![scholte house[1] (2)](https://historicpellatrust.org/historicpellatrust/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/scholte-house1-2.jpg)
The Historic Pella Trust, established in 1994, is a non-profit preservation group who helps to preserve Pella’s architectural resources so that future generations will continue to be enriched by the historic legacy of Pella’s Dutch heritage and culture. We serve in a counseling and advisory capacity regarding historically correct architecture and disseminate information regarding restoration and reconstruction of facilities.
Our Mission Statement is:
To Protect and Promote Buildings, Landscapes, and Sites
Important to the Heritage of Pella, Iowa.
Protect & Promote our Heritage
Our office is located in the oldest building in Pella, Iowa, The Thomas Tuttle Cabin Build in 1843. We do provide tours of this historic landmark.
The Trust interacts to rescue historically significant property in danger of demolition. Restoration of these properties and protection covenants are arranged by our organization. We take an active approach towards historic preservation advocacy working with local, state and national government agencies to document and preserve.
Members receive our newsletter “Preserve Pella”. Our annual meeting is in November, by tradition we honor several Pella homeowners with a Historic Landmark plaque and award during this meeting.
Contact Information
Historic Pella Trust, Inc.
Phone :641-628-2935
Email: office@historicpellatrust.org
Tuttle Log House address: 608 Lincoln Street
Mailing address: PO Box 1, Pella, Iowa 50219
Planning a visit? Please Email Historic Pella Trust
Recent Blog Posts
- Historic Pella Trust receives $15,000 Grant from Pella Corp. to help fund Tuttle Learning Walk January 22, 2020
- 1915 Pella Chronicle Advertisement and 1869 Pella Map Poster Fundraiser November 17, 2019
- Building a Strong Foundation; South Pella Yesterday and Today November 17, 2019
- Historic Pella Trust’s Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Celebration with Dave Baker November 14, 2019
- Herman Rietveld’s Dog Statues October 23, 2019
- Preserve Pella 2019; Volume 27 August 19, 2019
- Preserve Iowa Summit 2019 July 19, 2019
- Christian Opportunity Center Friends Visit Tuttle Cabin July 12, 2019
- Pella’s Webster Schools; Consigned to History June 11, 2019
- Historic Pella Trust Tulip Time 2019 May 6, 2019
New: Donate Online!
In the News and Events
Tuttle Learning Walk
Please Contribute towards the Learning Walk Project scheduled to begin by March 2020
Your financial Support is needed to build the Tuttle Learning Walkway!
We are excited to introduce the Tuttle Learning Walkway in partnership with the City of Pella!
Visitors will learn about the 1843 homestead of Thomas and Nancy Tuttle and the role Rev. Moses J. Post had in helping the Dutch to acquire local the homesteads in 1847. They will gain insight on what motivated the Dutch to leave the Netherlands under the leadership of H. P. Scholte and why that still has an impact on our present-day culture. As the walkway nears Sunken Garden Park, the signage will share about the cooling pond for Pella’s first electric plant and the location for the first tulip festival. The signs will include QR codes to scan for more history and photos. The City of Pella parks department will maintain the walk that will feature a variety of heritage perennials wildflowers, native grasses and bushes along with several limestone outcroppings representing the literal foundations of our town.
Historic Pella Trust has agreed to provide 100% of the cost of Tuttle Learning Walk through local fundraising. We are close to our last quarter of the goal of raising $195,000. We need your help to achieve this vision.
Historic Pella Trust has committed to raise 100% of the funds needed for the project so that no tax dollars will be involved.
https://historicpellatrust.org/learning-walkway/
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Thank you very much for the Heritage Award! Looking forward to tomorrow morning's event!It’s a pour over kinda morning. Writing scripts to introduce the Impact Award winners tomorrow morning at the PACE Annual Breakfast. If you’re planning to join us and celebrate the winners, call our office so we’ll have some piping hot deliciousness ready for you. 641-628-2626 ☎️
If you missed the announcement of the 🏆winners🏆, here’s the recap.
COMMUNITY IMPACT - Michelle Gritters at 9Lilas | Pella Corporation and the Shareholder Families Pella Windows and Doors
HERITAGE AWARD - Historic Pella Trust
BUSINESS IMPACT - Iowa Bike Co. Kris Van Gent
SPOTLIGHT AWARD - Central College
See you bright and early (7 AM) at Graham tomorrow morning☀️
P.S. If you can’t make the breakfast, just leave your applause in the comments. I guarantee they’ll read them all👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
The photo is one I took at Iris Coffee Company - do you think they’ll deliver? ☕️☕️☕️
This week's vintage photo is of the Schiebout Tire Shop which was located on the west side of Central Park at 819 Broadway. As seen in 1971, this distinctive porcelain-paneled building was erected in 1956 by Gary Schiebout, who was the owner/operator of this Goodyear (later Firestone) tire business for many years. Today it houses Anytime Fitness and features a brick facade and Dutch front, although all of the door and window openings remain the same.
