The 1895 Rosson House is not just an old building standing in its original location, but an integral part of a past community. Did you know that Historic Heritage Square is a veritable time line of architecture and culture from the late 19th century to today? - think of our park as a large historical primary source!

History² Tour (3 hours): 60 students maximum per scheduled date. October - April. On this museum day field trip the theme is Adaptation to the Desert Over Time! Enjoy guided tours of the museum in addition to participating in hands-on station stops like Map it Out, 2000 years of Culinary Adventures in the Desert, and Planting the Past! Plant a baby cactus to take home and try a taste of Prickly Pear jelly, make corn husk dolls, and learn how to use a compass. This tour is designed for the current Social Studies State Standards. Book your tour today! 

Gilded Ruby Glass School Tour: $3 / all ages, teachers are free ~ best for K-3rd grade ~ offered year round ~ docent guided Rosson House, Hands-on-Heritage House, Doll and Toy Museum ~

Gilded East Lake School Tour: $15 / all ages ~ offered year round ~ docent guided Rosson House, self guided Hands-on-Heritage House ~ includes brown bag lunch ~

Gilded Moon Gate School Tour: $3/ all ages, teachers are free ~ offered year round ~ docent guided Rosson House, self guided Hands-on-Heritage House ~

Gilded Queen Ann School Tour: $3 / all ages, teachers are free ~ offered year round ~ open flow format includes Rosson House, self guided Hands-on-Heritage House ~ best for groups larger than 30 ~

Late Policy: Tours that arrive 15-30 minutes late may receive a modified tour and may have to eliminate the Hands-on-Heritage House.

Rainy Day Policy: Due to weather the tour may be modified at the discretion of RHM.

You may request Momento bags for each student for a small additional fee.
 

Home School Curriculum Guide for the History² Tour will be posted soon

Concerned about State Standards?

 Click Here! to see how our tour programs can fit in.

~ Tours Policies ~

To request a brochure, additional information or schedule your field trip tour contact the Rosson House Museum Office.

Please note: Due to increasing costs & wishing to keep a modest tour admission price in place, we will no longer be able to give free pressed pennies in our school tour programs

When scheduling a school tour please remember that Historic Heritage Square is located in a public park (Heritage and Science Park) and as such we host  a variety of visitors from all walks of life daily. It is necessary that you bring the correct number of chaperones on all school field trips to maintain the safely and supervision of your students in the park at all times.

Fire code prohibits school tours from exceeding a maximum ratio of 2 adults per 13 students. Additional adults may not be able to join the school tour due to the nature of our museum and small size of the rooms in each house. Thank you for your understanding.

Reservations must be made 4 weeks in advance.

Payment (in form of check, cash, or purchase order) must be post marked 1 week prior to tour date. 

50% refund will be sent if tour is canceled 2 business days in advance of tour. Refunds will not be given to tours if canceled less than 2 business days in advance or are no-shows on the day of the tour.

When reserving a date, be aware of your school calendar for possible date conflicts (ie: school testing, holidays, teacher conferences...)

2 adults/teachers maximum per 13 students on all tours, teachers are always free of charge

You may also request tables and chairs for your students' lunchtime use in the pavilion area of the park. (lunches are provided by you)

Need Alternative Field Trip Transportation? Some schools take a City Bus to Historic Heritage Square as an alternative transportation mode. Perhaps this might work for your class? It can help defray field trip costs and bring another fun learning component to your students' experience. For more information call 602.253.5000.

New! Rosson House Pressed Penny Keepsakes • For students wishing to press their own souvenir, our Rosson House Pressed Penny Keepsake machine will now be available after tour programs and is located in the Ticket Office breeze-way. Two quarters and one penny are required to make each keepsake. Teachers, if you would like to pre-purchase these fun and memorable keepsakes please contact the Rosson House Museum Office.

Teacher Resources

Please remember that Historic Heritage Square is a City of Phoenix park and if you are not able to schedule a school tour you may still visit the park and view the historic building’s exteriors. Either way, please feel free to use the following resources to enhance your students visit on-site and or virtual.

Attention Teachers (public, private & home school): Would your class like to present or contribute a small historical display, activity, or demonstration (ie: corn husk doll making, butter churning, poetry reading, caroling, quilting, 19th century games, creating gingerbread houses?...) at one of our special events? It’s a great way for students to add a new twist to their studies, team build, receive as an incentive/reward, learn new things and share with their community as well as fun! • For information regarding this extended educational opportunity please email or call Rosson House Museum Office.

Seek & Find Activity • Click Here! for a short & fun 11 question Seek & Find of Historic Heritage Square for your on-site visit.

Rosson House Architecture • Click Here! for a printable illustration of the Rosson House outlining the architectural elements of this historic 1895 home.

Rosson Family History • Click Here! for a short history of the first owners and namesake of the Rosson House.

