St. Scholastica Rectory

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

From the record

One of 4 National Register listings published here for Sanborn County · listed in 1994 · category: Building.

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

The listing

What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
Address. W side of Fourth St., between Wisconsin and State Sts., Letcher, 57359
When was it listed? June 1994
Category. building
Township. Letcher township
National Register reference number. 94000568 - 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

3 since 2006

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 3 fires within 5 miles of St. Scholastica Rectory between 2006 and 2017, burning about 3 acres in total. None started naturally. None 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	2
Debris and open burning	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
17 June 2015	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression	DITCH FIRE
11 April 2017	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	2.0 acres	South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression	JONES
9 March 2006	Debris and open burning	1.0 acres	South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression	not named

Every fire recorded in Sanborn County

Storms near this property

60 of 70 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Letcher, the town this property stands in, in 70 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 28 flood, 24 hail, 17 thunderstorm wind, 1 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
July 2002	Hail	Letcher	$500,000	Large hail cracked windows and damaged shingles on buildings. The hail also caused severe damage to vehicles. Crop damage was also reported, but the amount of crop damage was not known.
September 2019	Flood	Letcher	$25,000	A continuation of flooding from August, the James River near Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) responded sharply to 5 to 8 inches of rainfall between September 10-12 (7.54 inches at Mitchell) to reach the 4th highest crest on record at 8.05 feet above flood stage on September 13. Innumerable county and township roads near the river were inundated, with significant flooding of South Dakota Highway 37 east of Mitchell and 42 east of Ethan. Significant amounts of agricultural land remained flooded. Moderate flooding continued at the end of the month.
August 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Letcher	$25,000	Thunderstorm winds destroyed 5 grain bins and caused extensive tree damage. Trees up to 3 feet in diameter were uprooted.
June 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Letcher	$10,000	Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage and tilted utility poles.
October 2019	Flood	Letcher	$5,000	A continuation of flooding from September, the James River near Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) spent a vast majority of the month at minor flood stage, but started on October 1 in moderate flooding at 3.18 feet above flood stage. Significant amounts of agricultural land remained flooded. Minor flooding continued at the end of the month. Property damage costs are rough estimates.
August 2019	Flood	Letcher	$5,000	A continuation of flooding from July, the James River near Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) crested 4.97 feet above flood stage on August 8. Many rural roads near the river were inundated, with continued flooding of significant amounts of agricultural land. Moderate flooding continued at the end of the month.
August 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Letcher	$5,000	Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage and tipped over a grain wagon.
May 1998	Hail	Letcher	$2,000	no account filed
July 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Letcher	-	Damaged occurred to a few large tree limbs from thunderstorm winds.
July 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Letcher	-	Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured by the South Dakota Mesonet site located 2 miles east-northeast of Letcher.
August 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Letcher	-	A several minute period of thunderstorm severe wind gusts was measured by South Dakota Mesonet station LCMS2 Letcher 2ENE.
July 2024	Flood	Letcher	-	Flooding continued from June on the James River near Mitchell, with declining river levels. The river fell below flood stage on the evening of July 8th.
June 2024	Flood	Letcher	-	The James River near Mitchell rose above flood stage the morning of June 21st, cresting around 6.72 feet above flood stage (23.72 feet) on June 23rd. This crest is in the Moderate Stage. The river stayed above flood stage into July. For a more comprehensive description of flood damage, please see other entries for Sanborn County.
June 2023	Flood	Letcher	-	Flooding continued from May along the James River near Mitchell, SD with very slowly falling levels through the month. The peak river level was 1.15 feet above flood stage (18.15 ft) occurring early in the day on the 1st, before falling below flood stage early on the 14th.
May 2023	Flood	Letcher	-	Flooding continued from April along the James River near Mitchell, SD with very slowly falling levels through the month. Flood levels were in the Moderate category for 4 days and Minor stage for 31 days. Flooding continued into June.
