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In my Prescott Pioneers Series and Desert Manna Series, I mention the Governor's Mansion in Prescott, AZ. Here's more of the history behind the building which is still standing!
Within days of the town of Prescott organizing, the governor called for bids on the first public building, the Governor’s Mansion. Different sources site Samuel Blair, Dan Hatz, and John Raible as the gentlemen who won the bid in June 1864. One source also listed Van C. Smith.
Shortly after winning the bid, the slow construction process began. With no saw mill available, all the logs had to be processed with whipsaws. The men constructed the building under armed guard who protected the workers from Indian attacks.
Supplies were limited and costly, due to the remote location of the town. A pound of ten-penny nails was $1.75. For this reason, the project was over budget in a very short period of time. By the time the mansion was completed four months later, the total cost came in at $6,000—a staggering sum for the time period.
The final dimensions of the mansion were sited at 50 ft. by 40 ft. totaling 2,000 square feet—almost four times the size of the typical log cabin of the day. Eleven rooms were sectioned off in the interior. Since Governor Goodwin did not bring his wife with him, part of the building was used for offices.
Governor Goodwin, Secretary McCormick, Chief Justice Turner, Assistant Secretary Fleury, and the commander of Fort Whipple all lived in the building. After the capitol moved to Tucson in 1867, Fleury lived there until his death in 1896.
The Sharlot Hall Museum, in Prescott, Arizona, has done a remarkable job of preserving the building. The current configuration of the building came from letters written by Secretary McCormick’s wife when she resided in the building during his term as governor.
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