Sunsites and Pearce

Just two miles down the road from Sunsites, at the beginning of the Ghost Town Trail, Pearce, Arizona is a “living ghost town”. As it is commonly known, Old Pearce has a kindergarten through 8th grade school, and some students attend class in a 100 year old building.

Three retail stores welcome visitors to shop all year long. There is a pottery shop, a goat milk soap shop (Marcia’s Garden), and a gift shop (Prickly Pear). All of these stores are in or associated with historic buildings.

A mining company, Commonwealth Gold and Silver, has refurbished the original mine manager’s home and the original Catholic church.

This year, 2015, the Old Pearce Preservation Association will celebrate the jail’s 100th anniversary. However, there may need to be a jail “break in”, because the only known key is in the custody of a man who won’t relinquish it.

Just down the road from the jail is the historic Pearce Cemetery. Residents today continue to use the cemetery, and a walk through the desert grounds is a walk through time.

The top photo is a picture of the jail. Note the address for contacting Old Pearce Preservation Association. The bottom photo was taken in Pearce by Carolyn Gray, the owner of the car “Eddy”. “Eddy” once “lived” in Pearce, and Carolyn returned him to Pearce to take this photo.