Hiram Stevens was born in Vermont in 1834. At the young age of nineteen, Hiram enlisted in the United States Army and was stationed in New Mexico following the Mexican-American war. After his discharge from the Army in 1856, Hiram chose to settle in what is now known as Tucson. Stevens who ran freight on wagons found it increasingly difficult to compete with new merchants who utilized the quicker, cheaper railroad for shipping. In 1893, Hiram Stevens shot his wife and then committed suicide in their home. Luckily, the bullet shot at Petra was somewhat deflected by her Spanish hair comb, and she was able to recover from her head wound. She lived until 1916, when she died at the age of 73.
The Stevens Home is now part of the Tucson Museum of Art, which is the remains of what used to be the Presidio in downtown Tucson on Main and Washington. It currently houses a pre-Colombian exhibit and a caf next door. Tours can be taken for free, however, admission to the museum is two dollars.
