The Oro Valley Historical Society (OVHS) is a non-profit 501(c) (3) all-volunteer organization, and its mission is to promote research, preservation, education, and dissemination of the history related to the Greater Oro Valley area.
The Pusch House Museum is located at Steam Pump Ranch and is operated by OVHS volunteers. We are open Saturdays, 9-noon, September through April.
There are many Volunteer Opportunities, ways to Donate, and you can even Request Private Tours of the museum!
For more information go to our Visit Us page and Help Keep Oro Valley History Alive!
Won’t you join the effort to preserve the past for the future?
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An Easy Way to Help OVHS
Our exhibits, events, and activities depend on YOUR financial donations and volunteering. Support the Oro Valley Historical Society by participating in Fry’s Community Rewards Program ...
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Oro Valley Historical Society Board Meeting Schedule – 2025
Oro Valley Historical Society Board Meeting Schedule – 2025 January 21* (Tuesday) February 27 March 27 (Annual Meeting – location TBD) April 24 May 22 ...
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A Gift to the Community from Oro Valley Chamber Foundation
Good News and Gratitude! The Oro Valley Historical Society recently received a grant from the Oro Valley Chamber Foundation, and we are most grateful. ...
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Upcoming Events at the Pusch House Museum
Upcoming Events at the Pusch House Museum December 2024 – April 2025 Come on out! Saturdays from 9 a.m. – noon at Steam Pump Ranch. ...
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End of 2024 Activites!
End of 2024 Activities – Don’t Miss Out! Can you believe 2024 is almost over? Well, the Oro Valley Historical Society is still going strong ...
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October’s Excitement Builds!!
Currently, the Oro Valley Historical Society continues the exhibit “The Santa Catalinas – Our Magnificent Mountains”. Information about the geology, indigenous people, early settlers, mining, and Santa Catalina ...
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A Dream Come True!
A Dream Come True A huge thank you to the Arizona Historical Society for their grant to the Oro Valley Historical Society! This grant enabled ...
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A HUGE THANKS!
Thank you to the Greater Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce for so many reasons, but most recently for the Oro Valley Chamber Foundation grant to ...
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Fall brings the Oro Valley Historical Society Back to the Ranch!
Fall brings the Oro Valley Historical Society Back to the Ranch! The Oro Valley Historical Society will be 20 years old in 2025, and we ...
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A Celebration!
Henry King Zipf, was a fifth generation Tucsonan, born to Henry George Zipf and Ann Lourie Zipf, and the great grandson of George Pusch for ...
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The Rest of the Story!
The Oro Valley Historical Society hopes you all had a great time in April, celebrating Oro Valley’s 50th anniversary of incorporation, from parade to activities ...
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY ORO VALLEY!
“APRIL is the month of dreams come true.” John Baillie, Scottish theologian in the early 1900’s. For Oro Valley, this month celebrating 50 years as ...
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The Honey Bee Canyon Petroglyph
The Honey Bee Canyon Petroglyph Last year, the Oro Valley Historical Society (OVHS) installed “A Place in Time” historical timeline of the greater Oro Valley ...
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Come celebrate the Arizona’s 112th birthday at the Pusch House Museum at the historic Steam Pump Ranch
February is Arizona’s birthday! Come celebrate the 112th birthday at the Pusch House Museum at the historic Steam Pump Ranch, 10901 North Oracle Road.
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Decking the Pusch House with Boughs of Holly!
OVHS has decked the Pusch House Museum with boughs of holly for the December exhibit! “Traditions, Toys, and Trains” opens on Saturday, December 2 from ...
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Celebrating Oro Valley’s Golden Anniversary!
Oro Valley will celebrate it’s 50th birthday on April 15, 2024! This season’s Speakers Bureau will focus on discussion on Oro Valleys history from a ...
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October is German-American Heritage Month
Congress, by Public Law 100 – 104, designated October 6, 1987, the 304th anniversary of the arrival of the first German immigrants in Philadelphia, as ...
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OVHS Celebrates Hispanic-American Heritage
Arizona is heavily influenced by Indigenous People and Hispanic roots. This month the Oro Valley Historical Society is focusing on Hispanic-American Heritage. See the Hispanic ...
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Tootsie’s Steamer Trunk – Beauty revisited
Check off another item on the OVHS “to do” list. Collections Chair, Sue Chambasian, had the restoration of Tootsie’s steamer trunk on her wish list. ...
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OVHS New Program Year!
Summer’s over and OVHS is BACK! After taking a summer break, Oro Valley Historical Society is ready to welcome visitors to the Pusch House Museum. ...
