Mead: A Center Preserving Our Heritage
Through Culture and Education
vBy Chauntel Wright
8vHERVOICEvSEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
If you have not visited the Mead Cultural Education Center, put it on the top
of your list for things to do in Yankton! The building is an amazing architectural
structure and home to the history museum, children’s museum, and event center.
It houses captivating exhibits which tell the colorful stories of the development of
Yankton and the Dakota Territory.
Prior to the Mead, historical collections, artifacts, and documents were stored and
displayed at the Dakota Territorial Museum located in Westside Park. The museum
itself has a long and interesting history. In 1936, the Daniel Newcomb Daughters
of the American Revolution and a Dakota Territorial Jubilee project opened the
museum in the Dakota Territorial Council Hall located in present day Riverside Park.
The building was later moved to Westside Park in 1953, and in 1961 the Yankton
County Historical Society (YCHS) was formed to take over the care of the museum.
The collections were growing, so in 1971 a new and larger museum was built
adjacent to the old council building which remained as extra exhibit space. Many
additional outside buildings were added, including the Gunderson Rural School
House, Hovden Cabin, and the Burlington Northern Caboose.
For thirty years the museum flourished with programs, events, and expanding
collections while welcoming countless numbers of guests from across the globe.
According to Crystal Nelson, Executive Director and Curator, with the ongoing
growth a new building was again a topic of discussion for YCHS. Many options were
explored including building a new museum to the east on the museum’s property
which was formerly a running track.
During these discussions in 2007, Nelson and a YCHS board member, were
invited to tour the Mead building which was scheduled for demolition. The campus
holds great historical significance to Yankton and the State of South Dakota. It was
placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and listed on the National