1909 Phoenix School Fashion Bookmarks • If you were a youngster back in 1909 Phoenix what would your school clothes look like? Discuss with students how fashions have changed. What are the latest clothing fads? Do boys wear knee pants today? What about that large 1909 flowered girl’s hat? Click on the Victorian Girl on the left to download a printable bookmark master sheet (2 bookmarks per sheet) in a .pdf file (approx. 115KB file)*. Then, have students use colored pencils to make the boy’s and girl’s outfits look extra special. Bookmark illustrations from a Phoenix store advertisement in a 1909 issue of The Arizona Gazette.

*To download .pdf files you will need Adobe® Acrobat® Reader®. If you do not have Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® on your computer- Click Here! to get a free copy of this software from the maker’s website

1890s Wages • Did you ever wonder what people were paid for various occupations during the late 19th century? Click Here! for an informative chart to use in your classroom. A great way to learn about comparative economics and more for your students.

Is there a Doctor in the House? • Did you know that our house museum was named after its first owners? Roland Rosson was a physician in early Phoenix. Click Here! to read fascinating facts about early medicine from one of our past educational programs. Also Click Here! to learn about the history of stethoscopes & how you can make a simple working model.

Newspapers & Celebrations • How did people celebrate the holidays in the early Valley area? Click Here! to read turn of the 20th century newspaper accounts from one of our past school program themes.

1895 “The Arizona Gazette” Front Page Reprint. • Get your very own reduced sized copy of The Arizona Gazette front page for only 75 cents by mail (Click Here! for Keepsakes page & ordering instructions). This 1895 front page reprint includes wonderful ads of Phoenix’s early territorial days and also the headline article discussing how our very own Dr. Rosson (whom the Rosson House was originally built for that same year) won the Phoenix Mayor's race.

Newspaper History • Click Here! to go to the website of HistoryBuff.com for the fascinating world of newspaper history. From how papers were printed in various time periods, papermaking, newspaper collecting and more. 

Don’t forget to check out the Historical Fun page on our web site for extended educational activities like historical recipes, 1908 candy catalogue shopping, 1890s newspaper reprints (keepsakes page) and more from past programs Click Here!

American Cultural History 1900s-1990s. • Are you looking for a website that is a “one stop shopping” resource for information and links about the Decades of the American Twentieth Century for your classroom projects and more? If yes, this is the web site! The wonderful Reference Librarians at Kingswood College in Texas have teemed up to bring you nifty snapshots of each decade from the 1900s - 1990s. Each decade page has interesting facts, photos and links on subjects such as Art & Architecture, Fads & Fashion, Books & Literature, Personalities, Theater & Film, Historical Events & Technology... Did you know that the annual income for teachers in America’s first decade of the 20th century was $325? Hmmm... Click Here! to go to the Kingswood College Library’s American Cultural History Decades main page. 

Other Field Trip Opportunities around the State • Click Here! to visit our friends at the Museum Educators Council of Arizona web site at www.azcama.com/meca.

Have a site that you would like to share and have listed? We would enjoy hearing about it or any suggestions you may have concerning this web site or our educational programs. Click Here! to send us an email.

• Make plans for your very own old-time garden party at home! Click Here! for excerpts from a 1912 party book to get you started along with some tasty recipes to add to your festive fun.

• Candy History Fun! Ever wonder when your favorite candy was made? Want to try your hand at candy making with a recipe from the early 1900s in your very own kitchen? Like to view a 1908 Montgomery Ward & Co. catalogue page listing candy prices of long ago including old time favorites, chewing gum and more? Click Here! to get the scoop on sweet history!

1890s Language of Flowers • How about making that special someone a pretty floral bouquet? We all realize flowers are beautiful, but in the late 19th century they could also indicate a wonderful sentiment to the receiver and regards about the sender. Click Here! for a fun sampling of 1890s floral trivia!

• Click Here! for our interesting Historical Fun Links and the Rosson House Museum Keepsakes page where you can purchase a pressed penny souvenir, penny passports, Rosson House stereoviews, postcards and T-shirts. 

• Optical Toy Fun! - Click Here! to download your very own optical toys in .pdf format. Try your hand at making your own fun optical toy Flip Book like the one shown here - Santa’s Sleigh Ride. See for yourself the basics of how early film in the way of paper frames/drawings create the image of movement with these four flip books. Plus a blank flip book template you can print out for creative drawing fun!

• Get into the spirit of the early 20th century by listening to an actual 1897 Edison Concert Band recording of “Liberty Bell March”. To learn about early entertainment & hear this historical recording Click Here!

Mystery Trunk? As part of our 25th Anniversary exhibit we asked visitors to submit guesses as to what our locked mystery trunk held. Click Here! to read more about it and to find out just what was inside!

Attention School Teachers! • Public, Home School, Private and Charter School Teachers: Concerned about State Standards and want to supplement your curriculum with an educational and enjoyable field trip? Schedule a field trip today!