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In Memory of OVHS President Henry K. Zipf
The Oro Valley Historical Society (OVHS) Board members are saddened to announce the passing of our friend and President Henry K. Zipf. Henry was the ...
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Thank You to our Event Sponsors!
The Oro Valley Historical Society greatly appreciates the support of the Lisa Bayless Team at Long Realty for contributing to the “Ain’t No Mountain High ...
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The Road to Arizona Statehood!
The Road to Arizona Statehood was a long trek! On Valentine’s Day, February 14, 1912 it became the 48th State of the Union and the ...
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Fundraising Event: Wynne Brown Presentation
Don’t miss a great opportunity to hear a great presentation! “Ain’t no mountain High Enough!” How Sara Plummer Lemmon Reached New Heights Mount Lemmon ...
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Traditions, Toys and Trains!
Get into the holiday spirit and visit the Pusch House Museum. Beginning December 3, the Oro Valley Historical Society will feature “Traditions, Toys, and Trains” ...
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Steam Pump Ranch Walking Tours!
You might have driven along Oracle road and passed Steam Pump Ranch a thousand times and wondered….what is that? You might have visited the Heirloom ...
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Native American Heritage Month
It’s a new month and a new exhibit! November OVHS celebrates Native American Heritage Month. Explore Native American history and culture that is part of ...
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October Exhibit!
New Month, New Exhibit! It’s October and that means there is a new exhibit at the Pusch House Museum at Steam Pump Ranch – Where ...
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TOURS OF THE STEAM PUMP RANCH PROPERTY
The Oro Valley Historical Society is happy to announce that our popular Steam Pump Ranch Property Tour will resume on Saturday, September 17. Tours begin ...
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Grand Opening – New Season! Saturday, September 10
We are thrilled to announce that our new program year is around the corner! We have been busy during the summer planning for an exciting ...
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THIS IS IT!
THIS IS IT! It has been a spectacular OVHS program year from September through April. On Saturday, April 9 the Oro Valley Historical Society (OVHS) ...
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OVHS Annual Meeting: March 24, 2022
Come One, Come All, The Annual Meeting of the Oro Valley Historical Society (OVHS) will take place on Thursday, March 24 at 3:00 p.m. It ...
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New Exhibit Celebrates Women’s History in Oro Valley
WONDER WOMEN OF ORO VALLEY AND BEYOND! Don’t miss this! March is Women’s History Month and Oro Valley Historical Society has a great new exhibit ...
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February Pusch House Exhibit/Outdoor Tour
A New Month a New Exhibit! This month the Oro Valley Historical Society’s exhibit will focus on Black History. Discover Black traditions and the origins ...
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Meanwhile Back at the Ranch!
It’s a new month and that means a new exhibit! “Meanwhile Back at the Ranch” shows some of the aspects of ranch life. For both ...
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Let’s Talk Railroads!
On Wednesday, December 1 at 2:00 p.m. we will have a talk on the history of railroads in our area..the Narrow Gauge. The talk will ...
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Pusch House Museum Exhibits
The Pusch House Museum is Back in Business! The Pusch House Museum reopened in September after a long hiatus due to….well you know. In ...
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We’re Back!
After a long, hot, rainy summer the Oro Valley Historical Society is back! After a long ,weary, year and many months of COVID, we ...
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OVHS Annual Meeting: March 25, 2021
Please note that the OVHS Annual Membership Meeting will take place at Steam Pump Ranch (10901 N. Oracle) on Thursday, March 25 at 2:00 p.m. ...
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A “Garden of Earthly Delights”
A “Garden of Earthly Delights”! You might remember this tag line from Clairol Herbal Essence shampoo from the 1970s (it smelled wonderful!) but it could ...
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Out and About Tucson
The Garwood Dam in the Rincon Mountains Looking for an interesting outdoor activity? A moderately difficult 5 mile trail will take you past ...
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A Unique Specimen! What Is It?
One of the many questions that come up during the recent tours of Historic Steam Pump Ranch, is what kind of tree is that? The ...
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Steam Pump Ranch Tours
Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are! If you are looking for something to do OUTDOORS, look no further! The Oro Valley Historical ...
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MEANWHILE BACK AT THE RANCH….TOURS!
MEANWHILE BACK AT THE RANCH! It’s been a LONG 2020! But we are happy to announce that the Oro Valley Historical Society (OVHS) will ...
