Pettigrew House Museum

The Pettigrew House Museum stands as one of the oldest surviving residential structures in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, its brick facade and Victorian architectural details testament to the city's cultural heritage and rapid settlement in the late nineteenth century. Constructed in 1889, the home was originally built for attorney Thomas McMartin and his wife, positioning the residence as a center of legal and social prominence in the developing frontier community. The establishment of Sioux Falls during this era was marked by rapid territorial expansion and commercial development, with professional families like the McMartins occupying pivotal roles in the town's cultural and institutional growth. The city itself was emerging from its earlier incarnation as a trading post into a sophisticated urban center, with the McMartin residence reflecting contemporary architectural sensibilities and the economic success of its inhabitants.

The McMartin family occupied the home during a formative period in Sioux Falls history, establishing a domestic environment that would leave lasting impressions upon subsequent residents and visitors. Within the household, tragedy struck when the McMartin family lost a child, a death that reverberated through the family and left an indelible mark upon the home's atmosphere. This loss occurred during an era before modern medicine could effectively address childhood illnesses, when mortality rates among young people remained tragically high despite families' best efforts at care and protection. The specific circumstances of the child's death, while not extensively documented in surviving records, became intertwined with the home's later reputation and the experiences of those who would inhabit it over subsequent decades.

Following the McMartin family's tenure, the property eventually became home to the Pettigrew family, whose long association with the residence culminated in its transformation into a museum dedicated to preserving Sioux Falls' regional history. The transition from private residence to public institution brought increased foot traffic and documentation of unusual occurrences within the home's interior spaces. Staff members and visitors have reported consistent experiences suggestive of paranormal presence, most notably the persistent detection of phantom perfume scents in Mrs. Pettigrew's bedroom, an olfactory manifestation that appears without identifiable source. Additionally, multiple witnesses have described encounters with the spectral figure of a young girl dressed in a white garment on the staircase landing, an apparition often accompanied by the disturbing detail of blood visible upon the child's face. These reports have led to speculation that the spirit may be connected to the McMartin family tragedy, with some theorizing that the manifestation represents the child who died within the home's walls decades earlier. Staff members have also documented instances of disembodied voices and the persistent sensation of being watched throughout various chambers of the residence, phenomena consistent with residual hauntings and interactive spiritual presence. Ms. McMartin herself has been suggested as a possible spirit inhabitant, though her specific manifestations remain less well-documented than those attributed to the young child. The museum has maintained careful records of these experiences while continuing its mission as a historical institution, balancing preservation of the home's physical architecture with acknowledgment of its paranormal dimensions and the stories embedded within its walls.