Heritage Hall Museum and Archives

06/23/2026

Thanks to the The Courier for sharing this story as yesterday’s Photo of the Day https://www.freemansd.com/article/1316,photo-of-the-day-hands-at-work. We’re honored to be included in this service project and grateful for the youth (and the adults who planned this) who are helping spruce up two of our historical buildings.

A volunteer crew of more than a dozen youth began Monday morning, June 22 on a service project on the grounds of Heritage Hall Museum & Archives — scr...

06/22/2026

Ahhhh, it's finally officially summer! Time to get out there and soak it all up. Maybe you'd like to take a spin on our 1880s penny-farthing, on loan from the Kauffman Museum in Kansas.
Popular in the Victorian Era, and named after two British coins (small and large), the massive front wheel allowed riders to reach speeds up to 25 mph (no gears or chains here!). This design, however, is also described as "inherently dangerous;" hitting any kind of bump or stopping abruptly would throw the rider headfirst right over the handlebars.
The experience of sitting up that high pedaling away with the breeze in your face almost seems worth the risk!

06/21/2026

Happy Father’s Day!

We celebrate Father's Day on the third Sunday in June as a way to honor and appreciate fathers and father figures. This date was chosen to coincide with the birthday of Sonora Smart Dodd's father, who is credited with being the founder of Father's Day in the United States.

Dodd was inspired to create a day to honor fathers after hearing a Mother's Day sermon in church. Dodd wanted to recognize the sacrifices and hard work of her father, a Civil War veteran who raised six children as a single parent. She proposed the idea of Father's Day to her local church and community, leading to the first official celebration of Father's Day in Spokane, Washington in 1910.

But it didn’t become a national holiday in the United States until 1972, when Richard Nixon signed an official proclamation.

We discovered some of these details at https://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/trivia/3dq-how-much-do-you-know-fathers-day. You can learn more about the holiday there.

06/18/2026

Thursday Trivia

The United States is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence; it’s the semiquincentennial.

What was the 150th celebration in 1926 called?
(Can you answer without cheating?)

We’ll share the answer next Thursday along with another trivia question.

This is a tease for the July 30 Thursday Trivia Night that’s part of Heritage Days in Freeman the last week of July. We’re holding it at the Freeman Prairie Arboretum Visitor Center at 7:30 on the 30th as a joint project of the arboretum and Heritage Hall Museum & Archives.

We’re hoping to have ten teams of up to six members each compete in the history-themed contest. Please register with HHM&A (605-925-7545) to assure a spot.
You can learn more about Heritage Days online at our website - https://heritagehallmuseum.com/news-%26-events

06/17/2026

Excerpts from the June 23, 1982 Freeman Courier:

If the founding members of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church could’ve sat in the pews during the 1030 morning worship service June 20, they would have probably been a bit uncomfortable in the strange surroundings as the prelude was played. The walls would’ve been a stark contrast to the walls of the church they knew, the vaulted ceiling giving a feeling of grandeur and the large cross at the front of the church an indication of a more modern artistic influence.

But with the opening hymn, they might have well forgotten the newness and enjoyed singing “Hallelujah! Lob, Preis and Ehr” with the rest of the congregation. And as a service unfolded, they would’ve thought, “really, things haven’t changed that much; they’re still worshiping in German.”

The German worship service was a reminder of the heritage of St. Paul’s Lutheran, as the congregation celebrated its centennial, June 19 and 20.

Beginning with a banquet at the FHS gym Saturday night, the centennial included three worship services – a 9 a.m. service of celebration, a 10:30 a.m. German service and a 2 p.m. festival service. At noon potluck was held at the gym. Displays … at the Lutheran Day School both days proved to be very popular. It included books used in the first years of the church … scale models built by Gerhard Schamber of the church facilities in the 100-year history, pictures of the early years and other memorabilia.
Fifty years earlier, a similar celebration was held. The Sept. 1, 1932 Courier noted “all roads will lead to Freeman Sunday, Sept. 4 when the 50th anniversary of the founding of the St. Paul’s congregation will be celebrated.

“Organized in 1882 with nine members … during the first four years, services were conducted in the homes of the members and later in the public school building. Four years later, the congregation decided to erect a church building. After 17 years, it was necessary to erect a larger church; …it was dedicated in 1899.”

Addendum: The congregation moved from its original location at southwest Fourth and Poplar to its present location along Seventh Street between Wipf and Poplar in 1963.

06/15/2026

We know this building as Vintage Vault Floral + Coffee.

But it was built as First National Bank 120 years ago and continued as a bank for seven decades.

The local bank was established in 1902 by John J. Waltner, Joseph P. Graber, Joseph J. Waltner, Benjamin J. Waltner and Jacob J. Waltner. They rented space in the Kaufman Jewelry Store (just across the street to the south, today Black Widow Customs).

The new bank, a grand two-story building, was constructed in 1906. First National Bank remained there until a new building went up a half block east in 1976. It continued at Fourth and Poplar until 1999 – with the Waltner family at the helm for four generations – when It was sold to CorTrust, which continues there today.

First National Bank’s financial services helped build the local economy. But, in its prime, the bank building was also a hub for local business. The second floor became home to an attorney, dentist, doctor, livestock dealer and a beauty shop. The accompanying photo shows two entrances to the second floor – one off Main (north side) and the other off Fourth (east side).

