February!

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Riordan Mansion State Historic Park

Winter Hours (Nov 1 - Apr 30)
Hours: 10:30 AM - 5:00 PM • Thu - Mon (Closed Tue and Wed)
Tours begin on the hour. First tour at 11:00 AM and the last tour at 4:00 PM

Reservations for tours are recommended: 928.779.4395

The photo above was taken by staff on January 20th. That should be a typical day at Riordan Mansion in the winter time.... but we all know that the snow pictured above is quite scarce this season.

There is a silver lining to the lack of snowfall. The dry and warm season has made for great progress in replacing the roofs at the park. The 13,000 square foot duplex, the visitor center and the gatekeeper's cabin will all have new shingles! We are so appreciative that Arizona State Parks & Trails is able to make this happen for this beloved historic site. Below is a picture from February 1st of the crew working as if it's May in Flagstaff.

Below is the lineup of events at Riordan Mansion. Please read carefully and add the February Brown Bag Lecture to your calendar - it is late-breaking news!

Saturday, February 3rd
Evening Lecture
7:00 PM
Mary Jane Colter and Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton - the Confusion

Who did what? Were they the same person? The public is often confused about these two women, but they were two very distinctive women, both a part of changing the West. Mary Colter, while employed by Fred Harvey, was an architect of the 1900s when women architects were rare She dreamed of and designed many of the structures at the Grand Canyon as well as many of the Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe Railroad. Colter and Colton were active in Arizona during the early 1900s. Did they ever meet? Do you know?

Presented by Rebecca Durrenberger.

This is a FREE event - does not include admission to tour Riordan Mansion.

Sunday, February 11
Second Sunday Special Tour
2:00 PM
Prohibition in Flagstaff

A 90 minute guided tour of Riordan Mansion with a focus on Prohibition in Flagstaff and what was happening in the Riordan house.

An excerpt of a 1976 interview with Michael Riordan's son, Richard, reveals a few secrets from the Prohibition era:

"My father, being a very religious man, VERY religious, he said that 'wine is part of the fruits of the earth and it is not within the rights of any man to take it from me.' So my father would order a big barrel, about 50 or 60 gallons, a huge barrel, of grape juice from the Christian Brothers in Los Gatos in California. And along with this big barrel of grape juice would come a list of instructions. The list of instructions would say, 'In order to keep this grape juice from turning into a certain kind of wine, don't put this much of this in it, don't put that much of this in it, and don't keep it at this particular temperature for this length of time.' "

For the entire audio or text interview with Richard Riordan, click on the link below to visit NAU's Special Collections and Archives:
http://archive.library.nau.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/cpa/id/64437/rec/17

Cost is $15 and space is limited, reservations are required. Reservations and information can be obtained by calling the Park at 928-779-4395. Does not include regular tour admission to Riordan Mansion. The Park website isHttps://azstateparks.com/riordan-mansion/

The glass in the photo is on display in Tim Riordan's house commemorating the repeal of the 18th Amendment.

Monday, February 12
Brown Bag Lecture
12:15 PM
Talking Machine Cowboys and Cowgirls, 1906-1918

Between 1906 and 1918, songs about cowboys in the West populated the American soundscape in the years after the close of the frontier and before radio. At the same time, these Tin Pan Alley ditties reflected broader cultural ideas about race, ethnicity, and gender in Jim Crow America. This presentation will present these songs through period sheet music as we listen to them on period hand-cranked Edison cylinder and Victrola 78 Talking Machines.

Presented by Michael Amundson, Professor of History at Northern Arizona University.

This is a FREE event - does not include admission to tour Riordan Mansion.

Sunday, March 11
Second Sunday Special Tour
2:00 PM
Room by Room: A Stickley Furniture Tour

This Second Sunday Special Tour is a Stickley furniture tour of Riordan Mansion, an Arts & Crafts duplex built in 1904. Hear how the Stickley Brothers competed and mostly succeeded in a very aggressive market. See five very rare pieces with metal inlay embellishment designed by Gustav Stickley’s designer, Harvey Ellis. The historic home contains 17 Gustav Stickley pieces and four L. & J.G pieces. Prepared and presented by long serving docent, Adrienne Rose, who will also share the Riordan Family’s favorite furniture.

The tours are recommended for ages twelve and older on this 90 minute tour. Cost is $15 and space is limited, so reservations are required. Reservations and information can be obtained by calling the Park at 928-779-4395. Does not include regular tour admission to Riordan Mansion. The Park website Https://azstateparks.com/riordan-mansion/

March 12 • Brown Bag Lecture at 12:15 - The Next Doors
Park Manager, Nikki Lober, will share the history and newly-acquired photos of the family who lived in the west side of the house.

March 24 • Evening Lecture at 7:00 PM: "A Year in the Life of a Forest Service Archaeologist"
Join us as South Kaibab Zone archaeologist Neil Weintraub shares stories about the efforts of the Kaibab National Forest employees and their partners in protecting and preserving archaeological and historic sites deep within the forest surrounding the Grand Canyon.