August 2022	Flood	Letcher	-	Minor flooding was ongoing at the start of August 2022, with the James River near Forestburg (gage site FORS2) at 0.45 feet above flood stage on August 1. A significant amount of rural land was flooded until the river dropped below flood stage on August 4.
May 2022	Flood	Letcher	-	As water from early spring rains and late winter snowmelt in North Dakota and far northern South Dakota routed downstream, the James River at Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) climbed into minor flood stage on May 30, and reached 0.28 feet above flood stage at the end of the month. Impacts were limited to inundation of some areas of agricultural land near the river. Minor flooding continued at the end of the month.
June 2022	Flood	Letcher	-	Minor flooding was ongoing at the start of June 2022 on the James River near Mitchell (gage site JRMS2), with a crest at 2.15 feet above flood stage on June 13. A significant amount of rural land was flooded. The river remained at minor flood stage at the end of the month.
July 2022	Flood	Letcher	-	Minor flooding was ongoing at the start of July 2022 on the James River near Mitchell (gage site JRMS2). Five to seven inches of rainfall the first seven days of July in a small area at and north of Huron resulted in a crest at 1.20 feet above flood stage on July 24. A significant amount of rural land was flooded. The river remained at minor flood stage at the end of the month.
January 2020	Flood	Letcher	-	A continuation of flooding from December, the James River near Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) spent the entire month in minor flood stage. The highest level occurred early in the month at 2.44 feet above flood stage on January 2. A second intramonth crest occurred at 1.79 feet above flood stage on January 25. Significant amounts of agricultural land remained flooded. Minor flooding continued at the end of the month.
February 2020	Flood	Letcher	-	A continuation of flooding from January, the James River near Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) began the month at 1.23 feet above flood stage, with a slow drop in levels before falling below flood stage on February 19. The main impact was continued flooding of agricultural land near the river.
May 2020	Flood	Letcher	-	A continuation of flooding from April, the James River at Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) began the month at a peak of 2.74 feet above flood stage. After slowly falling through mid-month, a late-month rise in levels resulted in a secondary crest at 2.55 feet above flood stage on May 24. Impacts were generally limited to flooding of agricultural lands near the river. The river remained at minor flood stage at the end of the month.
February 2020	Flood	Letcher	-	The James River at Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) reached an end of month peak of 0.28 feet above flood stage. Impacts were limited to flooding of agricultural lands near the river. The river remained in minor flood at the end of the month.
June 2020	Flood	Letcher	-	A continuation of flooding from May, the James River at Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) spent the entire month at minor flood stage, with a peak mid-month on June 11 at 2.98 feet above flood stage, and reaching a monthly peak of 2.99 feet above flood stage on June 30. Impacts were generally limited to flooding of agricultural lands near the river. The river remained at minor flood stage at the end of the month.
March 2020	Flood	Letcher	-	The James River at Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) began the month in minor flood, then crested on March 13 in moderate flood, 4.86 feet above flood stage. Impacts were generally limited to flooding of agricultural lands near the river, but flood waters did cause the closing of Shanard Road, east of Mitchell. The river remained at moderate flood stage at the end of the month.
April 2020	Flood	Letcher	-	A continuation of flooding from March, the James River at Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) began the month at moderate flood stage, with a crest on April 2 at 4.07 feet above flood stage. Impacts were generally limited to flooding of agricultural lands near the river, but flood waters did cause the closing of Shanard Road east of Mitchell. The river remained at minor flood stage at the end of the month.
July 2020	Flood	Letcher	-	A continuation of flooding from June, the James River at Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) started the month at moderate flood 3.23 feet above flood stage. After falling river levels early in the month, 1.36 inches of rainfall near Forestburg and 0.71 inches at Mitchell caused a secondary peak 1.43 feet above flood stage on July 16. Several county and township roads near the river remained under water at the start of the month, with inundation of agricultural land the primary impact thereafter.
June 2019	Flood	Letcher	-	A continuation of flooding from May, the James River near Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) crested 5.28 feet above flood stage on June 1. Many rural roads near the river were inundated, with continued flooding of significant amounts of agricultural land. Minor flooding continued at the end of the month.