After 1976, the building became Dale’s Shoe Store, Stern Oil, and Tech Treasury (a computer repair shop).

In 2014, Darren and Dawn Walz, purchased the building – which had undergone a series of earlier remodeling projects – and restored it to its 1906 roots. The Vintage Vault opened for business in December of that year as a retail store specializing in unique home decor and gift items. The First National Bank of Freeman building was placed on the South Dakota State Historic Registry and the National Registry of Historic Places in November 2015.

The Vault has evolved over the past decade and the building remains a powerful testimony to the strength of the Freeman’s downtown and the rich heritage of the community.

Our museum and archives contain photos and documents that collect and preserve history like this. If you value it, we invite you to become an HHM&A and/or make a donation to support our mission.

We’re open from 10 to 4 Mondays through Saturdays.

06/14/2026

We’re pleased to be hosting a workshop for anyone who would like to participate in Turner County Fair’s barn quilt contest on Saturday, July 25. The day-long workshop is scheduled at the museum grounds in Freeman from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Instructor Karen Larsen, who is heading up the project, will teach participants to create barn quilt panels to be entered in the contest. There is no charge for the workshop and all materials – a 4 x 4 sheet of ¾” plywood, paint and brushes – and instruction will be provided. The completed panels will be used to decorate the east fence of the racetrack prior to the start of the Turner County Fair, Aug. 17-20.

The workshop is open to up to six participants age 16 or older; anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian. Register for the workshop by July 15 to ensure a spot. Call 605-925-7545 or stop by the museum, which is open 10 to 4 Mondays through Saturdays. A minimum of four participants is required.

📣America's 250th Contest at the Turner County Fair!📣

We are asking for volunteers to help us celebrate the 250th anniversary of America's Independence. As part of a beautification program of the fairgrounds, and a permanent addition to the grounds, and in honor of this momentous occasion, we are looking for people interested in helping us by making a "barn quilt" panel to be permanently on display along the east fence of the fairgrounds. Supplies, patterns and instructions will be provided by the Turner County Fair.

06/12/2026

We’re excited about HHM&A Heritage Days the last week of July and are thrilled that it begins with Katy Camp on Thursday, July 30.

Thanks to Joan Mueller Peters and Lisa Mueller Howard – Mueller Sisters' Writing Adventures – for initiating this project for youth to follow in the footsteps of Katy, the inspiration for their books. Thanks also to Rebecca Hofer for joining the Katy Camp team. Contact our museum if you have questions. We’re open from 10 to 4 Mondays through Saturdays; call 605-925-7545.

Katy Camp is just part of a slate of activities that will help us celebrate our history and traditions and we’re pleased that the Freeman Prairie Arboretum is partnering with us in this project.

You can learn more about our plans online at our website: https://heritagehallmuseum.com.

06/11/2026

We were pleased to welcome 19 “Bear Care” visitors to the museum Tuesday morning, June 9. The after-school program for K-5 students atMarion Public School continues through the summer. The 16 students and three adult supervisors spent about 90 minutes touring the museum and participating in a special “quilting” activity. The students saw four quilts on display in the museum and then each created their own “quilt block” using small paper squares and triangles. They also spent time at the Freeman Prairie Arboretum, our neighbor to the south, Tuesday afternoon.

We enjoyed working with Rita Schmidt, who heads Marion’s Bear Care program, in putting together this special program and are looking forward to other projects during their return visits in July and August.

And we invite any school group – class, organization, project – to visit with us about scheduling similar programs for your students throughout the year. Contact us if you have any questions – 605-925-7545 or email [email protected] or stop in; we’re open 10 to 4 Mondays through Saturdays.

06/10/2026

Excerpts from The Courier, June 7, 1978:

The future of Casey’s General Store in Freeman is still an unanswered question. The debate over the location of the convenience grocery store self-service gas station erupted following the meeting of the Freeman City Council and representatives from Casey’s on April 17.

Casey's studied the town and traffic flow (and) determined that the corner of Cherry and Fifth was “our first, second and third choice.” They also stated that the granting of a carryout beer permit was a prerequisite.

At the May 1 meeting, a building permit was granted. The same evening, a permit to sell carry-out low-point beer was requested by Casey’s. The issuance of that permit has become the latest battle over Casey’s.

Thursday, May 29, a petition carrying the names of 98 people was submitted to the city council. The council was meeting that night to decide on the issue of permits to sell low-point beer to five Freeman businesses, including Casey’s.

Addendum: The real issue was the location. Residents around the proposed location didn’t want a business in their neighborhood. Freeman, at that time, had no zoning ordinances. More than 100 city residents signed a petition asking the city to deny a building permit because the business didn't conform to the residential nature of the area. After the City of Freeman granted the building permit, the beer permit became the next legal maneuver.

The weeks that followed included a court ruling uphelding a petition calling for the denial of the beer license and a public vote by city residents. The July 19 Courier reported, “Freeman voters turned out to make their ballots either in favor of or against the resolution prohibiting the sale of beer on the corner of Fifth and Cherry .. 275 voters said yes … and 427 said no.”

That vote led to the issuance of a beer permit. Construction on the building at Fifth and Cherry began that year and Casey’s opened in June 1979. It remained there until it moved to its current location at Sixth Street and Highway 81 in 2013.
When Casey's opened in Freeman in 1979, the company had 110 stores in operation. Today, Casey’s reports more than 2,900 stores in 19 states.