Dakota Sunset Museum

George Holland House

The G.L. Stocker Blacksmith Shop is one of the first buildings in Gettysburg that was designed to host public meetings. The surrounding area is one of the earliest parts of town to be developed, and most of the buildings constructed initially here were put together during the 1880s and 1890s. Today the area has a diverse mixture of modern and historic buildings, some commercial and others residential.This building was built in the summer of 1901 by the Gettysburg chapter of the Women's Relief Corps, an auxiliary group to the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization that was established by Ciivl War veterans. The building was initially called the Meade W.R.C. Hall and was used regularly for social and civic functions. Some Saturday afternoons and evenings, for example, the WRC served ice cream and cake to the townspeople here. Other times, they used it for basketball games and as a movie theater; at one point, they even had their own projection booth to use. The WRC used the hall less and less over the years, though, as the GAR and WRC organizations declined in membership. The building was vacant in 1917, and the WRC put it up for sale. In 1920, it was purchased by George LeRoy "Lee" Stocker, an Iowa native who made his living as a blacksmith.Stocker ran the G.L. Stocker Blacksmith Shop for the rest of his life. Along with his blacksmith work, he also did metalwork, welding, and woodwork, services he offered to area farmers. In addition to this, he worked on wagon wheels and did some work on cars as the automobile became more popular. He kept his business alive through the Great Depression and the following decades by updating its services and facilities as technology grew. Lee Stocker finally closed his shop's doors in 1970, just a short time before he passed away at the age of 97. At this point, the shop permanently closed, with Lee's son Worth taking ownership of the old building, which he donated to the City of Gettysburg in 1993. In 2000, the Dakota Sunset Museum acquired the shop and today, they maintain the building and give tours free of charge.

Now located within the Dakota Sunset Museum, this historic blacksmith shop was originally constructed in 1901 by the Grand Army of the Republic and its women's auxiliary, the Women's Relief Corps. For a few years, GAR and WRC hosted movies, games, and dances here, but when these groups declined nationwide, the Gettysburg WRC sold the building in 1920. The building was purchased by G.L. Stocker, an Iowa-born blacksmith. By the time he closed his shop in 1970, Stocker had become a local celebrity for keeping his business alive for so long and was possibly one of the last in the country to practice his craft. After his death, the building passed to his son Worth, who donated the structure to the city due to its historical value. It was added to the National Historic Register in 1996.

G.L. Stocker Blacksmith Shop

Ashmore County was first created in 1873, and in 1877 it was renamed Potter County after Dr. Joel Potter, a legislator from Yankton. Gettysburg was first platted in 1894, and this same year was marked by a bitter battle over which city would become the county seat. The temporary county seat position was given to Forest City, a community about 20 miles from here, but a special election decided that Gettysburg should get this position permanently. The Forest Citians suspected vote fraud, though, and refused to give up the county records. When a constituent of Gettysburg stole the records in a dawn raid on the county offices, the battle for the county seat was effectively over, and plans began to build Potter County's first courthouse.After receiving a donated lot on what is now the north side of town, county officials hired Robert B. Fisk, a Gettysburg resident, to construct the building. The final product was two stories tall and had a bell tower on the front-center side of the roof. The bell tower was destroyed in an 1892 windstorm, though, and other structural problems doomed the new courthouse. The small town had also outgrown the small first building, so they got to work planning for a larger one, although it would be some time before they could afford to build it.In 1908, voters finally approved an issuance of $50,000 in 5% bonds to buy a new site and construct a new courthouse building. In 1910, commissioners voted to copy the design new Sanborn County courthouse in Woonsocket, and they hired J.P. Eisentraut, its architect, to work on their new structure. His designs used the Second Renaissance Revival style, with some elements from the Classical Revival school. These were popular designs around the turn of the century for public buildings like this one and can be seen on many other courthouses throughout South Dakota. The building was finally finished in 1911, and today it has served Potter County for more than 110 years and remains in good shape despite its age, thanks in part to a modernization project in the early 1980s.

Completed in 1911 and replacing a previous courthouse at this location, Potter County Courthouse has served Gettysburg and the surrounding area for more than 110 years. Its design was influenced by the Renaissance Revival and Classical Revival styles that can be seen in many other South Dakota courthouses. Today, the building houses the County Circuit Court of the 6th Judicial Court and the County Magistrate Court.

Potter County Courthouse

The details around the construction of the Curran house are somewhat clouded. Based on county deed records, D.H. and Leah Curran purchased the property in 1919 and entered into a mortgage in 1924, indicating that construction on their home started the same year. The architect of the home is unknown, but they likely used a pattern-book design, a popular residential style in small communities like this one. Mr. Curran was a miller with the Gettysburg Milling Company, The Currans sold the home to Herbert G. Beath, a cafe owner, in 1928.

Historic Gettysburg, South Dakota Tour

Dakota Sunset Museum

Introduction

Backstory and Context