Mesa History

Our Mesa History exhibit tells you the basics of Mesa History:

Who settled here?

How did they do it? 

What was life like for early Mesans?

Permanent Year Round Exhibit

Founding Families
Lehi and Mesa

Features historic artifacts, images, and stories from members of the first founding families who settled Lehi and Mesa.  

Permanent Year Round Exhibit

Play Ball:
The Arizona Spring Training Experience

Play Ball: The Arizona Spring Training Experience features the history of Spring Training, the birth of the Cactus League and Cactus League Hall of Fame, along with photos and collections from the last one hundred years of baseball in Mesa. 

This exhibit focuses on the history of the current Spring Training Teams of Mesa, the Chicago Cubs and the Oakland A's.

Permanent Year Round Exhibit - some items will change out every February

Artwork of Karen Kuykendall

Artist Karen Kuykendall's paintings, jewelry and papier-mache have been exhibited at both the Phoenix Art Museum and the Tucson Art Museum. She was a published author and teacher who created a fantasy world of Cat-People which inspired a lot of her artwork including dolls, sculptures and paintings. With over 1000 pieces now a part of the Mesa Historical Museum's permanent collection, this exhibit is dedicated to her art.

Visionary Artist and Sculptor

Permanent Year Round Exhibit - some items will change out every May

School DAYS
Mesa / Lehi Schools

Photos and memorabilia that highlights some of the earliest students to attend the old Lehi School during the early 1900's as well as some of the graduating classes from Mesa Union High during the 1920's.

Permanent Year Round Exhibit

Adobe Schoolhouse Replica

Built in the early 2000's, this is a replica of the original adobe schoolhouse that stood in the same spot in the 1880's.  The inside is decorated with desks and various other artifacts that show what school life looked like 100+ years ago.

Permanent Year Round Exhibit