Part of the park · 2008
The Helen McKennan bust
A widow and land developer who gave her home and twenty acres on the day she died, cast in bronze a century later.
The story
A bronze bust by Martin Wanserski, placed for the park's centennial in 2008, stands near the playground. Its inscription calls her an early pioneer and land speculator who recognized a need for city parks and gave her home and twenty acres in 1906.
She was born in Albion, New York, in 1841, came west as a widow, and became one of the wealthiest women in Sioux Falls. Her will also founded McKennan Hospital.
Her house, built by Colonel Melvin Grigsby on the Boulevard Addition he platted in 1883, stood at the park's northwest corner at 323 East Boulevard, now 21st Street. She lived there from 1898 until her death and planted many of the shade trees on the future park. The Red Cross leased the house in 1941; the city tore it down in 1961.
Photographs: Photograph by Missy Kitzman, Sioux Falls, 2010, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
At a glance
| Sculptor | Martin Wanserski |
|---|---|
| Placed | 2008, for the centennial |
| Born | Albion, New York, September 6, 1841 |
| Died | Sioux Falls, September 29, 1906 |
| Where | Mid-park, by the playground |
Questions: Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation, 605-367-7060.
The marker, in full
The Helen McKennan Home
Erected by Friends of McKennan Park Neighborhood Association · HMdb · All seven markers
The Helen McKennan Home was built by Col. Melvin Grigsby on land platted as part of the Boulevard Addition in 1883. The elegant, two and a half story Italiante structure sat on what became the northwest corner of the Park. Helen McKennan lived there from 1898 until her death in 1906. Helen planted many shade trees on the future park site and enjoyed seeing people come to enjoy the natural beauty of the land. Before her death, she bequeathed her home and adjoining property to establish a city park. The home was leased to the Red Cross in 1941. It was torn down in 1961 due to its deteriorated condition.
323 East Boulevard (21st Street)
in the back yard of the then still standing McKennan Home under the shade of the large trees on the property.
Keep walking
Next parts of the park.
Lady Liberty
A bronze Liberty on the fieldstone pedestal that held a wooden one through the war years.
Potato Man
A bronze farmer from the 2006 SculptureWalk, the park's unofficial greeter at the southwest corner.
The wading pool
Free since 1929. The fourth pool on the site opened May 29, 2026, with a slide, sprays and a new bathhouse.