Stansbury's Houses: Documentation of Houses Owned by Eugene and Josephine Stansbury in Vermillion, South Dakota, 1916-1956

Schlenker, Evelyn

From preface: "In 2012 Harlow Hatle, a retired professor at the University of South Dakota and owner of many houses in Vermillion, donated several files to the W. H. Over Museum. He found these files in a house at 324 North Dakota Street belonging to Dr. Eugene Milton Stansbury. The Hatle’s bought the house in the 1970’s and used for it their residence for several years. The Stansbury files include a 1949 poster used by the American Medical Association to effectively combat 'socialized medicine', personal papers, books containing patient histories of diseases and treatments, record ledger books, and a few textbooks. After looking through these extensive files, it became apparent that Dr. Stansbury also owned houses that he lived in, rented, and two that he utilized as hospitals before Dakota Hospital became operational in 1935. Dr. Stansbury kept careful files of the people who rented houses and apartments and how much rent they paid. Later, thanks to Mary Chicone, I also came across information about a colorful gentleman, William Stengel, her grandfather, who managed many of Stansbury’ s houses and lived two houses south of Stansbury at 316 North Dakota Street. After the Stansburys passed away, William Stengel (1905-1992) worked for Philip Crew, who purchased a number of Stansbury’s houses. This booklet begins with a short biography of Dr. Stansbury to understand who this man was and to introduce his wife, Josephine Stansbury, who was a nurse anesthetist and business partner. Subsequently, we present an appraisal of the houses they owned, rented, and maintained as a hospital. Of the 13 houses the Stansburys owned, 11 are still remain standing in Vermillion, South Dakota. Some houses are located in Vermillion's two residential historic districts as contributing buildings, while others, built at the turn of the 20th century, are not designated as historical structures. " Funding for this project was provided in part through a 2014 Historic Preservation Fund grant to Clay County (project number SD-14-020) administered by the South Dakota State Historic Preservation Office (grant number P14AF00033) and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Clay County, South Dakota is a Certified Local Government.

Stansbury's Houses: Documentation of Houses Owned by Eugene and Josephine Stansbury in Vermillion, South Dakota, 1916-1956

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