A black and white postcard of the YMCA, circa 1930-40s. The front caption reads: “YMCA Building Bisbee, Arizona 6-y-58” The postcard is unused, and the publisher is unknown. Chris Mullinax Collection.

The YMCA is the Young Men’s Christian Association which was founded by George Williams on June 6th, 1844 in London, England. The organization was created to help with the unhealthy conditions that were forming in cities due to the pollution from first industrial revolution. In 1851, the organization spread to other nations due to the Great Exhibition creating new chapters in the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, France and the Netherlands. The push for a global YMCA came from Henry Durant, winner of the first Nobel Peace Price and founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross. On August 1855, the first YMCA World Conference was held. The offices for the World YMCA were established in 1978 in Geneva, Switzerland. This organization along with the North American counterparts helped millions of new European immigrants settle in the United States and Canada. Today the YMCA operates chapters in 120 countries and focus on addressing social issues such as sustainable development, racism, gender equality and the AIDS epidemic. In Bisbee, the YMCA building was built in 1903 by the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company to provide recreation and healthier living for the community. They added the adjacent Gymnasium Club building and its equipment on December 15th, 1905. An official chapter of the Bisbee YMCA formed in 1907 and was led by a number of prominent Bisbee-ites, among them were John C Greenway, H.C. Hernie, along with a superintendent of the Copper Queen Mine, Gerald Sherman and the engineers I.W. Wallace and Harry Atkin. The YMCA often lent out the use of their basement swimming pool to the YWCA. The building was sold to the city of Bisbee in 1977 and was renovated into 17 separate apartments.

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