If you look closely where the arrow is pointing you can see a sign of the times: A federal Civl Defense sign designating this building as a Fallout Shelter. In case of nuclear attack various buildings were designated as a Fallout Shelter and civilians could race to these facilities where they would presumably be safe. -BB
Who are the brick masons in Central Iowa? Especially ones experienced in historic repairs and brick foundations.
Ladies from First Reformed Church are presenting skits at our local senior citizen centers about the early years when the Dutch settled in Pella.
Portrayed in the skits are Mrs. Nossaman, one of Marion County’s earliest non-Dutch settlers. She helps the neighbor ladies, Mrs. Rietveld and Mrs. Toom dress a chicken for the next meal and make soap. The first skit was of dressmaker Siebertje Viersien making wedding dresses for 3 Scholte girls; the actual dresses that were worn are used in this act. There are also scenes from customers in Mr. Van Spanckeren’s store and a skit of some opinionated men in a consistory meeting with Isaac Overkamp.
Mary Borg wrote and narrates the plays using vintage props to make you feel you were looking back in time. Each act leaves the audience with smiles and a deeper understanding of the Dutch settlers in the late 1800’s.
They have given 2 of their performances already but still have 3 to go.
They are: 2:30PM on February 17th at the Cottages;
3PM on February 24th at Jefferson Place;
the final one is on February 25th at Farihaven East at 2PM.
This is the second year for these skits, last year the skit explained why the Dutch came to America and settled in Pella. There are plans in the works for a sequel next year involving the women of Central College during the civil war. Thank you so much Mary and ladies for sharing our heritage with an entertaining look back in history!
Thank you Pella Community Foundation for the $2500 grant towards landscaping and sidewalk for Tuttle Cabin!
Thank you so much Klingner & Associates for helping HPT design the Tuttle Learning Walk! Many generations will enjoy the history of the Tuttle homestead and the Dutch that built the center of Pella on it. This story will be written on the signs along the learning path.
This connection is a really neat story, the first time I was in the Klingner office I was greeted by our family friend, Jeremy Steenhoek! I felt it was a comforting sign that the Tuttle project was in the good hands of a direct descendant of a previous cabin owner, Jan Steenhoek. Dutch leader Dominie Scholte purchased the cabin and homestead from Thomas and Nancy Tuttle in 1847. Dutchman Jan Steenhoek was the first to live there after the Tuttles moved closer to Prairie City. The relationship between Jeremy and the cabin seems like more than a coincidence!
HPT is excited for construction to begin on the Tuttle Learning Walk this spring. We would really appreciate more financial contributions to see it finished. 71% of funds have been raised so far. Thanks for visiting the cabin Jeremy!Here's a fun fact for your #TriviaTuesday — Jeremy Steenhoek, PE, SE, is an engineer in our Pella, IA, office. He is ALSO a direct descendant of Jan ("Yunn") Steenhoek, the first to own and live in the Tuttle Cabin after the Dutch bought it from the Tuttles.
Klingner designed the interactive walkway which will connect the Tuttle Cabin with Sunken Gardens Park. Learn more about the walkway and how you can support it: historicpellatrust.org/learning-walkway/
Historic Pella Trust
A fellow lover of local history shared an object he recently found tucked in the rafters of his attic: a complimentary ticket from Case Van Veen's Dixie Service Station to the Pella Theatre. Van Veen's station had its grand opening on Saturday, May 5, 1933 and was located just south of Central College on the SE corner of University Street and West First Street. This was one of the few gas stations in Pella that was not located on or near either the highway or the downtown area. In connection with the station's opening Mr. Van Veen handed out these "Buy one get one free" tickets to the Pella movie theatre, then located on the east side of the square in the current Thistles building.
In 1934 the service station was broken into and several items were stolen. Also that year the station began hosting fur buyers - an out-of-town purchaser would be on site on a regularly scheduled day, usually Tuesday and/or Wednesday - to purchase animal furs.
It is unknown exactly how long the station was in business, but it's name did not appear in the newspaper after 1938, although the 1940 Sanborn Fire Map does show a gas station at that location, with a small general store just south of it.
If anyone has a photograph of the gas station we would love to see it. For that matter we would love to see photographs of any old local gas stations! -BB
Pella City Council saw a presentation this week by Paula Mohr and Sara Andre', from the State Historical Society. It covered the benefits of the certified local government program. A Certified Local Government (CLG) is a partnership between local, state, and federal governments to help communities save irreplaceable historic character.A research firm in Washington, D.C., called PlaceEconomics recently released a list of 24 reasons historic preservation is good for communities. The reasons run the gamut – from jobs to tourism to the environment. You may already know most of them since Iowa's Certified Local Government Program is one of the largest in the country.
Download the Report: bit.ly/382AaDr
Iowa's CLG Program: bit.ly/2S2nVB3
Pictured: Vermeer Windmill and Pella Historical Village
#iowahistory Iowa Conservation And Preservation Consortium Preservation Iowa Pella, Iowa City of Pella, Iowa - Government Historic Pella Trust
HPT presents Duane Rempe's Buerkens Wagon Factory History! Located in the Pella Community Library lobby display case for the month of February.
