Florence is one of the oldest European settlements in Arizona, founded in 1866 by Levi Ruggles. The town became the seat of Pinal County, with the first county courthouse erected in 1878.
The Conrad Brunenkant Bakery Building was built in 1891, and is now home to the Florence Chamber of Commerce. The second floor was initially used as hotel rooms, later as offices and after 1914, as quarters for the local Mexican-American Alliance.
McFarland State Historic Park is the site of the first Pinal County Courthouse, built in 1878. When the second courthouse was built in 1891, this building became the county hospital for half a century.
The Pinal County Historical Museum in Florence contains exhibits dating from prehistoric Indian artifacts to Wild West memorabilia. Highlights include cactus furniture, a rodeo exhibit, an 1884 square grand piano, a large gun display, and Apache playing cards.
Hours:
September 1 to July 15: 11am-4pm; Sun:12pm-4pm; Closed: Mon
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Thanksgiving - USA (4th Thursday, November ), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Easter - Christian
Poston's Butte is named for Charles Poston, the man who lobbied for a territorial government. Charles built the first fire temple in the United States in 1878. The flames died out after a few months and then the pyramid became known as Poston's Butte. His burial site is at the summit of the structure.
Architect James Miller Creighton, during a local building boom that followed the Civil War built the Second Pinal County Courthouse in Florence in 1891. It is the oldest public building in daily use in Arizona. A feature to note is the time on the clock, which always reads 11:44 because the clock face is painted on the tower.
St Anthony's Monastery, 10 miles south of Florence, is one of only 9 Greek Orthodox monasteries in the United States. It began in 1995 with five fathers and has grown to 35.
Address: St Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery, 4784 North St Joseph's Way, Florence, AZ 85232-9399, United States
Phone: 1 (520) 868-3188, Fax: 1 (520) 868-3088
Hours:
10:30am-2:30pm
Tips: All visitors are asked to stop at the gatehouse upon arrival.
Tom Mix Monument near Florence is a roadside tribute to the movie hero who died in a car crash in 1940. The marker for the site is a black iron silhouette of a riderless bronco.
William Clarke House in Florence was the home of mining engineer William Clark, built in 1884. Points of interest include security measures built in case of Apache attack.
The architecture of Clark House is a blend of Sonoran adobe walls and detailed Anglo-Victorian. The building was restored and houses the Florence Reminder & Blade-Tribune.
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