Hughes County Courthouse

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

From the record

“The Hughes County Courthouse, located on Capitol Avenue in Pierre, is the center of government of Hughes County, South Dakota. The courthouse was built from 1934 to 1935, replacing a building built in 1883.”
Wikipedia article Hughes County Courthouse, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 36 National Register listings published here for Hughes County · listed in 1993 · category: Building.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 2 buildingss as contributing to the listing.
Address. Capitol Ave. between Grand and Euclid Aves., Pierre, 57501
When was it listed? February 1993
Category. building
Also known as. County Courthouses of South Dakota MPS
City. Pierre city
Architectural style. Moderne architecture, Art Deco architecture
National Register reference number. 92001859 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

75 since 1996

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 75 fires within 5 miles of Hughes County Courthouse between 1996 and 2020, burning about 2,053 acres in total. 3 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
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	45
Equipment and vehicle use	10
Fireworks	10
Debris and open burning	4
Natural	3
Other causes	1
Smoking	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 2016	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression	ORV CA
30 September 2014	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression	ORV
30 September 2012	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	30 acres	South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression	4-WHEELER GRASS FIRE
3 September 2012	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	10 acres	South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression	RIFLE RANGE
25 September 2016	Equipment and vehicle use	200 acres	South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression	BUICK FIRE
22 September 2018	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	10 acres	South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression	WYLY
19 September 2012	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	40 acres	South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression	GRASS FIRE
17 September 2009	Debris and open burning	1.0 acres	South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression	not named

Every fire recorded in Hughes County

Mines and quarries near this property

5 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 5 workings within 5 miles of Hughes County Courthouse: 2 producers, 2 past producers, 1 unknown. 2 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.

Site	Commodity	Status
Buffalo Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Buffalo Pit #2	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Corps of Engineers Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Polo Grounds Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Unknown
Stanley County Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer

