Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
“The Old Post Office is a historic building located at 26 South Broadway in Watertown, South Dakota.”
Wikipedia article Old Post Office (Watertown, South Dakota), CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 43 National Register listings published here for Codington County · listed in 1976 · category: Building.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 38 fires within 5 miles of Watertown Post Office between 1999 and 2012, burning about 135 acres in total. None started naturally. 2 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12 |
| Debris and open burning | 9 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 5 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 4 |
| Fireworks | 3 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 2 |
| Other causes | 1 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 September 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | I-29 MM 171 |
| 19 September 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | 128TH AND 458TH |
| 19 September 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 6 August 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Worthing Volunteer Fire Department | I29 NB MM 59 |
| 25 August 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 23 August 2000 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 1.0 acres | Watertown Volunteer Fire Department | PELICAN PLAZA |
| 9 July 2008 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 5 July 2006 | Smoking | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 9 workings within 5 miles of Watertown Post Office: 6 producers, 3 past producers. 6 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cline Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Junger Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Little Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Mc Laughlin Pit & Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Mcbride Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Rauville | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Withrow Sand & Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Watertown, the town this property stands in, in 95 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 55 hail, 24 thunderstorm wind, 5 tornado, 4 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2025 | Lightning | Watertown | $100,000 | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watertown | $50,000 | no account filed |
| September 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watertown | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew down an office trailer at a cement plant. |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watertown | $6,000 | Apparent microburst with Winds of unknown speed caused broken windows and damage to vehicles from blowing gravel, sand and lumber. The wind was confined to the parking area and facilities of a casino. |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watertown | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage. |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watertown | $5,000 | Thunderstorm Winds blew down several trees. |
| July 2025 | Flash Flood | Watertown | - | A trained spotter reported street flooding halfway up car tires on roadways in Watertown from brief but intense rainfall. The COOP observer in Watertown recorded 1.22 inches of rainfall in 1 hour. |
| June 2024 | Flood | Watertown | - | A vehicle was reported stalled in flood waters in the northwest portion of the city of Watertown. |
| April 2023 | Flood | Watertown | - | Pelican Lake levels to rose above flood stage on April 15th. The lake peaked at a level of 1713.6 on the afternoon of April 20th. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watertown | - | One inch tree limbs were broken and shingles were blown off a roof by estimated 80 mph winds. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watertown | - | A trained spotter reported an 81 mph wind on his weather station. |
| May 2022 | Flash Flood | Watertown | - | Heavy rainfall resulted in water flowing outside a shallow creek bed. This water approached homes. |
| May 2022 | Flash Flood | Watertown | - | Heavy rainfall resulted in water over a road north of the hospital in Watertown. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watertown | - | Buildings were damaged by severe winds. The ASOS at the Watertown airport reported a peak wind of 76 mph. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watertown | - | Numerous tree branches were downed by estimated 75 mph winds. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watertown | - | Multiple trees and branches were downed across Watertown by estimated 75 mph winds. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watertown | - | Estimated sixty mph winds downed many large tree branches. |
| June 2018 | Flood | Watertown | - | Heavy rains of 2 to 3 inches caused several streets to flood in southeast Watertown. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watertown | - | Sixty mph winds brought down a large tree limb in Watertown. |
| June 2005 | Tornado (F0) | Watertown | - | A tornado touched down briefly northeast of Watertown in an open field with no damage occurring. |
| June 2005 | Tornado (F0) | Watertown | - | A tornado touched down three miles west of Watertown destroying a wooden and metal sheep shelter and damaging two other shelters. There were also some tree branches downed. |
| June 2005 | Tornado (F0) | Watertown | - | A tornado touched down briefly in an open field causing no damage. |
| June 2003 | Tornado (F0) | Watertown | - | A tornado touched down south of Watertown causing no damage. |
| June 2001 | Lightning | Watertown | - | A lightning strike splintered the base of a large maple tree in Watertown and downed a large tree branch. Pieces of wood damaged the sun room of a house and broke out several windows in some surrounding homes. The lightning strike also caused some water breaks and basement flooding in one home. |
| May 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watertown | - | Winds to nearly 60 mph brought down several trees and branches in and near Watertown. |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watertown | - | Winds gusting to 60 mph blew several tree limbs down in Watertown. |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watertown | - | Winds gusting to 80 mph knocked down two large cottonwood trees, blew a single car garage apart, tore shingles off of the house, blew a trampoline about 400 feet and scattered the lawn furniture. |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watertown | - | Winds gusting to over 70 mph in Watertown blew a portion of the roof off of a house and destroyed the attached garage on another house. Near Watertown, a pole barn was destroyed, a hay bale was blown into a basement window of a house and part of their deck was torn away. The high winds also downed many tree branches in town. |
| July 1999 | Hail | Watertown | - | Large hail destroyed hundreds of acres of wheat. |
| August 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watertown | - | Winds of 60 mph downed many branches north of Watertown and also blew a barn door off. |
| June 1998 | Tornado (F0) | Watertown | - | A small tornado touched down west of Watertown in an open field damaging a tree. Path length and width were estimated. |
| July 1998 | Lightning | Watertown | - | One-third of Watertown residents were without power for up to four hours when lightning struck a major electrical transmission line on 3rd street northwest. Seven circuits were lost, three overhead lines were burned along with other switches and cutouts. |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watertown | - | Thunderstorm winds gusting to 70 mph brought down many large tree limbs in northeast Watertown. |
| October 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watertown | - | A tractor trailer was blown off interstate 29 just east of Watertown. |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watertown | - | Thunderstorm winds of unknown speed blew down power lines. |
| July 2025 | Hail | Watertown | - | no account filed |
| July 2025 | Hail | Watertown | - | no account filed |
| September 2025 | Hail | Watertown | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Hail | Watertown | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Hail | Watertown | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Hail | Watertown | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Hail | Watertown | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Hail | Watertown | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Hail | Watertown | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Hail | Watertown | - | no account filed |
| May 2022 | Hail | Watertown | - | no account filed |
| May 2022 | Hail | Watertown | - | no account filed |
| July 2017 | Hail | Watertown | - | no account filed |
| July 2017 | Hail | Watertown | - | no account filed |
| July 2017 | Hail | Watertown | - | no account filed |
| July 2017 | Hail | Watertown | - | no account filed |
| July 2017 | Hail | Watertown | - | no account filed |
| July 2017 | Hail | Watertown | - | no account filed |
| July 2017 | Hail | Watertown | - | no account filed |
| July 2016 | Hail | Watertown | - | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | Watertown | - | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | Watertown | - | no account filed |
| September 2010 | Hail | Watertown | - | no account filed |
| May 2010 | Hail | Watertown | - | no account filed |
| March 2007 | Flood | Watertown | - | no account filed |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Carnegie Free Public Library | under 500 feet | 1976 |
 | Codington County Courthouse | under 500 feet | 1978 |
 | Watertown Commercial Historic District | under 500 feet | 2021 |
 | C.E. and Bertha Fowler House | 0.2 miles | 2001 |
 | Dr. Tarbell House | 0.3 miles | 2001 |
 | Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad Depot | 0.3 miles | 1985 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 76001726 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Codington County | All 43 listed properties in this county. |
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