Bring our exhibits to your school, business, organization, or event! Chandler Museum offers mobile exhibits covering a wide range of Chandler history. Request a mobile exhibit free of charge.
Explore the life and family of businessman Dr. A.J. Chandler who established Chandler Arizona in 1912. Learn about Dr. Chandler’s roots in Canada, career as a veterinarian, entrepreneurship in Chandler and his three wives.
- Six panels
How do you create a town in the desert? This exhibit explores the history of water management in Chandler’s early history. From water diversion to irrigation canals to the Roosevelt Dam, this exhibit features Dr. A.J. Chandler and the Consolidated Canal Company’s efforts to efficiently get water to the Phoenix valley in order to establish the town of Chandler.
- Six panels
Opened in 1913, the San Marcos Hotel was a premier resort in the Phoenix Valley. Explore the hotel’s 100 year existence, from family bungalows where visitors spent the season to the costume parties of the 1960s.
- Six panels
American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, known for architectural greats like Fallingwater and the Guggenheim Museum, spent time and worked right here in Chandler, Arizona. Hired by Dr. A.J. Chandler, Wright worked on various designs in and around Chandler. In this banner exhibit, discover Wright’s plans for an extravagant hotel in present-day Ahwatukee and his redesign ideas for the San Marcos Hotel.
- Six panels
The history and experiences of Chandler’s Latino residents are rich and varied. For over 100 years, the Latino community has shaped the history and development of our city. The stories featured in this exhibit come from generations of Latinos who have called Chandler home, some from the days of Chandler’s founding and some from the very recent past. Geographically, these stories range from Hightown to Southside, from families that lived in town to those outside of town on farms and ranches. These are your stories, your parents’ stories, your grandparents’ stories, and even your great grandparents’ stories.
- Six panels
Shortly after Pearl Harbor was attacked, the United States government posted orders for Japanese Americans on the western coast to report to local officials for “evacuation” instructions. In reality, over 120,000 Japanese Americans were forcibly removed without due process from their homes and placed in internment camps. Two of those camps were located in Arizona: Poston and Gila River. The Gila River Internment Camp was located just south of Chandler. It was open from 1942 to 1945 and imprisoned 16,655 Japanese Americans simply because they looked like the enemy.
- Five panels
The Dust Bowl, one of the most severe ecological disasters in United States’ history, hit the Great Plains in the 1930s. Many families from the Plains headed west, abandoning their homes in search of work. Chandler’s cotton farms offered temporary work to migrant laborers. One of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs, the Farm Security Administration (FSA), aimed to assist migrant laborers, and hired photographers to capture images of people and places benefiting from FSA programs. Learn about photographer Dorthea Lange and her photographs of the people and places affected by the Dust Bowl in Chandler.
- Six panels
Additonal Outreach Offerings
Outreach Presentations
Treat your audience to a story from Chandler’s fascinating history. Chandler Museum offers insightful and engaging presentations to community organizations, libraries, schools, and other groups. Book your free presentation and we'll bring history to you.
Chandler Museum at Your Event
Hosting a festival, market, or other public event? Request for Chandler Museum to host an outreach booth! We'll bring a fun activity introducing your audience to Chandler Museum. Subject to staff availability.