Every working recorded in Hughes County

Storms near this property

60 of 150 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Pierre, the town this property stands in, in 150 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 65 hail, 56 thunderstorm wind, 16 flood, 7 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
April 2019	Flood	Pierre	$184,600	no account filed
June 2008	Flash Flood	Pierre	$75,000	Very heavy rain of over 3 inches caused flash flooding in many parts of Pierre into the early morning hours. Many roads were under 1 to 2 feet of water. Several homes in southeast Pierre received sewer backup. Also several homes on Grey Goose road received flood damage.
June 2008	Lightning	Pierre	$50,000	no account filed
June 2008	Flash Flood	Pierre	$25,000	Very heavy rains of 2 to 4 inches caused flash flooding throughout much of Hughes county. Many roads and crops were damaged by the high water.
June 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	$1,000	Large tree branches snapped and a temporary green house was blown away.
June 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	-	Emergency management reports broken tree branches and power knocked out.
July 2023	Hail	Pierre	-	A photo of an estimated 4.5 inch hailstone was submitted on Facebook.
July 2023	Hail	Pierre	-	A photo of an estimated 3 inch hailstone was submitted on Facebook.
July 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	-	The public report was from social media with a photo of an uprooted tree.
March 2019	Flood	Pierre	-	In late March, a berm was constructed around the east side of Blunt to control snowmelt flooding on the Medicine Creek and divert the water to an open field away from homes and businesses. Part of the creek backed up into town. A small part of U.S. Highway 83 flooded on March 28th along with other county roads.
May 2019	Flood	Pierre	-	A quick intense rainfall of over an inch led to flooded streets in Pierre with some vehicles becoming stuck.
August 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	-	Sixty mph winds were estimated.
May 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	-	Estimated sixty mph winds downed some tree branches and took some shingles off a roof.
August 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	-	Sixty mph winds were estimated.
August 2017	Flash Flood	Pierre	-	Very heavy rains of 1.5 to 3.5 inches falling over a short period of time brought flash flooding to Pierre during the morning hours. There was flooding over several roads along with man hole covers coming off. The flash flooding resulted in stalled vehicles along with the flooding of some businesses and homes. Some vehicles became stalled with a few rescues occurring. Several areas were barricaded to prevent further stranded vehicles.
June 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	-	Eighty mph winds or higher downed many trees throughout Pierre along with damaging many buildings and vehicles.
June 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	-	A large tree branch was downed by sixty mph winds.
July 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	-	An estimated wind gust of 60 mph was reported by the public.
June 2012	Hail	Pierre	-	Half dollar size hail caused some tree and vehicle damage.
June 2011	Flash Flood	Pierre	-	Heavy rains resulted in flash flooding in and around Pierre. Streets and roads were flooded and barricaded while emergency pumps worked to evacuate water.
June 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	-	Seventy mph winds downed a few trees and caused some other structural damage in Pierre. Power was also out in parts of Pierre.
June 2011	Flash Flood	Pierre	-	Very heavy rains of 4 to over 5 inches fell in the Pierre and surrounding areas causing flash flooding of many streets and roads. With the ongoing flooding on the Missouri River along with the sewers plugged, pumps had to remove all of the water in Pierre.
July 2011	Flash Flood	Pierre	-	One to two inches of rain had created flash flooding of many roads throughout Pierre.
October 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	-	Seventy mph winds were estimated north of Pierre with some branches downed.
July 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	-	Seventy mph winds or higher brought down many tree branches along with some trees in Pierre. There was also some power outages in Pierre along with some buildings receiving damage.
June 2008	Hail	Pierre	-	Hail up to the size of baseballs fell in Pierre breaking some windows out of homes and vehicles.
May 2004	Lightning	Pierre	-	A lightning strike in Pierre broke four windows out of a home, destroyed four television sets in two different homes, destroyed a computer, shattered a car windshield, broke out a garage window, and peeled some bark from a tree.
August 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	-	The front door of the hospital was blown off.
July 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	-	High winds brought down several large tree branches.
June 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	-	Winds of 70 to 75 mph brought down several trees and many branches throughout Pierre. The high winds in combination with the quarter size hail caused some damage to buildings and vehicles throughout Pierre. A building in downtown Pierre sustained extensive roof and structural damage due to the high winds.
July 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	-	Winds to 80 mph brought down many branches and a few trees in Pierre. A new house under construction was also blown down.
June 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	-	Winds to around 70 mph downed several trees and many tree branches.
July 1997	Tornado (F0)	Pierre	-	The tornado, spotted by a pilot, struck an airport and ripped the roof off of an air carrier , smashing five airplanes. Path length and width were estimated.
July 1997	Tornado (F1)	Pierre	-	The tornado swept up dust and debris as it tracked steadily southeast across 2 miles of open country. Path and length were estimated.
August 1995	Tornado (F1)	Pierre	-	A narrow path tornado touched down three miles east of Pierre. The tornado tore the roof off a horse barn, destroyed a camper, and injured two horses.
July 2025	Hail	Pierre	-	no account filed
June 2024	Hail	Pierre	-	no account filed
August 2024	Flash Flood	Pierre	-	no account filed
August 2023	Hail	Pierre	-	no account filed
July 2023	Hail	Pierre	-	no account filed
July 2023	Hail	Pierre	-	no account filed
July 2023	Hail	Pierre	-	no account filed
July 2023	Hail	Pierre	-	no account filed
July 2023	Hail	Pierre	-	no account filed
July 2023	Hail	Pierre	-	no account filed
June 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	-	no account filed
July 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	-	no account filed
July 2020	Flood	Pierre	-	no account filed
June 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	-	no account filed
June 2019	Flood	Pierre	-	no account filed
June 2019	Flood	Pierre	-	no account filed
May 2019	Hail	Pierre	-	no account filed
May 2019	Flood	Pierre	-	no account filed
August 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	-	no account filed
May 2019	Flood	Pierre	-	no account filed
June 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	-	no account filed
August 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	-	no account filed
August 2018	Hail	Pierre	-	no account filed
May 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	-	no account filed
June 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Pierre	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Hughes County

Map coverage status

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.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

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.

Property	Distance	Listed
Horner-Hyde House	under 500 feet	1988
Hyde Buildings	under 500 feet	1983
Upper Pierre Street Commercial Historic District Boundary Increase	under 500 feet	2000
Judge C. D. Meade House	under 500 feet	1977
St. Charles Hotel	under 500 feet	1980
George McMillen House	0.1 miles	1983

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 92001859 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Hughes County	All 36 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.