South Dakota Mennonite College
South Dakota Mennonite College was founded by Friedrich C. Ortman, incorporated December 14, 1900. In 1901 John Gross donated three acres of land to the school and the first building was constructed in 1902. The college was formally dedicated October 25, 1903 enrolling 109 students. In 1904 the school had 130 students.
In 1908 the school was renamed Freeman College. The course of study for the college was the common school subjects, except for German, with new subjects added along the way. In 1906 the Men’s dormitory “Old Dorm” was built and in 1915 the Ladies Dorm “Campus House” was built. In 1911 the Teacher Training course was recognized by the State Department of Public Instruction and the Academy was fully accredited in 1922.
The college gymnasium was built in 1923 and was used for 27 years until it was turned into the Tieszen Industrial Arts building.
Memorial Hall (administration building) was dedicated and constructed in 1926 and later became the administration building. In 1939, the school was renamed Freeman Junior College.
In 1947 two 100 foot barracks were purchased from the Sioux Falls Air Base for the Boys Dorm. In 1948 the Boys Dormitory was completed and a new gymnasium was built. It was named Pioneer Hall in honor of the first settlers and was dedicated in 1950. In 1952 the Wollman house was bought and converted into apartments for staff housing. The old dorm was torn down in 1964. The college became primarily used for teacher training and operated until 1986. In 1986 Freeman Junior College was closed but Freeman Academy continued.
From 1906 to 1971 there have been 2,500 graduates from Freeman College.
The 23rd Mennonite General Conference of North America was held on the Freeman Junior College Campus August 29- September 5, 1923. A tabernacle seating over 3,000 people was built and meals were served in the gym.
In 1915 Professor Amstutz at Freeman Junior College introduced the Oratorio The Messiah by Handel to the community. College students (along with a few teachers and an orchestra & piano accompaniment) presented in a small tent on Main Street. In 1922 the college sponsored a rendition with Prof. Walter Hohmann as the director. In 1931 there was another rendition by Henry J. Miller. After 1932 The Messiah was presented annually.
Schmeckfest
The first Schmeckfest commenced March 13, 1959. This was a celebration of ten years of achievement of the Junior College Women’s Auxiliary. There was a Mennonite Smorgasbord where they served traditional European dishes their ancestors made. More than a thousand people attended and they ran out of food. The turnout was so good a second Schmeckfest was held in 1960. By 1971 2,600 meals were served. In 1972 the play Fiddler on the Roof had a great turnout and in 1973 an orchestra was added. The tradition continued on and today averages an attendance of 5,000 people every year.
Heritage Hall Museum & Archives
In the 1920’s professor Benjamin P. Waltner started a geology and mineralogy collection, which Charles Kaufman worked on during the 1950’s. John D. Unruh and Gary Waltner helped establish a historical archive. The Heritage Hall Museum & Archives was built in 1975, dedicated to the preservation of rare artifacts used by our ancestors on the way to our standard of current living. It is their desire to leave a wealth of information for our children’s children to understand and learn from their ancestors.
The museum is home to the 1927 Lincoln-Page biplane, (acquired by brothers: Alvin, Felix, and Harold Waltner.
The Diamond Valley schoolhouse, Ludwig Deckert pioneer house, and Johannesthal Church are all on site.
