The Tavis Home
250 4th Ave NW
There is some mystery as to the actual year this home was built. It is believed that it was built in 1903 by a Mr. Porter and that it is one of the oldest homes in Mandan today. The Herman J. Tavis family moved into the home in 1905.
Herman J. Tavis was born in 1865 in West Virginia. His parents came from Germany in 1857 and settled in West Virginia as farmers. In 1885, Herman, along with his parents and younger brother, came to Dakota Territory and settled near Glen Ullin. Herman married Elizabeth Hess in 1892. The couple left Glen Ullin in 1905 and moved to Mandan, where they made their home at this location.
Herman was in the real estate business and also owned and operated a small garage where he sold gasoline and performed minor repair work on cars. He was a member of the Mandan City Band and was noted for his old time fiddling, having won high places in several contests.
Herman continued in real estate until he retired in 1926. At that time he sold the home to his nephew, Edward L. Tavis, and he and Elizabeth moved to Englewood, California. Although Herman retired, he wanted something to keep himself busy, so he opened a small popcorn stand. It was far more successful than he thought it would be.
Herman and Elizabeth were married almost 50 years. Elizabeth died in the early 1930s and Herman in the early 1940s.
Edward, Herman’s nephew, owned the home until 1928. It was then sold to Mr. and Mrs. Peter Wagner, who owned the home until 1932. The home was then purchased by Mr. Frank Wagner. The home is currently owned by Daniel Meidinger, who purchased it in 2009. The home appears much as it did when the Tavis family owned the home.
Draft transcription from the photographed sign. The printed address is preserved here as source wording; it is not the property’s correct address.