Built in 1895 (Queen Anne style architecture in the United States). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
One of 44 National Register listings published here for Clay County · listed in 1982 · category: Building · built in 1895, Queen Anne style architecture in the United States.
Sources: the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 37 fires within 5 miles of E. H. Willey House between 1998 and 2020, burning about 119 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 was 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 |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 14 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7 |
| Smoking | 5 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 5 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 September 2020 | Smoking | 3.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | CLAY DITCH |
| 29 September 1999 | Misuse of fire by a minor | under an acre | Vermillion Volunteer Fire Department | DUKE STREET |
| 25 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | 319TH STREET |
| 30 August 2014 | Debris and open burning | 20 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | BURYANEK 2 |
| 5 July 2007 | Misuse of fire by a minor | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 25 July 2014 | Recreation and ceremony | 5.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | PW01 |
| 14 July 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 17 May 2013 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Clay County | VERMILLION FIRE |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Vermillion, the town this property stands in, in 88 storm reports between 1997 and 2025: 49 hail, 27 thunderstorm wind, 7 flash flood, 3 tornado. The reports record 2 injuries. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | 2 hurt | no account filed |
| September 2010 | Hail | Vermillion | $250,000 | Large hail damaged numerous vehicles with dent and cracked and broken windshields. Twelve skylights at a local Wal-Mart store were broken. Some damage to roofs and siding was also sustained. |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused widespread tree damage and destroyed a picnic shelter. A few vehicles were damaged by tree debris. |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused extensive tree damage and minor damage to structures near the University of South Dakota campus. |
| July 1997 | Lightning | Vermillion | $20,000 | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | $15,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew part of the roof off a church. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew a delivery truck over. the winds also caused tree damage, including large branches blown down. |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including several large limbs down. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | $2,000 | One tree was toppled and several large branches downed by thunderstorm winds. Property damage amounts are rough estimates. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | $1,000 | Large limbs were taken down on the east side of Vermillion by thunderstorm winds. Property damage amounts are rough estimates. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | - | A portion of a storage building was destroyed by thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | - | Several large trees limbs were brought down by thunderstorm winds. One large tree was blown over and was leaning on a house. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | - | Thunderstorm winds downed multiple trees and large branches across the southeast portions of Vermillion. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | - | A tree was downed by thunderstorm winds in Vermillion. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | - | Several large branches were blown down by thunderstorm winds around town. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | - | Multiple 3 inch branches were broken off trees by thunderstorm winds. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | - | Several shingles were removed from a house by thunderstorm winds. |
| July 2020 | Flash Flood | Vermillion | - | Torrential rainfall resulted in significant street flooding in Vermillion. |
| July 2020 | Flash Flood | Vermillion | - | Water reported flowing over the curb at the intersection of Cherry and Jefferson Streets in Vermillion. |
| August 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | - | Thunderstorm outflow winds blew over a large tree in Vermillion. |
| April 2017 | Hail | Vermillion | - | Numerous reports of hail ranging in size from quarters to golf balls. |
| June 2010 | Flash Flood | Vermillion | - | Heavy rain caused widespread street flooding. Several basements were also flooded. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including at least one tree uprooted. |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including large branches blown down. |
| September 2010 | Hail | Vermillion | - | Large hail dented vehicles and cracked windshields. The amount of damage was not known. |
| July 2009 | Flash Flood | Vermillion | - | Heavy rain caused flash flooding of several streets in Vermillion. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down construction signs, and caused an unknown amount of tree damage. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | - | Thunderstorm winds caused an unknown amount of tree damage. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts to 60 mph were accompanied by nickel size hail. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Vermillion | - | Nickel size hail was accompanied by wind gusts up to 60 mph. |
| May 2008 | Hail | Vermillion | - | Large hail was accompanied by heavy rain and 40 mph wind gusts. |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including a one foot diameter tree blown down. The winds also damaged a fence. The winds were accompanied by heavy rain and small hail. |
| April 2005 | Flash Flood | Vermillion | - | Runoff from over 3 inches of rain in 4 hours caused flooding of streets, yards, and other low areas. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree and power line damage, resulting in a power outage. |
| May 2005 | Flash Flood | Vermillion | - | Heavy rain caused significant street flooding. Several intersections were closed by water up to two feet deep.\ |
| May 2004 | Hail | Vermillion | - | Large hail covered the ground. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage. |
| June 2003 | Tornado (F0) | Vermillion | - | A brief tornado caused no reported damage. |
| June 2003 | Tornado (F0) | Vermillion | - | A brief tornado caused no reported damage. |
| June 2003 | Tornado (F0) | Vermillion | - | A brief tornado caused no reported damage. |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vermillion | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage. The amount of damage was not known. |
| June 2025 | Hail | Vermillion | - | no account filed |
| June 2025 | Hail | Vermillion | - | no account filed |
| June 2025 | Hail | Vermillion | - | no account filed |
| May 2022 | Hail | Vermillion | - | no account filed |
| May 2022 | Hail | Vermillion | - | no account filed |
| June 2020 | Hail | Vermillion | - | no account filed |
| June 2017 | Hail | Vermillion | - | no account filed |
| June 2017 | Hail | Vermillion | - | no account filed |
| June 2015 | Funnel Cloud | Vermillion | - | no account filed |
| June 2015 | Hail | Vermillion | - | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Hail | Vermillion | - | no account filed |
| April 2012 | Hail | Vermillion | - | no account filed |
| September 2010 | Hail | Vermillion | - | no account filed |
| March 2009 | Hail | Vermillion | - | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Hail | Vermillion | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Vermillion | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Vermillion | - | no account filed |
| July 2007 | Hail | Vermillion | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluff Historic District | under 500 feet | 2016 | |
 | First National Bank Building of Vermillion | under 500 feet | 1986 |
 | Downtown Vermillion Historic District | under 500 feet | 2003 |
 | Vermillion-Andrew Carnegie Library | under 500 feet | 1983 |
 | First Baptist Church of Vermillion | 0.1 miles | 1982 |
| Forest Avenue Historic District (Boundary Clarification and Additional Documentation) | 0.1 miles | 2012 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 82003922 in Record Group 79. |
| Clay County | All 44 listed properties in this county. |
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