A Century of Gilbert, Room by Room

Home Life

What was life like at home in Gilbert in the early to mid twentieth century? This room holds common household items from the period and an antique telephone collection.

Generations

Items and artifacts donated by descendants of some of Gilbert's earliest families include clothing worn by Gilbertonians from the 1920s through the 1960s. You will learn about the pioneering spirit of the people who shaped this town, along with the history of Gilbert's first five churches.

Farming

Gilbert's agricultural roots run deep. This town was once known as the Hay Shipping Capital of the World, and alfalfa, cotton, and dairy farms were vital to its success in the early twentieth century. There was even an ostrich farm.

Meet the early farming families and explore the blacksmith shop to see how agriculture helped shape the community.

School & Community

See how Gilbert’s schools, services, and boundaries changed as the community grew. Historic maps and a recreated early twentieth-century classroom bring the town’s school days into focus.

Town

Gilbert was named for land speculator William "Bobby" M. Gilbert, who sold his land to the railroad. The railroad built a siding at the site, and the town grew up around it.

Learn about the early businesses that filled buildings still standing in the Heritage District today, and trace the evolution of Gilbert's police and fire departments.

Military

This room honors the Gilbert residents who served in our armed forces. Uniforms, flags, weapons, and dozens of other items donated by local residents and veterans give a local perspective on both World Wars, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and Operation Desert Storm.

Many of the artifacts here were carried home from overseas by the men and women who represented this town abroad.

Model Train

The railroad helped shape Gilbert and the surrounding region. This 1,500-square-foot HO scale miniature world, built and maintained by the Gilbert Model Railroad Club, recreates Central Arizona during the late 1950s and early 1960s, featuring the Santa Fe, Southern Pacific, and Magma Arizona railroads as they passed through Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, Gilbert, Superior, Prescott, and beyond.

Built by the Gilbert Model Railroad Club, the exhibit is an ongoing project. Club members are on site Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. During regular museum hours, the Gilbert portion of the track is available to view.

The Live Quilting Bee

The art of hand-quilting lives on year-round at HD SOUTH. See this traditional American craft in progress and meet the volunteers who keep it going.

Our volunteers work on traditional wooden quilting frames, finishing quilt tops brought in by the public. Proceeds from each completed quilt support the museum. Stop in and say hello most Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings.

If you have a quilt that you don’t have the time or skills to finish, our volunteers will finish it for you at a price of just $9/sq ft. The quilters make tiny stitches, fastening the quilt tops to inner batting and backing—all by hand! With superior attention to detail, they treat each quilt as if it were their own family heirloom. The end result is the creation of beautiful bedspreads and wall hangings that are truly works of art. Their quilting service is extremely popular and wait times can be lengthy.