Pearce

Pearce is an unincorporated community and ghost town in Cochise County, Arizona, where aging mining-era buildings still line quiet streets. The settlement contains scattered historic structures including a general store, an elementary school built in 1912, and a jail constructed in 1915, which together illustrate early twentieth-century desert life.

James Pearce discovered gold on a hillside in 1894 and staked five mining claims in the valley. After selling to banker John Brockman, the town expanded rapidly with a post office established in 1896 and a railroad station opening in 1903. At its peak around 1500 people lived there, extracting over 15 million dollars worth of gold.

The town takes its name from James Pearce, the founder who settled here with his family after purchasing the valley land. Walking through the remaining buildings and structures today offers a window into how residents organized daily life around mining operations and community institutions like schools and commercial spaces.

Visit during daylight hours when the sun illuminates the old structures clearly. The roads can be rough in some areas, but the location is straightforward to reach, situated approximately 28 miles south of Wilcox or 48 miles north of Douglas.

The historic jail from 1915 is maintained by the Pearce Preservation Association and typically opens to visitors on the first Saturday of each month from October through May. The cemetery, in use for more than a century, is maintained by volunteers and contains graves telling stories of the community's earliest residents.