2002 Places in Peril

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Old Fort Pierre School
Fort Pierre, SD

Built in 1892 as a schoolhouse by the Bad River School District and later owned by the Fort Pierre Independent School District, the building served as the first high school in Fort Pierre and one of the first in western South Dakota.

Only seventeen years a school, the building was converted to a boarding house in 1909 by Elgin Brown.  The main floor is a residence.  Two private-entrance apartments occupy the second floor and six bedrooms the third floor.  The house has three stories, a symmetrical façade, hipped roof, double-hung windows, and the original schoolroom wooden floors.  It sits across from the Stanley County Courthouse, along Highway 83.

 Two years ago, the City of Fort Pierre complained that the building, which had been vacant since the 1980s, was a nuisance and filed suit.  In an effort to save the building, new owners Patti and John Duffy presented a renovation plan that spans ten years.  The City has delayed its lawsuit but asked that certain structural repairs be completed before the lawsuit is dismissed.  The current owners are pressed for time and funds to save the building.  For more information, call Patti or John Duffy at 605-223-9258.

Gurney Seed & Nursery / Excelsior Flour Mill
Yankton, South Dakota

The Gurney Seed & Nursery complex in Yankton has an interesting history.   It began in 1872 as the Excelsior Flour Mill, becoming the state’s earliest major industry.  The original structure was built for the mercantile firm of Dower T. Bramble and William Minor. The builder, William Bordeno, bought out the others and ran the operation until his death in 1874.  His widow, Martha Armstrong Bordeno ran the mill until she remarried.  They later sold the operation to Gurney Seeds and Nursery in 1923.

The main building is architecturally important to South Dakota because the walls are of chalk rock and its foundation of Sioux Falls Quartzite, which are two of South Dakota’s most important native materials.  The mill was originally powered by an artesian well and then later by a steam boiler engine.  Because Yankton was a port on the Missouri River, it soon became an important supply center for the military posts, Indian agencies and to Black Hill’s miners.

Two buildings built around 1900 were joined with the flour mill with brick in 1943.  Various structures have been added over the years by the Gurney Seed Company, which closed its business in 1999.  The city of Yankton considered purchasing the property in 2001, but abandoned the idea after Yankton citizens voted down the measure.  Soon afterwards, a local  non-profit, community development corporation purchased the property in hopes of finding a developer who would renovate the historic buildings.  The oldest and most historic building, one of the few flour mills still standing in the state, has been offered to the Yankton County Historical Society, but funds to restore the building has not been secured.  As time passes, the buildings are vacant and deteriorating.  Since the complex is on the river and considered prime commercial property, there is the fear that time will run out and all buildings will be demolished for a new hotel or other commercial business.  For more information call Ron Kraft, Secretary/Treasurer of the Yankton Area Progressive Growth, Inc. at (605) 665-9011.

South Dakota School for the Blind
Gary, South Dakota

The first South Dakota School for the Blind is a collection of nine buildings on 47 acres, which for more than 60 years serve as the state’s rehabilitation facility for blind children.  In 1894, local publisher Doane Robinson came upon the idea that the state needed a facility to educate its blind children, and advocated its establishment in Gary.  A few years earlier, Gary lost the county seat to nearby Clear Lake, vacating the old woodframe courthouse building then owned by the City of Gary.  Under Robinson’s guidance, the city proposed giving the building to the state if it would establish the school in Gary.  However, the legislature and other officials did not want to house such a facility in a woodframe building.  Therefore, a deal was struck in 1899 whereby the city would construct and donate to the state a new brick building, and in return the state would establish the school for the blind in Gary.  The building was completed, dedicated and opened for enrollment on March 1, 1900. 

Average enrollment at the school was 30 to 35 students per year, however, it reached a high point of 60 students in 1958.  The school provided special educational services not before offered in the state.  The school was nurtured by the local community and was a vital part of the social and economic environment in Gary.

In 1961, the school was moved to Aberdeen and the main buildings were used as a private home for elderly people.  Since the early 1970’s the buildings have been vacant.  Although vandals, weather and vermin have taken a toll on the structures, none of the buildings have been altered and most are considered structurally sound and in very good condition.  The beautiful Neoclassical and Classical revival designed complex includes classrooms, administration offices, a dormitory, a gym/auditorium with a stage, barns, boiler building and a playground with a unique water fountain in an old flower garden.  The property is for sale.

For more information contact current property owner Mr. Arthur Devorak at (507) 223-5254, The City of Gary, or concerned citizen Wesley Falk at (605) 432-5174.

Ingersoll Schoolhouse
Belle Fourche, SD

Located five miles east of Belle Fourche, the Ingersoll School stands as a loving tribute to the determination of our pioneer families to educate their children.   Built in 1890, the school was used as a school until 1971.  It has been vacant ever since and continues to deteriorate.  The school sits next to Highway 212 which is being widened and will eventually surround the old school.  The owners would like to see the school moved to a better location and renovated but lack the funds to do so.

The Butte County Historical Society has recently completed research concerning all the historic schoolhouses in Butte County.  For more information concerning this project, please call Eleanor Milberg, President of the Butte County Historical Society at (605) 456-2607.

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