Madison in Lake County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
C. B. Kennedy
Founder of Madison and Dakota State College
Kennedy took up a tree claim and homesteaded on the adjoining 320 acres of land which today comprises a portion of the city of Madison. He built a temporary sod house and envisioned a town site here because of its central location and the likelihood that a railroad would come to his holdings. As anticipated, the first train arrived on January 12, 1881.
In 1880 Kennedy was named Territorial Representative to the legislature which convened in Yankton. His crowning achievement was the passage of legislation which founded the city of Madison on its present site. This presaged a struggle between the towns of old Madison and Herman which was resolved only after bitter rivalry. The new town was established in July 1880 and the county seat moved here in late December following the mysterious removal of the county safe from old Madison and its appearance on the main street of the new town.
Major legislation achieved by Kennedy provided that Dakota Normal School would be located in Madison under the legislative act of February 28, 1881. He deeded 20 acres of land, on which the college is located, with the provision that it would be held in perpetuity so long as the institution retained its objective as a teacher education school.
Charles B. Kennedy was born in a log house in Moscow, Maine, March 28, 1840. He married Mae Ella Williams May 20, 1873 and they had two sons, C. Leroy and Dean M. Kennedy. Kennedy became a teacher, publisher, banker and real estate developer.
After a grade school education in a log school house he attended Pittsfield Institute and later Maine State College. He served a term as District Superintendent of Schools before leaving to go west to LeRoy, Minnesota, where he established a newspaper known as the "LeRoy Independent". After four years he went further west to settle at what is now Madison. Kennedy was organizer of several banks and loan and real estate companies in Madison. His career included election to the House of Representatives of the Territorial Legislature meeting in Yankton in 1880-81 and to a session meeting in Bismarck in 1886-87.
The Kennedy family lived in Madison, during its early years of development, in a home that was located one block south of this site.
Erected 1978 by the Lake County Historical Society and the South Dakota State Historical Society. (Marker Number 485.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the South Dakota State Historical Society Markers series list. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1878.
Location. 44° 0.596′ N, 97° 6.858′ W. Marker is in Madison, South Dakota, in Lake County. Marker is on North Egan Avenue south of Northwest 5th Street, on the right when traveling south. Located in Memorial Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Madison SD 57042, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Madison Memorial Park (a few steps from this marker); Madison State Normal School The Great War Honor Roll (approx. 0.2 miles away); Wm. H.H. Beadle (approx. 0.2 miles away); Thormodsgaard Log Home (approx. 2.7 miles away); Ash Grove Seventh-Day Adventist Church (approx. 2.7 miles away); Chapel Car Emmanuel (approx. 2.8 miles away); Historic Cabin (approx. 2.9 miles away); The 37-Star Flag (approx. 2.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Madison.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 5, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 5, 2023. This page has been viewed 60 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 5, 2023.