
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Photography for personal use is absolutely allowed, and we encourage you to share your visit. Just please credit the Mesa Historical Museum when posting online—and feel free to tag us!
We understand that most photos today are taken with cell phones, which is completely fine. However, if you need to make or take a phone call during your visit, we kindly ask that you step outside out of courtesy for other guests and staff. Thank you!
Yes! If you have something that you would like to donate and think that it would be a valuable addition to the Mesa Historical Museum collection, please contact our Collections Department by e-mailing Operations@mesamuseum.org or by calling at (480) 835-2286 ext. 102 and scheduling a time to meet. Please do not show up with your items if you haven't made prearranged plans with our Collections Department as they are not always readily available to look at your items.
Please be sure to review our Collections Policy beforehand.
We do have a small research library with archives and books at our museum.
However, you must schedule an appointment with our Collections Department if you want to access our research library. Please contact our Collections Department by e-mailing Operations@mesamuseum.org or by calling at (480) 835-2286 ext. 102 if you are interested in scheduling an appointment.
We also recommend you check out the Mesa Room at the Mesa Public Library, as they have more resources available. You can learn more about the Mesa Room here: https://www.mesalibrary.org/research/mesa-room
Yes, we carry a variety of items such as books, jewelry, T-Shirts, citrus labels, baseball merchandise, Wallace and Ladmo merchandise, and much more!
We also have some items consigned to us by local artists and crafters!
No, we are a history museum – not a natural history museum. The best place to see dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures is at the Arizona Museum of Natural History, also located in Mesa. Your can find them here: http://arizonamuseumofnaturalhistory.org/
Yes. Our front door only has steps but we do have a ramp on the side of the building (to the right of the main entrance). Just make sure to stop by the admissions desk to check in before you view the exhibits.
We also have ADA accessible restrooms located in the small building to the south of the museum.
We do not have wheelchairs or walkers available at the museum.
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Arizonans with Disabilities Act (AzDA), only service animals as defined by the ADA and service animals in training are allowed inside the museum. Animals with the sole function of providing comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA and are not permitted.
“Service Animal” is defined by the ADA as any service dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the individual’s disability. Service animal is limited to the animals defined under the ADA and does not include any other species of animal, wild or domestic, trained or untrained. Service animal does not include an animal used or relied upon for crime deterrence, emotional support, well-being, comfort, or companionship. Fraudulently misrepresenting an animal as a service animal is illegal under Arizona State law.
As permitted by the US Department of Justice, museum staff may inquire if an animal is required because of a disability, and what work or task the animal has been trained to perform. Staff will not ask about a person’s disability or require the disclosure of related information. Special identification or training documentation is not required. Guests may be asked to remove a service animal from the grounds if the animal is not under the control of a handler and the handler does not take effective action to obtain control or if the dog is not housebroken. A service animal's handler is liable for any damage done to a public place by the service animal or service animal in training.
More information can be found in the following links:
https://www.azleg.gov/ars/11/01024.htm
https://www.ada.gov/resources/service-animals-2010-requirements
We have such a vast collection of artifacts that it would be impossible to display everything we have at once. This is why we have a special rotating exhibit every year and why we rotate out different items in our permanent exhibits; to share as much of our collection as possible with the public.
If you have an inquiry about a donated item you believe to be in our collection, please contact our collections department for more information: Operations@mesamuseum.org.
Unfortunately, we are unable to assist with object or antique identification. As a small museum, we do not have the staff or resources available to provide this service.