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OVHS Annual Meeting: November 12, 2020
Hello Oro Valley Historical Society Members! The Board of the Oro Valley Historical Society (OVHS) planned to have the Annual Meeting way back in April! ...
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A Special Donation!
Sincere thanks to Walter Pusch (Great-Grandson of George/Mathilda Pusch) for these two special donations to the OVHS Collections. Walter donated a Pima/Papago and Apache Burden ...
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Letter to the Town of Oro Valley
The following letter was delivered to the Town of Oro Valley Mayor and Councilmembers (others as noted) on May 26, 2020. (Formatting may be slightly ...
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The Pusch Family Crest
Do you like to sleuth? Our Collections Committee often has to don their Sherlock Holmes deerstalker hats to get to the bottom of historical mysteries. ...
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It was $$Priceless$$!
Just before “social distancing” became the norm, OVHS was able to showcase its fundraising event, $$PRICELESS$$, at the Oro Valley Country Club. Guests brought in their ...
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Don’t miss this Special Event! It’s $$Priceless$$
So you’ve taken on the task of cleaning out the storage unit and have come across that “thing” handed down from generation to generation. ...
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Thank you KVOI 1030AM WakeUp Tucson
Where were you Monday, February 24 at 7:00 a.m.? Peg O’Connell and Teri Colmar were at the KVOI 1030AM studios with Chris DeSimone! Chris graciously ...
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TOURS AND HIKES AND EVENTS….OH MY!
If you haven’t checked the Oro Valley Historical Society (OVHS) calendar lately you might be missing something special! For all upcoming activities and details check ...
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SaddleBrooke’s Phantom Gold
Local historian, Bob Simpson, will discuss “Mining Law and Saddlebrooke’s Phantom Gold”. Bob is a published author and has been a very popular speaker at ...
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This is $$Priceless$$
So you’ve taken on the task of cleaning out the storage unit and have come across that “thing” handed down from generation to generation. Is ...
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History Hike – Elias Homestead
Wednesday, February 19 – NW corner of Catalina State Park. Meet: 8:30 am – Equestrian Center, Catalina St. Park What a great way to ...
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“Letters from an Army Airman” – February Exhibit
The Pusch House at Steam Pump Ranch will feature an exhibit; “Letters from an Army Airman”. Capturing a bit of February’s theme of Valentine’s Day ...
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Thank You for Supporting OVHS!
We wish to thank all of you volunteered at the Christkindlmarket booth, visited the Pusch House, purchased items from our booth and gave donations! We ...
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History Hikes!
History Hikes for January – March 2020 Oro Valley Historical Society Wednesday, January 22 – Honey Bee Canyon and Homesteader Ruins. Meet: 8:30 am ...
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What’s in a Name?
On Wednesday, November 12 the Oro Valley Historical Society featured a talk by Arizona Star columnist, David Leighton. David discussed the origins of many Tucson ...
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Christkindlmarket Booth at Steam Pump Ranch
Many cities around the world have adopted the festive Christkindlmarket during the holiday season. The fairy-like Christkind (grounded in German culture) visits children, bestowing ...
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November Library Display
If you missed the Romero display at Steam Pump Ranch, there’s still time to catch it at the Oro Valley Public Library. Francisco Romero and ...
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Meet Tootsie!
Did you see the question on our Facebook page? Here’s the answer! Tootsie was a turn of the century doll from the Henry G. Zipf ...
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Sow, What’s New in the Heritage Garden?
The Heritage Garden at Steam Pump Ranch participated in the “One Seed Pima County” community project. Joyce Rychener cultivated the seeds of the Black Russian ...
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It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas….What?
Here it is, August, and at the Oro Valley Historical Society we’re already thinking about the holidays! Our fundraising team is busy at work getting ...
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Where have YOU been?
No matter where I travel I’m always searching out the local historical society or museum. The Gothenburg Historical Society (Nebraska) purchased this building (a former ...
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OVHS Volunteer Recruitment Meeting: July 10, 2019
Members, volunteers and interested parties! We invite you to our Quarterly Information Meeting at 1:00 pm, on Wednesday July 10, 2019 at the Pusch House, ...
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On the Road!
Summer vacation calls many to explore heritage sites. One of the best ways to learn about the roots of our country is to visit Historical ...
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Summer Fun at SPR
Summer time and the livin’ is easy and fun! Several Oro Valley Historical Society members shared their expertise at the ART + STEM = STEAM@STEAM ...
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Out and About
With warmer weather on the horizon, many Tucsonans will be seeking cooler climates. If you find yourself headed north, you might want to take a ...
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