First Official Ceremony From the Plaza Bandstand - First of its Kind on Waymarking.com

As early as 1865, Lucian Bonaparte Jewell organized a Brass Band in Prescott, but by the 1870s the regimental bands from Ft. Whipple began to dominate the local music scene. The original Plaza Bandstand, built in the late 1800s, had survived the fire of 1900, but was eventually removed. On July 8, 1908, The Prescott Brass Band was reorganized and showed interest in erecting a permanent ornamental Bandstand on the Plaza. It was not until May, 1910, that Henry Rockmark was awarded the contact for construction of the new Bandstand for the sum of $1,150.00. The Summer of 1910 was a special time for the AZ Territory with the passage of the statehood bill by the US Congress, June 19, 1910. Territorial Governor Richard E. Sloan was the honored guest for the Statehood and Fourth of July celebration several weeks later. From the new Bandstand, the Prescott Concert Band, in their handsome new uniforms from the East, struck up the tune "Hail to the Chief" and the Governor delivered the dedication address for the planting of the Statehood Tree. This was the first official ceremony from the new Bandstand. The Bandstand pre-dates the present Courthouse and has been the site for weddings, Sunday schools, and Christmas ornamentations. It remains much as it was constructed in 1910, with the exception of the original wood railings which were replaced with iron railings.

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