The history of Beseda Hall, Tabor, SD starts in 1869 when the first Bohemian immigrants started to arrive in Bon Homme County, Dakota Territory. Bon Homme County was one of the first four counties to be organized in this territory.

A Reading Club or Literary Society was organized by the Bohemian settlers in 1871 around what is now Tabor. The organization also provided religious services to the area people until the first missionary priest, Rev. Xavier Sulak, S.J. visited occasionally.

On April 20, 1872, the Literary Society purchased the homestead of Johanna Kocer for $200 to establish a town. The quarter section of land was in the NE Quarter of Section 23 in Tabor Township T 94 N and R 56 W. The town was named Tabor and the quarter section of land was divided into fifty-three (53) lots which were given to members of the Literary Society by the drawing of lots with forty (40) acres set aside for further growth. Lot 2 in Block 5 was set aside for town use, which is where Beseda Hall and Sokol Park are located.

The north half of Lot 2 Block 5 had various owners over the years. Somewhere around 1900 a saloon, café, rooming house, and hall were constructed on the South 52 feet of the north half of Lot 2 Block 5, Beseda Hall.

Mathias Reidinger, one of the first owners of the South 52 feet, named the building Reidinger Hall and owned the hall in partnership with the C. J. Michel Brewing Co. of LaCrosse, Wisconsin as saloon property. It was also known as the Wayside Inn and Michael Hall as a dance hall was attached to the east.

John A. Matuska purchased this South 52 feet of property in Lot 2 Block 5 in 1917 and started a barber shop which was attached to the south side front of the Saloon/Café/Hall/Hotel. The name was changed to the Star Hotel and Restaurant and the Opera House.   In April of 1918, the owners of Matuska and Koletzky decided to expand the hall and add a stage with a basement.

Charles J. Rokusek bought into this property and lived in one of the upstairs hotel rooms on the property. The front part of the hotel was part saloon and part café with the east end a dance hall. The Star Restaurant was managed by Mrs. Marie Melmer and then by Mrs. Anna King. The name changed again and was known as The Opera House.

On April 14, 1930, Matuska and Rokusek sold the property known as the Opera House to the Katolicky Delnik (Catholic Workman) Branch 93 and Katolicka Jednota Sokols (Catholic Unified Sokols) Branch 46 for use as their meeting hall. The name of the building was changed to Beseda Hall.

It was not until September 19, 1899, that the land in the South Half of Lot 2 in Block 5, The Society of the Town of Tabor sold the land now known as Sokol Park to J. H. Queal Company for $500. The Queal Company started a lumber yard on this lot.

Thompson Yards purchased the Queal Company on February 7, 1918, and continued to run a lumber yard on the corner for many years. The office of Thomson Yards closed, and the office became a beauty shop opened by Evelyn Blachnik and later by other beauticians. The beauty shop was sold and moved to northwest Tabor and converted into a home.

The Katolicka Jednota Sokol Branch 46 purchased the property now known as Sokol Park for use to display their gymnastic talents.

Over the years the hall has been used for concerts, lectures, silent movies, dances, drama presentations, even basketball games as there was no gym attached to the High School until 1952. Beseda Hall is the heart of activities in the Town of Tabor. The old front of the original building was torn down and replaced with a brick front and a new entrance into the hall in 1955.

The Sokol Social Club Branch 46 ceased to exist and on April 1, 1972, ownership of Sokol Park was transferred to the Catholic Workman Branch 93. The Catholic Workman Fraternal Life Insurance company was acquired by the First Catholic Slovak Ladies Association in 2004. It is now known as FCSLA Life. The Catholic Workman Insurance company ceased to exist at this time.

Ownership of Sokol Park and Beseda Hall was still listed as owned by the Sokol Club and Catholic Workman. Beseda Hall was operating as its own entity and had adopted their own set of bylaws on February 10, 1957, the Beseda Hall was not incorporated at that time.

Beseda Hall became incorporated on August 3, 2017. A full set of Bylaws was adopted on January 23, 2022. Transfer of ownership of Beseda Hall and Sokol Park to Beseda Hall, Inc. took many hours of research and volunteer work to clear up the title.

A Special Meeting of all FCSLA Life (former Catholic Workman) members was held in Beseda Hall on Sunday, November 28, 2021, at 1:30 pm to decide if sole ownership of Beseda Hall and Sokol Park should be transferred to Beseda Hall, Inc. which is a Domestic Non-profit Corporation. A secret ballot with the following question was voted on:

Shall the ownership of Beseda Hall and Sokol Park be transferred to Beseda Hall, Inc.

The voters of FCSLA Life members present at the meeting voted to turn ownership over to Beseda Hall, Inc. with only one vote cast against.

Beseda Hall, Inc. became a community owned hall with this vote. The corporation shall have no capital stock. Membership is limited to individuals who own property or live in the Tabor Community identified with a 57063 ZIP code or are currently registered as a member of a civic organization or an employee of an active business domiciled in Tabor, South Dakota.

Membership will not be required to pay any dues. The members of this corporation shall not be personally liable for corporation debts. This means that anyone automatically is a member of Beseda Hall, Inc. who has a 57063 ZIP Code or is a member of an organization that has Tabor as their organization address or is a current employee working in Tabor in an active business.

Beseda Hall, Inc. will hold quarterly meetings on either the third or fourth Sunday following the end of each quarter. The January meeting will be its Annual Meeting with the election of Board Members and Officers. Each member is eligible to attend meetings and vote on any matters presented at the meeting. The fiscal year of the corporation will be January 1 through December 31. Four Board members will constitute a quorum to do business for the corporation on the seven (7) member board.

Dissolution of this corporation shall be in accordance with provisions of South Dakota law, except that none of the assets shall be distributed or disbursed either directly or indirectly to the benefit of any of its members, and all assets remaining after payment of all claims and other costs and expense of dissolution shall be given to the Town of Tabor. Dissolution of the corporation shall not take place unless a special meeting is called for by public notification to vote by current members present at the meeting with a majority vote wishing to dissolve.

The Board of Directors are elected at the January meeting each year and are for a three-year term.   Since this has become a community hall, volunteer help is always needed for assisting with hall repairs, working in the kitchen, helping clean up after events, working behind the bar or whatever is needed. If interested in volunteering, contact manager Linda Bares.

The purpose of the hall is to provide, on a non-profit basis, a meeting place for social gatherings, civic affairs, and wholesome entertainment. The hall may be rented by any entity whether located in the Tabor 57063 ZIP Code area or outside of that area for weddings, meetings, reunions, etc. Manager Linda Bares may be contacted to rent the facility. Inquiries may be sent to Beseda Hall, Inc. PO Box 55, Tabor, SD  57063.