Clemenceau Heritage Museum
The Clemenceau Heritage Museum is located in the former Clemenceau Public School at 1 North Willard (the corner of Mingus and Willard Streets), Cottonwood, Arizona. The Museum is primarily concerned with conserving and presenting artifacts and documents pertaining to the history of the people in the Verde Valley. When it is appropriate, it collects information regarding the State of Arizona. Visitors will quickly realize that the Museum also offers a great deal of information on area mining, logging, and railroad development.
Volunteers, who have done a fine job of housing and cataloging their document collection, run the museum with amazing efficiency. Documents are stored in a room off the larger presentation room that generally exhibits a rotating, thematically unified selection of documents and/or artifacts.
Researchers interested in using the archival materials at the Clemenceau Heritage Museum should set up an appointment by contacting Helen Killebrew, Archivist, at 520-634-2868 or write to PO Box 511, Cottonwood, Arizona 86326.
The descriptions below list only archival materials, not artifacts.
Hallway display concentrating on local schools
Group photos (eleven large photos) of graduating classes in years Clemenceau was the location of the area's senior high school, 1948-1958.
School year books for 1948-1958
Two scrapbooks for Cottonwood Elementary School (under glass)
One copy of School Spirit, high school newspaper, October 17 1952
School Annuals from area schools: The Alchemist, 1942, 1943, 1944, Smokestack, 1931, Alchemist 1931, 1936
Stored Documents
Items are listed by the box number assigned them in the Museum's cataloging system. Those who visit the Museum will also be able to utilize more detailed lists of the contents of each box.
The Stella Myrtle Jordan Collection (former school teacher in the Clemenceau School)
Jordan, a long-time teacher in Clemenceau, was a member of a pioneer family. The ten box collection contains both personal and school-related material, that is, material that she compiled or saved that relates to teaching and the Clemenceau school in particular. [Boxes not listed below contain artifacts rather than documents, or they contain documents, such as posters she used in the schoolroom, which are not pertinent to Yavapai County history.]
Box 1: Publications
This box contains magazines and newspaper clippings from The Verde Independent, mostly in 1953. There are also several complete issues of The Verde Independent from 1955.
Box 8: Lesson plans and aids
This box contains Master Achievement tests, worksheets, notebooks, and clippings from newspapers Ms. Jordan felt were pertinent to use in the school or about the school. There are Christmas pageant programs, teaching aids, and letters from Governor Pyle in 1953 thanking Ms. Jordan for her notes of support. There are books and booklets pertaining to teaching. Typical publications include: Grade Teacher, September 1935, April 1936, May 1936, April 1943, April 1947; Second Reader, D. Appleton & Co., 1877 & 1878.
Box 9: Mostly books and booklets related to teaching.
Box 10: Miscellaneous materials
The Stella Myrtle Jordan scrapbook contains designs as well as notes on art and some artwork itself. The box also contains the Smoke Stack Yearbook 1944, Clemenceau Yearbook 1944, and various teaching aids, workbooks, manuals, and directed study lessons.
General Collection:
Boxes in the Museum most often function much like file drawers do; the documents in them might be closely related, or they may range widely, i.e., not all contents of one box are connected in subject matter. Some of the boxes contain copies of publications that are national and general in nature (i.e., they are not particularly pertinent to Yavapai County history); they might also contain information on local people, like obituaries, some remembrances, high school diplomas, etc. Boxes not listed below contain artifacts.
D1, Box 1 of 2: Cottonwood Community Civic Center
This box contains various (approximately 11) scrapbooks and information from the late 1930s to mid-1940s, including letters from servicemen in 1943. One entire scrapbook is devoted to servicemen.
D 1, Box 2 of 2: Cottonwood Community Civic Center
The box contains a pamphlet, "Cottonwood Civic Center Celebrates 50 years, 1939-89," as well as a small scrapbook labeled "1958-59," but it extends through 1972.
D 3: Verde Valley Garden Club.
In this box are two scrap books, 1972-77 and 1978-89; each has over 60 double sided pages, most of which contain clippings from newspapers about club activities. There are some programs from activities, as well as snapshots of people and events, often well described.
D 4: Burnett & Gyberg Company Collection (ranchers, 1914-25)
The papers contain information on cattle grazing, drought, etc., some other correspondence, pictures, bank statements, 1924, certificates of inspection for cattle, political correspondence, rental and land leases from the railroad, receipts and letters from the Department of Agriculture, grazing information, and information on cattle sales and the partnership (original from Burnett-Gyberg, 1923).
