County
Tour
This
English mansion was built between 1912-1914 by Frances Baker, an English
immigrant. Much of the material used for construction was imported from
England. The home is designed after the English country homes prominent among the wealthy landowners in England during
the 1900's.Everything from the red tile roof to the nickel-plated bathroom
fixtures is of top quality and design. The impressive house contains 15
rooms, including 8 bedrooms, a great hall, large kitchen and laundry. All
ceilings are 12 feet high and the doors and 10 feet. The top floor of the two
and a half story home was finished into a ballroom and billiard room. The home, now a private residence, has been fully restored.
(48113
SD Highway 48, 2 miles west of Akron, IA)
The
historic Spink community at one time consisted of several
homes, a post office,
blacksmith shop, locker, drug store, a doctor, a photograph gallery, creamery,
saloon and general store. The town was established with the country store
owned and operated by Johannes Larson in 1871. The Larson family continued to
operated the store for 110 years. Some say the name "Spink" came
from a Civil War General, as Johannes Larson served in the Union Forces during
the war. At one time Spink was a contender for the county seat of Union
County and also vied with Elk Point and Vermillion for the Southern Railroad. In 1901 the Sioux Valley Horseshoe Pitching
League was organized by Everett Peterson, making it the first in the state.
(Junction
of Highway 48 & County Road 12)
This
pioneer community was originally a settlement of immigrants from Limerick,
Ireland. The St. Mary's Catholic Church was built in 1925 and dissolved in 1993. The
building now houses an antique mall. The name, Garryowen, was taken from the
name of the oldest section of Limerick, Ireland
(Junction of Highway 48
& County Road 1C)
