How John Morrell's grand residential palace came to be in Sioux Falls: Looking back
Grand palatial estates always benefit from a memorable moniker: Charles Foster Kane had his stately Xanadu (Cost: no man can say). Lawrence Olivier’s Maxim de Winter had his foreboding Manderley in Hitchcock’s Rebecca. Off the silver screen, Thomas Jefferson had Monticello. Penn Jilette of Penn and Teller calls his home The Slammer.
The names somehow call images to mind, even awe, sight unseen. One such place for Sioux Falls residents is Penmarch Place, the home once the country estate of John Morrell Foster and his wife, Iva Gilbertson Foster.
John Morrell Foster was named for his great uncle, for whom the meat packing plant was named. He was the great grandson of George Morrell, who started the company in merry old England. John was born Nov. 25, 1894, in Ottumwa, Iowa. His father, Thomas Dove Foster, ran the John Morrell plant there and encouraged his son to learn the ropes. Starting in 1913, John worked summers at the stockyards in an effort to gain a complete understanding of the operation. The following year he attended Iowa State College, in Ames, Iowa, later earning a two-year degree.
In 1917, John enlisted in the US Navy, just three days before the US declared war on Austria-Hungary. John was stationed aboard the USS Harvard, spending 14 months patrolling the waters around Brest, France. He was then sent to Annapolis, Maryland to undergo a three-month training, then commissioned as an ensign aboard the USS Finland. He spent the remainder of the war as a deck officer.
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In June 1919, after being discharged from the Navy, John resumed his duties at the Morrell plant in Ottumwa. A little over a year later, he was transferred to the Sioux Falls plant. On Oct. 16, 1920, he married Iva Gilbertson Scripps in Oskaloosa, Iowa. It was a simple affair, at the home of a friend. The pair returned to Sioux Falls after their honeymoon and took up residence in town.
In September 1926, a deal was struck between the Fosters and Charles H. Ross, of the H. W. Ross lumber company: Ross would sell John and Iva his estate, named Himar, south of town near what is now 57th and Minnesota Avenue. In exchange, Ross would receive $50,000 — $852,644 in 2023 money — along with the house the Fosters built in 1923 at 1313 S. Main. The following June, the Fosters would take possession of the home Ross had lived in for 10 years, the adjoining farm, associated equipment, and 80 acres of land. The livestock would be moved to other farms owned by Ross.
Iva had wanted a place outside of the city, but with good access. Just three days after taking possession of Himar, the home originally located there was moved closer to the road to make way for their new country home, to be called Penmarshe. The Fosters would occupy the old house until their new home was finished. At that point, plans were to tear down the old house.
The new house at Penmarshe would be set back from the road about 150 yards. The architects, Larson & McLaren of Minneapolis, created a three-story English-style building with a slate roof. Penmarshe would have a beautiful view of Sioux Falls.
Penmarshe was the name and spelling originally chosen, though this evolved over time and was used interchangeably with Penmarsh, Penmarche, and finally Penmarch by 1933. Place was added to the name around 1929.
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John and Iva Foster entertained in grand fashion at Penmarch Place, but only for a short time. Even before the completion of Penmarch, John was feeling a distance growing between himself and his wife. On July 22, 1931, John filed for divorce. The courts looked to hear the case in the fall, but John, an airplane enthusiast, was involved in a low-altitude crash at Soo Skyways airport on Nov. 11, 1931. Recovery from his injuries delayed the case. The divorce was final the following spring, after much dirty laundry aired in the public forum.
In 1934, John sold Penmarch Place to his brother, William. Iva moved to Beverly Hills, California. The two shared custody of their adopted son, Whitney, who would stay in Sioux Falls during the school year and spend summers in California.
Penmarch Place’s story has continued through the years, and several more families have called it their own. This has only been the story of a beginning. May its ending never come to pass.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: How John Morrell's grand residential palace came to be in Sioux Falls: Looking back
