- Pearce, Arizona
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Old Pearce General Store, 1990
The mill at Fittsburg, circa 1900Pearce, Arizona and Sunsites, Arizona are adjacent unincorporated communities in the Sulphur Springs Valley of Cochise County, Arizona, United States. The two communities are referred to as Pearce-Sunsites, Pearce/Sunsites, or Pearce Sunsites.[1][2] Pearce is best known as a historic ghost town. Sunsites, founded in 1961, adjoins Pearce, and the Sunizona and Richland developments are nearby. All of these communities share the Pearce, Arizona post office and ZIP code, 85625.[3] The 85625 ZIP Code Tabulation Area, which includes the four communities named plus a large surrounding rural area, had a population of 2104 at the 2000 census.[4] The Pearce-Sunsites economy is based on retirees and tourism.[1]
Contents
History
Pearce is a mining ghost town named for Cornishman James Pearce, miner and cattleman, who discovered gold nearby at what became the Commonwealth Mine in 1894. The Pearce Post Office was established on March 6, 1896. The railroad station opened in 1903. By 1919, Pearce had a population of 1,500. The town declined in the 1930s, and became almost a ghost in the late 1940s, when the mine closed for the last time.
The Commonwealth Mine became one of Arizona's major silver producers. Over 1,000,000 tons of ore were produced from 1895 to 1942. There are about 20 miles of underground workings.[5] The mine produced about $8 million worth of silver and $2.5 million in gold at a time when silver was priced around 50 cents an ounce, and gold was $20 an ounce.[6]
Fittsburg was the site of the Commonwealth mill. The site is about a mile east of Pearce.[7]
Historic sites
Pearce is the home of two properties on the National Register of Historic Places. The old Pearce General Store opened in 1896. The store remained open as a tourist attraction after Pearce (almost) died, and remains open in 2009. Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. There are a number of other historic structures still extant in and around Pearce, some still in use, others in ruins.[7]
Notable people associated with Pearce
Effie Anderson Smith in her Rambler Touring Car, circa 1907, near her home in Pearce.- Daniel Barringer (geologist), part owner of Commonwealth Mine
- R. A. F. Penrose, Jr., part owner of Commonwealth Mine
- Burt Alvord, late 19th century lawman in Pearce
- Andrew Young Smith, President and General Manager of Commonwealth Mine
- Effie Anderson Smith, Arizona Impressionist painter of landscapes, and wife of mine manager A.Y. Smith.
References
- ^ a b Pearce/Sunsites community profile at Arizona Department of Commerce
- ^ Pearce Sunsites Chamber of Commerce, which also uses "Pearce-Sunsites"
- ^ 85625 ZIP code map, scroll down
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Commonwealth Mine at Mindat.org
- ^ Commonwealth Mine archives, 1895-1938
- ^ a b Pearce and Fittsburg ghost towns
Sources and external links
- Pearce Sunsites Chamber of Commerce
- Google map of Pearce-Sunsites
- Old Pearce Mercantile
- Pearce and Fittsburg ghost towns, includes photo gallery
- Pearce ghost town
Coordinates: 31°54′18″N 109°49′14″W / 31.905°N 109.82056°W
Municipalities and communities of Cochise County, Arizona Cities 
Town CDPs Unincorporated
communitiesGhost towns Cascabel | Charleston | Contention City | Fairbank | Gleeson | Paradise | Tres Alamos
Categories:- Ghost towns in Arizona
- Populated places established in 1896
- Unincorporated communities in Cochise County, Arizona
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