South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum

Our Story:
Founded in 1884, the South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum began as a zoological collection on campus and evolved to a South Dakota Agricultural College Collection. It wasn't until 1965 that it started to become a formalized museum with a focus on collecting agricultural history. In 1973, the museum was transferred to the Office of Education and Cultural Affairs. In 1976, the museum was renamed to the South Dakota State Agricultural Heritage Museum and moved into the Stock Judging Pavilion where it is housed today. In 1995, the museum was transferred back to SDSU with the continued focus of collecting, preserving and interpreting the history and heritage of South Dakota agriculture.

The Building:
Built in 1918, the Stock Judging Pavilion served as the primary livestock teaching facility at South Dakota State University until 1977. For its first 70 years, the Stock Judging Pavilion served as an instructional center for stock judging and meat science and was home of the Little International, a yearly agricultural exposition. The pavilion’s neoclassical architectural style is similar to that of other livestock pavilions built on college campuses and state fairgrounds between 1900 and 1925. The Stock Judging Pavilion was placed on the National Register of Historic places in 1980 and restored to its 1925 appearance.