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Published August 28, 2012, 12:00 AM

Back in Time: DWU's Century Memorial Hall


Bishop Charles C. McCabe, who had served the South Dakota Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, is pictured addressing the crowd. Architect W.L. Dow & Son, of Sioux Falls, designed Century Memorial Hall. Built with Sioux quartzite, it was four stories high, measured 124 by 50 feet, and cost $40,000. College Hall, located directly west of Century Memorial Hall, was built in 1888-1889 to replace the original Dakota University building, Merrill Memorial Hall, which had been destroyed by fire on March 9, 1888. By the fall of 1903, college women were living in Century Memorial Hall, though construction wasn’t complete until 1904. On Nov. 12, 1904, Dakota University officially changed its name to Dakota Wesleyan University. Century Memorial Hall was renamed Graham Hall on June 10, 1910, to honor former president William Graham. These stereo card images are part of a series photographed by C.W. Johnson of 305 Sanborn Street in Mitchell. Five stereo cards were donated to the Dakota Wesleyan University Archives by the Codington County Heritage Museum in June 2010.

  • Bishop Charles C. McCabe, who had served the South Dakota Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, is pictured addressing the crowd. Architect W.L. Dow & Son, of Sioux Falls, designed Century Memorial Hall. Built with Sioux quartzite, it was four stories high, measured 124 by 50 feet, and cost $40,000. College Hall, located directly west of Century Memorial Hall, was built in 1888-1889 to replace the original Dakota University building, Merrill Memorial Hall, which had been destroyed by fire on March 9, 1888. By the fall of 1903, college women were living in Century Memorial Hall, though construction wasn’t complete until 1904. On Nov. 12, 1904, Dakota University officially changed its name to Dakota Wesleyan University. Century Memorial Hall was renamed Graham Hall on June 10, 1910, to honor former president William Graham. These stereo card images are part of a series photographed by C.W. Johnson of 305 Sanborn Street in Mitchell. Five stereo cards were donated to the Dakota Wesleyan University Archives by the Codington County Heritage Museum in June 2010.
  • The placing of the cornerstone in Century Memorial Hall on the campus of Dakota University in Mitchell on May 13, 1903, was cause for celebration. Although groundbreaking ceremonies had been held May 8, 1901, construction on the women’s dormitory didn’t resume until April 1903. President William I. Graham, who led the fundraising campaign for the building, had been one of the men guiding the plow during the groundbreaking ceremony in 1901, and he placed the time capsule into the cornerstone two years later.