Mellette House

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Image:Outsidehousetoday2.jpg

The Mellette House was built by Arthur Calvin Mellette and his wife Margaret Wylie Mellette and their four sons on Prospect Hill in Watertown, Dakota Territory about 1885. Arthur Calvin Mellette had the honor of serving as the last governor of Dakota Territory and the first governor of the State of South Dakota.

The house was constructed in the Italianate style which was popular in the period. A massive circular staircase is the most imposing feature of the house; it ascends from the ground floor through the second story and into a small tower room located on the third floor. The staircase was said to be built in Minnesota and sent by train to Watertown, SD for installation in the house.

The Mellette House was a lively place when the Mellettes were in residence; the large double parlor, west parlor, and dining room were often the site of many elegant parties and political gatherings. The second floor was more of the living space with a sitting room, four bedrooms and a dressing room. The third floor tower room is quite small, but it provided an outstanding view of the surrounding countryside.

After the Mellette family left the house in 1895 it served as a private residence for many years. In 1929 Watertown's first radio station found a home in the house. Eventually it was divided into an upstairs and downstairs apartment, but in 1943 it was condemned by the Fire Department and was slated for demolition.

The Mellette Memorial Association was then formed to save the house and after much fund raising the property was purchased for $500.00. Work was then immediately started to restore the house to its former glory. In 1953, Charles Mellette, the last surviving Mellette son, donated many of the original furnishings, personal papers, paintings, and even some of his parents' clothing to the Mellette Memorial Association. The Mellette House was then reopened to the public for tours. Then on August 13, 1976, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.