These are the oldest places in Arizona and the history behind them

Though the Grand Canyon State officially achieved statehood in 1912, many of its oldest places, such as bars, schools, grocery stores and churches, all significantly predate that historic day.

The Arizona Republic has rounded up all of those history-making places. Many of these are places you can still visit or may regularly see on your daily commute.

Step back in time to experience all the history the state has to offer.

Arizona's oldest grocery and general store

Del Monte Market at 2659 W. Dobbins Road in Laveen opened in 1908 and has continued to stay open for 118 years.

It was originally called "Brutcher's Store" and served as a grocery store, but it went through several ownership changes over 118 years. Now the sign reads "Del Monte Market" and sells tamales, corner store snacks, liquor and other conveniences.

However, the decorative brick building separates it from other corner stores, maintaining its vintage feel as well as a hitching post for those who still choose to ride horseback to the store.

The historic store hangs a plaque marking its historic registry in Phoenix.

Arizona's oldest bar

The Palace Restaurant and Saloon opened in 1877 within Prescott's Whiskey Row, which was known for its nightlife even in the 1800s.

Its position on Prescott's iconic Whiskey Row made the Palace Saloon a prime spot for those looking for a good time. Most famously, the Palace Saloon attracted Wyatt Earp, Virgil Earp and Doc Holliday.

Although the Palace Saloon likely hosted some rowdy cowboys during its time, the bar stayed unscathed and in business until 1900, when a fire destroyed Whiskey Row and much of the town since the buildings were mostly built out of wood at the time.

Patrons of the Palace Saloon famously carried the Brunswick-brand bar table out of the fire in order to preserve elements of the bar.

Since most of Whiskey Row was destroyed, the eager Palace Saloon owner, Bob Brow, rebuilt the Palace Saloon alongside Ben M. Belcher and Barney Smith, owners of the former Cabinet Saloon, alongside a hotel, Chinese restaurant and barber shop in the back of the saloon.

Arizona's oldest mall

With a quick internet search, one might assume that Arizona's first mall was Park Central in Phoenix. However, after reviewing archived articles from The Republic, the grand opening of Park Central Mall took place April 1, 1957, more than two months after Town & Country Village opened in Phoenix in January 1957.

The shopping center is still open today under the same management, maintaining the open-air design as it was in the early days, as well as a large metal and stained-glass flying phoenix that was installed in 1958.

Although the mall has kept some of its original architecture, the unique local stores that once filled the buildings are no longer there. Shops like Ernie Brewer's shoe shop, Culver's, Ed Pabst Windsor Shop, Edens Candies, Cine Capri Theatre and beloved Jutenhoops were some of the first businesses to occupy the space.

The original Town & Country Village also had a nine-hole outdoor golf course as part of the mall's attractions.

Arizona's oldest church

San Xavier Del Bac Mission is Arizona's oldest church, founded by Father Eusebio Francisco Kino in 1692. However, the church building itself was not completed until 1797. San Xavier Del Bac Mission is still considered Arizona's oldest church, and it is still in operation today.

Kino traveled to present-day Tucson to spread Catholicism among the Tohono O’odham tribes and foster peace among the communities, according to a history of the San Xavier Del Bac Mission.

The relationship between the Spanish and the Tohono O’odham people was complex. Some Indigenous communities helped build the original adobe structure of San Xavier Del Bac Mission as the mission introduced them to livestock, wheat cultivation and other trades. Others maintained distance and kept to their traditional Tohono O’odham ceremonies.

Regardless, the church maintained its influence in Tucson, blending Roman Catholicism with Tohono O’odham traditions within prayer, philosophy and songs.

Not only is the church a historic monument, but it is also a gorgeous building showcasing traditional Spanish Colonial architecture that has been impressively preserved for over 200 years.

Arizona's oldest university

Although it's nearly a tie between the two largest rival universities in Arizona, the University of Arizona is the state's oldest university.

Both ASU, then called the Territorial Normal School, and University of Arizona were established in 1885.

