1
South Dakota State Quester
Preservation and Restoration Projects
1985
$572 was donated to the Cramer-Kenyon House in Yankton
1986-1989
$3,460 was donated for the lighting inside the dome of the State Capitol building in Pierre as
part of the capitol renovation project. This was South Dakota Quester’s first official State
P&R project.
1989-1992
$9,053 was donated to the restoration of the Chapel Car Emmanuel railroad train car located in
Madison’s historic Prairie village.
1993-1994
$5,000 was donated to the Cramer-Kenyon House in Yankton as a contribution toward the
home’s restoration. At the 1994 state convention, the final payment ($3,075.68) was
dispersed.
1995-1996
$5,000 was donated to support the Aberdeen Capital Theater marquee restoration project, to be
dispersed over a 3-year time frame. The final payment ($1,818.10) was paid in 2007, since
sufficient dollars were available.
1998
The Gold Prospectors Chapter #1202 submitted a request for $3,000 to support the restoration
of the Adams House in Deadwood. The funds will be used to reproduce the wallpaper in the
ladies’ sitting room on the second floor.
1999
A second request, for $5,125, was submitted to support the Adams House restoration project.
The funds will be used to restore majolica hearth tiles in the parlor. The final payment of
$1,000 was made in April 2000.
2000
Stanage Chapter #612, together with the other Yankton chapters, submitted a request for
$5,000 to support the restoration of the Grand Army of the Republic Hall (owned by the
Yankton Area Arts Association). Funding was approved, with $1,000 in 2000, $2,000 in 2001
and $2,000 in 2002.
2000
Gold Prospectors #1202 of South Dakota applied for an International Quester Grant to support
the on-going restoration of the Adams House in Deadwood. The application was accepted
with $5,000 approved at the May 2000 International Convention in Colorado. (International
Grants are awarded biennially during even years.)
Updated September 2010
2
2001
In May 2001, the final payment of $2,000 was given to the G.A.R. Hall in Yankton.
2001-2002
Canton’s Klondike Mill chapter submitted a request for $5,000 to be used for electrical wiring
and installation of historical lighting in the Canton Depot Museum. The request was approved,
with donations over a 3-year period (or sooner, if donated funds permit). An initial payment of
$2,000 was authorized.
2002
$3,000 was paid to the Canton Depot Museum, to complete the state’s obligation to the
museum.
At the 2003 convention, chapters were asked to submit P&R donations by March 31, so that
P&R funding decisions could be made and announced at the state convention.
2004
Kampeska #1301 submitted a $5,000 grant for the Mellette House in Watertown. The grant
will support repairs to the dining room walls and purchase of wallpaper, replacement of a
wooden door and restoration of a built-in china cupboard plus replacement of 3 storm
windows. Funds were available, so a check was issued immediately.
2005
Three applications were presented for consideration:
 A grant request for $5,000 was submitted by Aberdeen chapters Land of Oz, Yellow
Brick Road and Emerald City, to support the final interior re-lighting in the original Art
Deco Style in the Aberdeen Capital Theatre.
 A grant request for $5,000 was submitted by Rushmore Memories to help finance the
restoration and preservation of the Custer County Courthouse museum brick outhouse,
located on the old courthouse grounds in Custer.
 A grant request for $1,700 was submitted by Dakotahs (Sioux Falls) to purchase a new
area rug for the dining room in the Pettigrew Home Museum in Sioux Falls.
The P&R committee made the following recommendations:
 $1,700 to the Pettigrew Museum.
 $1,600 to the Custer County courthouse outhouse restoration project.
 $500 to the Capital Theatre interior re-lighting project in Aberdeen.
The $1,600 awarded to the Custer County courthouse outhouse was later returned to the state
organization, since that project did not move forward. As a consequence, additional money
was made available to the Capital Theatre lighting project.
2006
Belle Fourche chapter submitted a request to support the interior restoration, relocation and
furnishing of the Johnny “Buckskin” Spaulding cabin. The cabin will be moved from
downtown Belle Fourche to the grounds of the new Tri-State Museum and “Center of the
Nation” Visitor Center on Highway 85. Johnny Spaulding was the first documented Butte
County resident and his cabin is the first documented permanent residence in Butte County. It
Updated September 2010
3
was built in 1876 along the Redwater River, which is part of the Belle Fourche River
watershed just south of Belle Fourche.
2007
Arikara #419 submitted a $5,000 request to cover the cost of exterior painting to the CramerKenyon house in Yankton. The home was built in 1882 and only 2 families have occupied the
house. It is a three-story Queen Anne that includes original woodwork, ornate sculpted
moldings, period furniture and art work. The grant was approved, with $2,500 paid in 2007
and $2,500 paid in 2008.
2008
Capital City chapter in Pierre submitted an $800 request to renovate Pierre’s first schoolhouse,
which sits in a park in Pierre.
2009
Rushmore Memories chapter submitted a $2,700 request for the Keystone School Museum, to
remove the fire retardant that had been sprayed on the wainscoating in the museum.
2010
Land of Oz chapter submitted a $2,500 request for the Aberdeen Recreation and Cultural
Center, to renovate the stained glass window.
Belle Fourche chapter submitted a $3,500 request to construct a concrete pathway to the
Johnny Spaulding cabin.
Updated September 2010