Visit the Arizona Historical Society's table on February 9th at the Viola Awards Showcase and receive free tickets to Pioneer Museum, the West House at Riordan Mansion and a discount for a guided tour at Riordan Mansion! Information below:

The events below are designed with the courtyard in mind. Each one will help us raise funds to replace the deck!

SAVE YOUR SEAT

March 16 and March 17
Whisky Tasting at Tim's Table

This event was so popular the first time, we're bringing it back again! Tickets are limited - only 10 seats per tasting!

We are partnering with the Northern Arizona Celtic Heritage Society and everything they do is fabulous!

While we are still waiting on a full line-up of whiskies, the premium whiskies have been secured:

$125 level – anCnoc 1999 (15 years old)
Limited edition of 4500 bottles worldwide.
Non Chill Filtered
Aged in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks
From Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible “one of the best ever bottlings…period.”

$150 level – Kinninvie Hazelwood 105, 15 years old.
First-ever bottling of Kininvie as a single malt under its own name.
Value: Very rare.
Only given to Wm Grant employees in 2008 to commemorate Wm Grant’s granddaughter’s 105th birthday.

A very appetizing array of noshes will be prepared and will pair nicely with the whiskies!

$150 level: Doors will open at 5:30 each night with the first toast at 5:45 and the tasting begins at 6:00. Guests have the opportunity to mingle until 7:30.

$125 level: Guests can mingle in the house beginning at 7:00 - The first toast is at 7:15 and the tasting begins at 7:30.

These sessions are educational, fun, delicious AND helps to preserve Riordan Mansion. Call 928-779-4395 to reserve your seat!

SAVE YOUR STUFF

Now through April

Save your stuff!

Each month, The Garden Thrift works with a nonprofit organization to share the proceeds from their store and April is our month! Please hang on to your gently used household items, clothing and furniture to help us replace the deck in the courtyard at Riordan Mansion. The Garden Thrift also has an auction the first Saturday of each month which benefits us as well. For this, we need "big ticket" items to draw bidders to the auction and shoppers to the store. Please email us at riordanactionnet@gmail.com or call 928-853-7792 to find out how your no-longer-needed items will help preserve history.

Don't forget to shop, shop, shop in April!

To learn more about The Garden Thrift, click here: http://www.thegardenthrift.com/

Thank you!

SAVE THE DATE

We are participating in Arizona Gives Day! This 24-hour event allows us to raise funds and possibly win cash awards to help us with local preservation!

The Arizona Historical Society operates both Pioneer Museum and Riordan Mansion. Please remember to visit our sister museum. Membership in AHS covers admission to BOTH sites!

With its great popularity and finalist status in the Viola Awards, the Todos Unidos exhibit at the Pioneer Museum has been extended. Learn about the Hispanic experience in Flagstaff at the Pioneer Museum on Fort Valley Road.

Volunteers are crucial to keeping Riordan Mansion and Pioneer Museum open and maintained. You can volunteer at one or both sites! The possibilities are endless and include: front desk, tour guide, maintenance, dusting/cleaning, research, special events, educational outreach, living history demonstrator, and more! Please contact Sacha Siskonen at 928-774-6272 or SSiskonen@azhs.gov to learn how YOU can help! The winter season is an ideal time to get involved!

Do you remember this picture? The back porch of Riordan Mansion was in great need of replacement. Thanks to generous donations, it is done! Thank you for helping us remove the caution tape!

Please help!

You can make a tax deductible donation through our fiscal agent, the Northern Arizona Pioneers' Historical Society, through the link below. Use the "Comments" area on the form to designate your gift to the porch at Riordan Mansion.

Thank you!

CLICK HERE to help us replace the front porch decking!

Do you have a special occasion to celebrate? Whether it's the beautiful courtyard at Riordan Mansion or the rustic western feel of the barn at the Pioneer Museum, the Arizona Historical Society has the venue for you!

For more information about events or tours call Pioneer at 928.774.6272 or Riordan at 928.779.4395

Keep up to date with us on Facebook:
Northern Arizona Pioneers' Historical Society
Riordan Action Network

Membership in the Arizona Historical Society

Arizona history begins with YOU! Join the Arizona Historical Society today!

Your Arizona Historical Society membership support allows us to:
— Collect and preserve the precious artifacts of Arizona’s colorful past
— Create imaginative exhibits
— Provide entertaining public programs

Your Arizona Historical Society membership provides YOU:
— Unlimited individual admission for one year to all Arizona Historical Society museums in Tempe, Tucson, Yuma, and Flagstaff (including Riordan Mansion State Historic Park)
— Subscription to The Journal of Arizona History, our award-winning quarterly publication
— And so much more!

Click here to learn more and sign up:
http://www.arizonahistoricalsociety.org/membership/

The Arizona Historical Society now offers $500.00 and $1,000.00 Business Memberships. For details, contact Membership Services Coordinator Roy Goodman at 520-617-1165 or membership@azhs.gov.

Thank you for reading and for being a friend to our local historic sites.

Donate Now! Click here!

We depend on donations for preservation and to enhance our programming.

The Pioneer Museum is owned and operated by the Arizona Historical Society.
Riordan Mansion is an Arizona Sate Park, operated by the Arizona Historical Society.