Since the opening of Territorial Normal School in 1886, it underwent many name changes from Tempe Normal School of Arizona to Tempe State Teacher's College, then to Arizona State College. After much deliberation and a statewide vote in 1958, the Arizona State College became Arizona State University.

However, the University of Arizona was established as a university in 1885, becoming the first official college or university in the state. It has maintained that title ever since.

Arizona's oldest school

The Strawberry Schoolhouse in Strawberry was built in 1884 and is Arizona's oldest still-standing school. The building is no longer used as a school; the quaint one-room log cabin can be toured and serves as a reminder of Arizona's educational growth.

Although the Prescott Free Academy was built in 1876 and was Arizona's first school, the building was torn down in 1903 to make way for Washington Traditional School. Since the Prescott Free Academy schoolhouse is no longer standing, the Strawberry Schoolhouse is now revered as Arizona's oldest school.

The Strawberry Schoolhouse was used for classes, church and an overall community hub, serving as a vital part of the early Strawberry community. However, in 1916, the schoolhouse closed down, and slowly the building decayed over time.

The Pine-Strawberry Archaeological and Historical Society worked to preserve the building in 1979, consulting past students and teachers of the schoolhouse, returning the building to its original form. Now the schoolhouse is a historical monument open for public viewing.

Arizona's oldest movie theater

The oldest Arizona movie theater still in operation is the El Rio Theatre in Springerville. Construction started on the theater in 1913, just a year after Arizona's statehood; it opened in 1915.

Originally, the theater was named the Apache Theatre, but it went through a name change in 1937 and became the El Rio Theatre.

When it opened, the theater, which was built of adobe and plank, showed 35 mm black-and-white silent films on a hand-crank projector, according to the El Rio Theatre.

The theater is still in operation with updated Dolby surround sound systems, but it still has the same popcorn machine as it did in 1915, when the theater opened.

Arizona's oldest freeway

Arizona's oldest freeway is Black Canyon Freeway. Freeway construction started in 1950 and finished seven years later, bringing Arizona up to date with automobile transit in the U.S.

The original Black Canyon Road was a Native American trail that later became a U.S. Army route from Fort Whipple, outside Prescott, to Fort McDowell, east of Phoenix, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. It was later used as a stagecoach line.

After Congress approved a major spending bill to build 40,000 miles of interstate highways, the freeway began to take shape.

The Black Canyon Freeway initially started with an interchange at Grand Avenue that opened in 1957. Just a few years later, it reached Northern Avenue, according to ADOT. It just kept expanding from there. By 1964, the Black Canyon Freeway section of I-17 connected to the Carefree Highway; it was extended to Flagstaff in 1978.

Oldest movie filmed in Arizona

While many short silent films were made in Arizona as early as 1909, the first feature-length film made in Arizona was, well, "Arizona."

The 1940 movie is somewhat of a romance, starring Jean Arthur as Phoebe Titus and William Holden as Peter Muncie. William meets Phoebe in southern Arizona while he is passing through on his way to California. Though William's charm works on Phoebe, his inability to stay in one place makes him leave her for California.

Although upset by his disappearance, Phoebe's stark independence allows her to move on, focusing her efforts on creating a freight line in Tucson. However, she runs into issues when she gets into business with two men looking to sabotage her. Luckily, William comes back just in time to help.

"Arizona" wasn't exactly the hit Columbia Pictures was looking to make, but the movie is the reason why so many great Westerns were filmed in Tucson. The movie was set in the 1860s, during the Civil War; in 1940, Tucson was too modern to depict an accurate scene.

So, Columbia Pictures built Old Tucson Studios for "Arizona." The film cost over $2 million to make, including the set, which took over 200 laborers to construct, according to KGUN 9 Tucson. Unfortunately, "Arizona" was not able to recoup the losses at the box office, but the movie was the catalyst for Hollywood Westerns filmed at Old Tucson Studios.

Since "Arizona" in 1940, over 500 movies and shows have been filmed at the Old Tucson Studios. Some of the most notable are "Rio Bravo," "McLintock!" and "El Dorado," which all star John Wayne, as well as the 1993 "Tombstone" and the Western comedy "Three Amigos."