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!
We offer several types of educational tours and fun learning opportunities for visiting school children.
For prices and booking tours please contact the Rosson House Education Office
Groups of 10 or more must be booked 4 weeks in advance.
Rosson House General Tour (30 min) • This 2,800 sq. foot Eastlake architectural style Victorian home built in 1895
features ten rooms and five fireplaces. View what life was like for Rosson House residents of Block 14, in early Phoenix during Arizona’s late territorial times in its original
location. Docent guided tours are available Wed.-Fri. For elementary through high school students. Maximum capacity per 30 minute tour is 13 students and two adults.
Several tours can be booked back to back for large groups.
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Tour 2008-2009 (3 hours) • 75 students maximum per scheduled date. Oct. 1, 2008 - April 30, 2009. Book a joint tour of the Rosson House Museum and Phoenix Museum of
History! On this museum day field trip the theme is Adaptation to the Desert Over Time! Enjoy guided tours of both museums 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! This tour is designed for the Social
Studies State Standards accepted in 2007. Book your tour today! For all booking information please call the education office at Phoenix Museum
of History (602-253-2734 ext. 229) This program is sponsored by the Phoenix Elementary School District #1. PESD 4th grade students will have priority booking.
Rosson House Plus Tour (1 hour) • For small groups of 26 students or less. Book guided tour of the 1895 Rosson House and a the Arizona Doll and Toy Museum.
Girl Scout Program: 2007-2008 (3 hours) A collaborative program with the Phoenix Museum of History and the Rosson House Museum. Girl Scout troops come down to Heritage Square and experience hands-on activities to earn a new badge! Call Phoenix Museum of History (602-235-2734 ext. 229) to book Ceramics and Clay: May 9, 2009!
The fun
and engaging Hands-On Heritage House Education Center is entirely volunteer staffed, find out how you can get involved today!!! Join fun historical hands-on activities and exhibits inside
the California Bungalow style Stevens-Haustgen House. Look through a stereoscope, try your hand at old fashioned games, investigate the tools of kitchen and laundry duties over 100 years ago and more. This self guided exhibit
space is highlighted in our scheduled school tours and Heritage Saturday activities.
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 at 602.261.8948.
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 at 602.261.8948.
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 at 602.261.8948.
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.
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*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!
• Ice Cream, Ice Cream! Click Here! to see the results of the Hands-On Heritage House’s Ice Cream survey.
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!