Skip to main content

Six more state properties listed on National Register of Historic Places

Six more South Dakota properties were recently added to the National Register of Historic Places, according to the South Dakota State Historical Society.

The listed properties are the Arthur and Ellen Colgan House in Edgemont, the Happy Times Carousel in Faulkton, the First Presbyterian Church in Flandreau, the American Legion Community Hall in Fort Pierre, the McWhorter House in Miller and the Stadum-Green House in Sioux Falls.

The National Register is the official federal list of properties identified as important in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering and culture. The State Historic Preservation Office of the State Historical Society works in conjunction with the National Park Service, which oversees the National Register program, to list the properties.

"South Dakota's history is rich in American Indian culture, pioneer life and change," said Jay D. Vogt, state historic preservation officer and director of the State Historical Society at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. "Properties listed on the National Register are important for their role in South Dakota's culture, heritage and history. And when properties get listed, it shows that their owners take pride in their role in preserving that culture, heritage and history."

Buildings, sites, structures and objects at least 50 years old possessing historical significance may qualify for the National Register, according to Vogt. Properties must also maintain their historic location, design, materials and association. Listing on the National Register does not place any limitations on private property owners by the federal government.

Following is more information about these newly listed properties.

Colgan House
Built around 1900, the Arthur and Ellen Colgan House is located at 407 3rd St. in Edgemont. It is listed in the National Register for its architectural significance as a transitional form occurring between the Queen Anne and Colonial Revival styles. Distinguishing exterior features of the house include a wraparound porch with pedimented entries, cottage windows with leaded glass in a diamond and oval design and a three-sided bay window with decorative sawtooth woodwork.

Happy Times Carousel
The Happy Times Carousel, aka the C.W. Parker Carousel No. 825, in Faulkton sits in its original location at the corner of 9th Ave. and Court St. Built between 1950 and 1955, it was purchased at an auction by Robert Ketterling in 1981. He refurbished the carousel and began operating it for the local children. In 1991, the city of Faulkton purchased it. Volunteers still operate it seasonally several days a week.

In addition to being listed on the National Register for Entertainment/Recreation, it is also listed for Art and Engineering. Though it does not have the hand-carved horses of earlier carousels, its aluminum horses, center wood panels with motifs of dancing figures, stars, seahorses or dragons, organ pipes and wood rounding board panels with circle and undulating designs convey a sense of public art. The fact that the carousel is still used as designed originally, as opposed to being collected and displayed, increases its societal value as community art.

First Presbyterian Church
Flandreau’s First Presbyterian Church, built in 1873, is the oldest, continually used church in South Dakota. Located at 22712 SD Hwy. 13, the church and connected cemetery are listed in the National Register in two areas. The first is under Religious Properties. This is because of the church’s significant association with the earliest settlement of the Flandreau homestead colony by the Mdewakanton Dakota American Indians and with the leadership of Rev. John Eastman for his involvement in the religious, social and political life of the community.

It is also listed for Graves because of the burial of the repatriated remains of Taoyateduta/Little Crow. Taoyateduta was a significant leader of the Mdewakanton Dakota during the 1862 U.S.-Dakota Conflict. He was killed in Minnesota in 1863 but his remains were not returned to his descendants until 1971.

American Legion
The American Legion Community Hall in Fort Pierre was built in 1933 when the Fort Pierre Commercial Club and the American Legion post joined forces with local businesses and civic organizations to raise money for the building located at 115 Deadwood Street.

From 1933 into the early 1950s, concerts, plays, dances, card parties, game nights, 4-H shows, Christmas parties and other community activities were common occurrences. It continued to be used for a number of public activities in the 1950s and 1960s, but its front offices were also leased to local businesses. In 1968, the Historical Society of Old Stanley County converted the building into a museum. Today, the Verendrye Museum continues to occupy the building.

The hall is listed on the National Register for Entertainment/Recreation, Social History and Architecture. It is a good example of a one-part commercial block with Mission influences in a small-town South Dakota setting. It is the only known Mission-influenced building in Fort Pierre. Centered toward the top of the parapet is a stone Legion emblem of a five-point star surrounded by a wreath.

McWhorter House
After medical school in 1904, Dr. Port McWhorter returned to his hometown of Miller and joined the local medical practice of Dr. W.H. Lane. He helped build the foundation of what would become one of Miller’s most enduring medical practices.

In 1906 McWhorter married a local woman, Helen Waters. That same year they had a Queen Anne-style house built for them at 426 N. Broadway. The first floor of the house was McWhorter’s clinic.

McWhorter served the town for 22 years. He and Helen continued to own their house in Miller after moving to California in 1926. In 1938, they donated it to the Miller Independent School District. It was used to board rural children attending school. The house served other needs of the district for many years before being converted into a museum.

The house is listed in the National Register for Health/Medicine and Education and also for Architecture.

Stadum-Green House
Located at 2101 S. Pendar Lane in Sioux Falls, the Stadum-Green House was built in 1938. Listed on the National Register for Architecture, it is representative of the American Small House type. The house has retained a high integrity of setting, location, material, design, workmanship, feeling and association. It accurately conveys the architectural history of residential construction in Sioux Falls in the 1930s.

For more information on the National Register or other historic preservation programs, contact the State Historic Preservation Office at the Cultural Heritage Center, 900 Governors Drive, Pierre, SD 57501-2217; telephone 605-773-3458 or website history.sd.gov/Preservation (click on National Register of Historic Places in the right column).

About the South Dakota State Historical Society
The South Dakota State Historical Society is a division of the Department of Education. The State Historical Society, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is headquartered at the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. The center houses the society’s world-class museum, the archives, and the historic preservation, publishing and administrative/development offices. Call 605-773-3458 or visit www.history.sd.gov for more information. The society also has an archaeology office in Rapid City; call 605-394-1936 for more information.