D 5: Stemmer Collection
This contains information that is personal as well as general information and information on Cottonwood Progressive Association (1940s).
The box contains various deeds for sale of property, as well as books, a notary public ledger, and various papers, 1922-1949. There are a few copies of articles by Charles Stemmer (published and in manuscript form), generally on historical topics. They were written in the late 1940s and 1950s. Other memorabilia include convention booklet of Arizona Chapter of National Association of Postmasters, 1938, mining company information, quit claim deed, etc.
D 6: Scrapbook: Mary Lou Thompson Hemler Arnold, 1946-85
Mary Lou Thompson Hemler Arnold was born in 1896, taught in Oklahoma City and New Mexico, and then moved to the Cottonwood area, where she became active in the community. She retired from teaching in 1959. The approximately 40 double-sided page scrapbook contains clippings of newspaper articles, photos, student letters, cards, brochures, and obituaries for Mary Lou Thompson Hemler.
D 7: Penn-Mor (a manufacturing company) Collection
Most items in this box are from the late 1960s and 1970s. Items include photo albums containing photos of employees at various functions and programs of the company. There are five albums and additional copies of some photos.
D 8: Box of publications on Mingus minerals
D 9: Box containing doll patterns (patterns for dolls and doll clothes)
D 10: Zeek Taylor Collection
This box contains information pertinent to the Verde Valley from the 1950s through 1990. It contains a great deal of published information and some clippings, as well as a scrapbook containing obituaries for people all around Yavapai County. The earliest dates from 1957, but most of the obituaries are from late 1960s through the 1980s, ending in 1990. There are approximately 300 obituaries, mostly for Verde Valley people. Many other clippings are in the box; they cover the same dates and pertain to issues like weddings, legal matters, murders, and rodeo queens. Almost all are from The Verde Independent and other local newspapers.
D 11: Winters Collection:
The box contains old Harper's Magazines and Illustrated Words.
D 12: Winters Collection
This contains Better Homes magazines from the 1930s.
D 13: Winters Collection
This box contains about 160 pieces of music, sacred and secular; a few other published bits, some must date from very early in the 20th century.
D 14: Winters collection
The box contains music and magazines from the mid 1920s (8 pieces).
D 15: Arnheim box
Arnheim receipts, Sept 1884, April 1897.
D 24: WWII era scrapbooks
It is not clear who collected the materials or made the scrapbooks. There are about 40 pages per book containing clippings from newspapers. The scrapbooks are titled:
Doolittle Fliers
Shangri la Diary
The MacArthur Epic
D 25: Clemenceau School PTA Collection
There are scrapbooks for the years 1929, 1931-32, 1961-62, 1962-63, 1974, 1975, 1976-77, 1977, 1980-82; these contain clippings and a few photos. The box also contains 1928 posters and a 1927 teacher's scrapbook of school children.
D 26: Clemenceau School PTA Collection
This contains scrapbooks for 1969-70, 1970-71, about 20 pages of clippings, some photos, some homemade display placards, PTA minutes 1980-81, and miscellaneous photos.
D 29 posters (various)
D 33: Stereographs
This box contains approximately 100 stereographs, most of which were copyrighted around the end of the 19th century. They depict a variety of scenes, and "stories."
D 35: Local materials
The box contains various local publications and information, ranging in time from 1906-1930s through the 1970s. There are also clippings and programs, etc., from the Order of the Eastern Star, Jerome, 1930s, as well as the Clarkdale Jerome telephone directories for 1943-61. There are many pamphlets and recipe books, printed in the 1930s and 1940s.
D 36: Local Materials
The box contains a variety of documents, mostly on local people and issues. There are manuscripts on past and/or present events, some diplomas, a few publications from the 1930s, calendars, business cards, etc. There is also the junior high school diploma of Melba Chambers, May 1939 and the high school graduation notice of Melba Chambers, 1942. There are programs for local events (a few from 1930s and several from 1960s). A few other miscellaneous items include other high school diplomas, (e.g.Clarence Durham, 1935) and a manuscript of his memories of Clemenceau Public School (Clarence Durham, Dec 5, 1992). The box also contains several war ration books. There is a picture of the 50 year reunion of the class of 1942; School Spirit newspaper, 10-17-52; stamp album for war bonds, 1942, 4 post cards, cartoons of war, 1943; commemorative piece on Rachel Verretto, delivered at services in Catholic Church, May 1993, by her sister Jo See. The family came to Cottonwood in 1920.
