| Description |
| The Tempe Historical Museum was founded by the Tempe Historical Society, which opened a 4,800-square foot exhibit hall in the east wing of the Tempe Public Library building in 1972. In 1984, the Museum became a division of the City of Tempe's Community Services Department. In the following year, a bond issue was approved, and work began on converting the entire 36,000-square foot library building into a new museum. The new Tempe Historical Museum, with an 8,000-square foot exhibit gallery, opened to the public on June 15, 1991. The Museum also operates the Petersen House Museum, a restored Queen Anne Victorian house that is used to interpret daily life in Tempe around the turn of the century.The vision of the Museum is, "The Tempe Historical Museum is a center where the community comes together to celebrate Tempe's past and ponder the future." Permanent and changing exhibits, educational programs, and research projects generally focus on some aspect of Tempe's history within the context of state and national events. The Museum currently has seven full-time staff members, and more than a hundred regular volunteers contribute a considerable amount of staff support in all areas of the Museum's operation.
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