Historic preservation projects in Mitchell, Lake City, Hot Springs, and Pierre recently received matching grants from the South Dakota State Historical Society.

The following projects were the most recent to receive grants to supplement their work:

• Mitchell (Davison County): St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, built 1912; received $15,000 to assist in repointing and other masonry repairs on the exterior
• Pierre (Hughes County): First United Methodist Church, built 1910; received $13,000 to assist in the preservation, restoration, and stabilization of a historic stained-glass window
• Lake City (Marshall County): Fort Sisseton – Adjutant’s Office, built 1869; received $12,000 to assist with exterior wall stabilization and restoration, tuckpointing, and new roof
• Hot Springs (Fall River County): Fargo Mercantile, built in 1910; received $16,050 to assist in repointing and other masonry repairs on the exterior

These new recipients represent a total award amount of $56,050 and matching funds of $99,696.91. The total public-private investment is $155,746.91. These figures will be included in the 2021 year-end totals. 

“This historic preservation grant program is designed to encourage restoration or rehabilitation of historic properties and is one more way we can promote and protect our history and culture,” said Ted M. Spencer, State Historic Preservation Officer. “In 2020 we awarded $111,050 among seven projects which had matching funds of $374,441. The resulting total public-private investment is $485,491.”

The grants are awarded through the State Historical Society’s Deadwood Fund grant program. Funding for the program is from Deadwood gaming revenue earmarked by state law for historic preservation projects throughout the state. The program is administered by the society’s State Historic Preservation Office at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre.

Deadwood Fund grants are awarded twice a year with grant application deadlines of Feb. 1 and Oct. 1. They are reviewed at the spring and winter meetings of the State Historical Society’s board of trustees.

For more information on the Deadwood Fund grant program, 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/fundingopportunities.aspx. For information on membership in the State Historical Society, please call 605-773-6000 or visit history.sd.gov/membership.

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 since 2013, 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 history.sd.gov for more information. The society also has an archaeology office in Rapid City; call 605-394-1936 for more information.