D 37: Variety of documents, mostly on local people and issues
There are many publications as well as Jerome Company Pay Vouchers, some Green Monster Mining Company Shares, and a Clemenceau Bank liquidation notice (Nov 6, 1933). Much of the information is very general: some is quite specific, e.g., a Teachers' Contract for Erma Sivils, April 18, 1929 (District 6, Yavapai County) as well as some other personal information on her from 1929).
There is also the address book of Mrs. George Hochderffer.
D 38: Clemenceau
The box contains copies of clippings from newspapers with information about Clemenceau (about 5) from 1918 through early 1930s). Some clippings of articles on local history were printed in the mid 1970s (about 5). The box also contains books and pamphlets that are general in nature-some operating instructions, price lists, some information on Albert Behrns, including funeral notice and several sympathy letters, Fort Verde Day programs from mid 1970s.
D 39: Miscellaneous
There are some publications, copies of stock certificates, miscellaneous obituaries. The box contains the diary of the Order of the Eastern Star in Jerome, 1943, by Blanche Parker Lewis. It also contains the graduation program, Cottonwood HS 1950, newspaper clippings about Jerome from the late 1880s and 1890s (4), Jerome High School Commencement, 1951, list of employees 1947-48; "overhead" map of Jerome Schools 1928.
D 42: Postcard collection
This box contains postcards and many commemorative cards from the 1960s; there are approximately 150 post cards and other cards as well.
D 43: Fred Howe Music collection:
This box contains over 130 "songs," either in book or sheet music form.
D 44: Greeting cards,
There are approximately 30 cards; most are not identified by year, and some obviously were not sent.
D 45: Newspapers
The Verde Independent, scattered issues from 1953, 1955, 1960, 1964, 1965, and 1979
Sedona Sunline: 1-24-79
Camp Verde Bugle 1979
Arizona Republic: 2-15-87
Large rolled up sheet of election returns, November 3, 1964
Box #46: Miscellaneous collection
This box contains certificates for Nina Conder from 1924, as well as materials from Verde Electric Cooperative, posters, teacher certificates and other certificates for Flora Jensen, 1920s.
D 48: Dorothy Ewing collection
This collection appears to be from the 1970s and contains doll house and doll patterns, books, etc.
Photo boxes
I.1
There are various pictures from a wide range of dates in this box. Some are of individuals and groups. Some are well identified, while some not. The box includes pictures of Stella Jordan, Jerome, Fred & Blanche Lewis (no dates on any of these), 5th grade class pictures 1963-87 from J. Y. Encisco's class; William Gudney, 1986, Mr. Wilkpitz, no date; Margaret & Mary Toler, twins, no date. Francis and Maggie Harrold & Children, 1908; Mildred Harrold, 1907. Aerial view of Cottonwood, AZ; Blanche Lewis' Kindergarten Class, 1944-45; family in a vehicle, Oct 31, 1904, Lindsey Loy (not dated) Jerome Smelter (no date on the photos). There is a photo album, with no name on it; it is of a military setting (some were taken near Chicago) of cavalry training and maneuvers, buildings, and activities. There are probably over 150 black and white snapshots probably taken in the 1930s. There are a few names on individual pictures, but nothing identifies to whom this belonged. The box was salvaged from the Army Depot at Belmont. The book may not have local significance.
I.2
There are approximately 150-250 photos in the box, ranging in size from small snapshots to 8x10 enlargements. The photos range in subject from a modern school bus to very old photos of area people, including photos of Mr. And Mrs. Sefet, 1901 photos of Burchfields, and various people from 1938. There are other pictures from the 1930s, including school children (listed by grade), as well as more recent colored snapshots of school children, identified by grade and year, (from the 1960s and 1970s) town street scenes from 1960s.
I. 3
The box contains about 50 photos, many still in their paper display frames. Some are well identified as to name and date, while some are not. The pictures range from the late 1800s through 19teens. Most are of individuals; a few are of groups, classes, and families; a few are of soldiers.
I.4
Photos, (approximately 75) ranging from the 1920s through the 1990s.
Many are of the Peterson Sawmill (black and white snapshots from 1950s). There are local scenes and a view of the city 1920. There are newer snapshots from the 1980s and possibly 1990s (snapshots and enlargements) of local individuals.
Scrapbooks
Mingus Gem and Mineral Club: This scrapbook contains many photos of club activities
Lions Club: This scrapbook contains information on Lions' activities in the Verde Valley.
