonnie Heather Inn - 1920
  • First Duncan School Building - 1908
    First Duncan School Building - 1908
  • Old Duncan Bus Station now Hotel Duncan - 1920
    Old Duncan Bus Station now Hotel Duncan - 1920
  • Lonesome Dove Mercantile - 1860
    Lonesome Dove Mercantile - 1860
  • Saint Mary's Catholic Church - 1936
    Saint Mary's Catholic Church - 1936
  • Bank of Duncan - 1908
    Bank of Duncan - 1908
  • Duncan Opera House - 1920
    Duncan Opera House - 1920
  • S & L Enterprises - 1896
    S & L Enterprises - 1896
  • Bart Tipton's Saloon - 1905
    Bart Tipton's Saloon - 1905
  • Greenlee County Building - 1890
    Greenlee County Building - 1890
  • House on 211 Railroad Ave. - 1920
    House on 211 Railroad Ave. - 1920
  • Germaine store - 1900
    Germaine store - 1900
  • Knights of Pythias lodge #27 - 1900
    Knights of Pythias lodge #27 - 1900
  • Duncan Church of Christ - 1914
    Duncan Church of Christ - 1914
  • Duncan Stage Stop - 1890
    Duncan Stage Stop - 1890
  • Antique town clock
    Antique town clock
  • 1950 Chevrolet 6400 2 ton fire truck
    1950 Chevrolet 6400 2 ton fire truck

Further reading

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Clifton's Colorful Past
  2. ^ a b c d e Rich History; Clifton A Town Born of Chance
  3. ^ a b Native American Tribes & the Indian History in Clifton, Arizona
  4. ^ a b c d e Greenlee County Library System
  5. ^ Francisco Vasquez de Coronado
  6. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Marcos de Niza". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  7. ^ a b Greenlee County, Duncan
  8. ^ a b c d Greenlee County History
  9. ^ Mexican-American War
  10. ^ Greenlee County; Clifton
  11. ^ Duncan
  12. ^ The Town of Duncan Duncan's Origins
  13. ^ a b Duncan Pride Society
  14. ^ Arizona Preservation Foundation
  15. ^ National Register of Historic Places
  16. ^ Arizona's Women Hall of Fame
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