About this Room
Today, Rosson House and the other historical buildings at the Square all have air conditioning. It’s hard to believe the hot climate didn’t stop people from making this place their home over a century ago, but they did so, and they adapted to the heat. During the hotter months, people who could afford to would temporarily leave town, and those who stayed would wear lightweight “summer” clothing (including underwear and corsets), go swimming when able, and would sleep in well-ventilated areas to stay cool at night – with open windows and doors, electric fans (if they could afford them), and even by sleeping outside.
Find out more about some of the artifacts in the nursery by clicking the arrows on the top left above each image. Don’t see your favorite artifact here? Let us know you’d like to learn more about something by filling out this form.
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Exhibit Signage
Family Life at Rosson House
- Photograph of the Gammel children with their party guests on the front porch of Rosson House (circa 1916).
- Clipping from the Arizona Republic newspaper on June 2, 1916, mentioning a children’s party held at the Gammel household for Annie Gammel (her birthday was June 1, 1907).
- Photograph of the Gammel children (circa 1920) – Annie (left), Georgie (middle), and Wilma (right).
- Photograph of Jessie Jean and James Higley and their pet deer, named Bunny (circa 1912).
- List of some of the pets owned by the Higley and Gammel families, when they lived at Rosson House: Dogs, cats, a deer named Bunny, peacocks, pheasants, parrots, and an opossum.
- Photograph of Jessie Howe Higley (mother of Jessie Jean and James) on the front porch of Rosson House with a family dog (circa 1905).
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