July 2019	Flood	Letcher	-	A continuation of flooding from June, the James River near Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) crested 4.74 feet above flood stage on July 12, with a secondary crest 3.17 feet above flood stage on July 30. Many rural roads near the river were inundated, with continued flooding of significant amounts of agricultural land. Minor flooding continued at the end of the month.
March 2019	Flood	Letcher	-	Snow melt and heavy rainfall (measured 2.47 inches at Forestburg and 2.25 inches at Mitchell) resulted in significant flooding of agricultural lands and inundation of numerous county roads (including 257th St. near the gage site and 1st Avenue and 416th Avenue near Rosedale Colony). The James River at Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) reached major flood stage and the 5th highest crest on record to date, 6.6 feet above flood stage on March 25. Flooding continued at the end of the month.
May 2019	Flood	Letcher	-	This is a continuation of flooding from April. The James River near Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) crested at major flood stage twice during the month. The first occurred on May 1 when levels crested at 5.79 feet above flood stage. Additional rainfall mid to late month resulted in a secondary crest of 5.44 feet above flood stage on May 31. The county road east of the bridge at the gage site remained under water much of the month. The river remained at major flood stage at the end of the month.
December 2019	Flood	Letcher	-	A continuation of flooding from November, the James River near Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) spent the entire month in minor flood stage, with a brief period in moderate flooding between December 10-16. A crest at 3.37 feet above flood stage occurred on December 13. Significant amounts of agricultural land remained flooded. Minor flooding continued at the end of the month.
November 2019	Flood	Letcher	-	A continuation of flooding from October, the James River near Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) spent the entire month at minor flood stage, and crested at 2.64 feet above flood stage on November 27. Significant amounts of agricultural land remained flooded. Minor flooding continued at the end of the month.
April 2019	Flood	Letcher	-	Runoff from occasional precipitation in late March and April maintained considerable flooding throughout the flood plain across Davison county. 416th Avenue near Rosedale Colony and 257th Street near the gage site were impacted by water. The James River at Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) crested at 6.30 feet above flood stage on April 22, the sixth highest crest on record. Major flooding continued at the end of the month.
April 2018	Flood	Letcher	-	Snow melt and runoff from periods of heavier rainfall produced minor flooding which impacted lowland agricultural areas. River levels reached 2.6 feet above flood stage on the James River at Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) on April 26.
March 2018	Flood	Letcher	-	Heavy rainfall along with snow melt caused minor flooding of lowland agricultural areas along portions of the James River. The river reached a crest of 1.1 feet above flood stage near Mitchell (gage site JRMS2) on March 21.
July 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Letcher	-	Small branches downed.
July 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Letcher	-	Small branches downed.
August 2010	Flash Flood	Letcher	-	Heavy rain caused flash flooding of several roads and low areas.
June 2008	Hail	Letcher	-	Large hail was accompanied by damaging wind gusts and heavy rain.
June 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Letcher	-	Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including several branches blown down.
August 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Letcher	-	Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including several branches blown down.
June 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Letcher	-	Thunderstorm winds blew down trees. The amount of damage was not known.
July 2002	Hail	Letcher	-	Wind driven large hail damaged a few vehicles and knocked down tree branches. The amount of damage was not known.
August 2021	Hail	Letcher	-	no account filed
July 2017	Hail	Letcher	-	no account filed
July 2017	Hail	Letcher	-	no account filed
July 2009	Hail	Letcher	-	no account filed
April 2007	Hail	Letcher	-	no account filed
September 2007	Hail	Letcher	-	no account filed
September 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Letcher	-	no account filed
June 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Letcher	-	no account filed
June 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Letcher	-	no account filed
September 2005	Hail	Letcher	-	no account filed
April 2004	Hail	Letcher	-	no account filed
September 2004	Hail	Letcher	-	no account filed
July 2003	Hail	Letcher	-	no account filed
June 2003	Hail	Letcher	-	no account filed
May 2002	Hail	Letcher	-	no account filed
June 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Letcher	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Sanborn 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

1 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.

Photograph	Property	Distance	Listed
	St. Scholastica Catholic Church	under 500 feet	1994

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 94000568 in Record Group 79.
Sanborn County	All 4 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.
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.