Tea, SD

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The village of Byron was begun after the survey of the railroad line from Yankton to Sioux Falls was completed. With the completion of the railroad, the community decided it needed a post office, so an application was submitted.

The postal authorities advised the town fathers that several other communities were also named Byron. They requested the community select 10 short names from which one would be chosen. At a meeting around the pot-bellied stove in Heerens and Peter’s General Store, townspeople came up with nine names and could not think of the 10th. Since this was a German based community, the tradition of afternoon tea was a necessity. When someone suggested that they break for tea, the idea to put Tea on the list was agreed upon. The postal authorities advised the town that the name “Tea” had been selected.

The town of Tea was plotted in 1900 and incorporated in 1906. At one time, Tea had three saloons and a pool hall. Some of the early proprietors included Jim Malloy, Dick Halverson, Charlie Steinke, Bill Winker and Fred Klatt.