If you’re joining the Jerome Chamber of Commerce Art & Wine Walk on Saturday, Aug. 5, from 4 to 7 p.m., come early and explore some of Jerome’s history on display at the Historical Society’s Mine Museum on Main Street and at the State Historic Park in the Douglas Mansion.
Don’t miss the Audrey Headframe Park with its fascinating displays located near the State Park or the Gold King Mine, up the road past the Jerome Volunteer Fire Station for a look at a working mining camp, before exploring the shops, galleries, restaurants, and winery tasting rooms and enjoying this month’s Art & Wine Walk music.
It’s all free and a free shuttle is available.
Musical artists will include Thunder & Lightnin’ performing their high energy Americana and bluegrass tunes in the alcove by the Turquoise Spider on Main Street.
DJ Peachy Clean and Reverend Jon will be holding forth at the Operating Room in the Historic Jerome High School beginning at 7 p.m. and Greasy McGhee will be at the Wicked City Pub from 9 to midnight.
Christopher Nilo will be offering his poetic rock music in the House of Joy patio on Hull Street.
Shiva 15, an offshoot of the popular jam band Cult 45, will be offering their unique takes on familiar tunes and their original material in the Upper Park.
The president of the Jerome Historical Society stated that Jerome is not the only historic community in the American West that has been resurrected as an arts community. However, it is hard to find a more vibrant arts community anywhere in the country that is also a National Historic Landmark and the town is proud of both distinctions.
The combination of those two ingredients, indeed, makes Jerome a truly special place. And Jerome celebrates both parts of its personality every day.
Jerome went from being the fourth largest town in Arizona when incorporated in 1899 to being known as the “Billion Dollar Mining Camp” and home to the wealthiest mine in the world owned by one man early in the last century. When the last operating mine ultimately closed in 1953, Jerome became a ghost town with less than 50 residents, known as “Ghost City” because of its former prominence.
Enter the Jerome Historical Society, formed to save as much of the community’s heritage as possible. They succeeded admirably, salvaging history, records, buildings, artifacts, and the community itself. In 1965 the State of Arizona opened the Jerome State Historic Park, and the entire community of Jerome was formally recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1967.
