![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 :641-780-9818
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
- Remembering Pella’s Avid Preservationist; Stu Kuyper, Oct. 14, 1921- July 5, 1980 July 6, 2020
- Tuttle Cabin Virtual History Tour, for 2020 Second Grade Students May 18, 2020
- History of the Hose Tower at the Original Pella Fire Station March 23, 2020
- Historic Pella Trust Given The 2019 Heritage Impact Award From PACE Alliance March 23, 2020
- Pre-Construction Meeting Held for Tuttle Learning Walk March 22, 2020
- Bank Iowa Contributes Towards Tuttle Learning Walk March 19, 2020
- 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
New: Donate Online!
In the News and Events
Tuttle Learning Walk
Phase one of the Tuttle Learning Walk is in progress! The walk has been divided into 3 phases; construction, signage, and landscaping.
Your financial Support is needed to finish 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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Historic Pella Trust on Facebook
Today the HPT features some South Pella history. The mission statement of the Historic Pella Trust calls us to promote sites important to the heritage of Pella. This is one of those important, long-gone sites. The Thomassen Store was located on the current site of Jimmy John's and State Farm Insurance at 606 The Thomassen Store was located on Oskaloosa Street, north of Pella Corp. and the old RR Depot. The original Thomassen's Store burned on February 13, 1930. It was a general/grocery store that also sold Diamond gasoline - perhaps a forerunner of modern day convenience stores. It was quickly rebuilt and the new, modern brick store reopened in July of that same year. The store went on to be used as a restaurant and later a bar, before being demolished around the turn of the last century. The current building was erected in 2002.
The Thomassen name was a prominent one that was often associated with flourishing businesses around Pella for many decades. -BB
Jennifer's birthday fundraiser is over halfway towards the goal! Your contributions are appreciated very much to help preserve historic Pella. 100% of your contribution will go to HPT, Facebook does not take any from a non-profit. As mentioned below; do you recognize this historic Pella home?
With colder weather just around the corner it seems an appropriate time to post this 1936 photo of Main Street. By then the automobile was the overwhelming method of transportation, but when snow got deep the horse and sleigh still had its place.
The top photo shows the east side of Main Street where the Molengracht (same location, lower photo) now stands. To the left is the home of Leonard Popma, who owned a mercantile business immediately to the left of his home. The large two-story building in the center of the photo was the blacksmith shop of Henry Gezel, and the White Way Auto Garage can be seen to the far right in the photo.
When Gezel passed away later that year, the Pella Chronicle said: "Henry Gezel, local blacksmith, whose death occurred a week ago, was a concrete example of devotion to work. For more than 65 years he shod horses, repaired plows and other farm implements, and when power machinery came into use he repaired that, made wagon and truck beds and did a general repair business. And he was always there unless sickness prevented it. He was old enough to retire several years ago. However, he preferred work to leisure. If he went away for a visit with some of the children, he was sure to be back at work the next morning. On the human side, he was one of the landmarks of Pella and he will be greatly missed from his place of business."
Tragically, Henry's daughter Gertrude was one of three Central College women who drowned at a YWCA outing at Lake Geneva in 1913, but that is entirely another story.
This post is made in honor of Henry Gezel, Leonard Popma and all those who made Pella what it is today. -BB
1960 was a great year to be born, not much fun celebrating with social distancing in 2020...It has been a rough year fund raising for nonprofits, please help me celebrate by supporting Historic Pella Trust.
The first phase of heritage plants are being planted along the Tuttle Learning Walk. The Pella Garden Club has provided funding for these plants along with planning some signs to place among the plantings to identify them.
Open House Tonight from 5-6:30! This adorable historic home sits on the edge of Caldwell park and was built by the Pella Brick and Tile factory.
Historic Pella Trust owns this property and we are looking for a buyer who will appreciate this historic landmark and is willing to join us in seeing it restored into a lovely home or business adventure.
It has a spacious new addition and a very large garage in back. So much potential for the right buyer!
The Trust has identified some needed repairs and will work with the buyer to see that they are made as part of the purchase. Please come look at this cozy Pella home.
There is a lot of history in this photo. Most of these Pella landmarks are gone, but their significance is well worth noting.
The bath house in the background was built in conjunction with Pella's first municipal swimming pool. This was located in what is now Caldwell Park. Work was begun on the pool itself in January 1936 when 36 men dug the entire pool by hand (during winter!) using picks, shovels and wheel barrows as part of a Public Works Association (PWA) project during the Great Depression.
The pool opened in July 1937 and was located on 11 acres of land that had originally been home to the Pella Drain Tile factory. In fact the pond, shown here, was built as a source of water for the tile and brick factory, which closed in 1919.
The main entrance to the pool was in the center building with the double overhead doors. The mechanical portion of the pool was located in the left-most portion of the facility. The extreme right portion was originally a shelter house, but later sold candy as a small snack bar. The women's dressing rooms/showers were in the left-center part of the buildings, and the men's were located in the right-center portion.
The windmill was one of two that were constructed by local wood-working guru Georg Heeren. These two windmills were placed at the east and west entrances to Pella on Highway 163 in the early 1930s, shortly after the first Tulip Time was held. The one on the eastern edge of Pella was later moved to this location near the swimming pool. A replica of the windmill on the west edge of Pella still stands in Brinkhoff Park.
The berm to the left lies across what is now University Street. Today that berm is gone and tennis courts occupy this spot. Pella's second high school was constructed to the north of that berm in 1962.
In 1964 the swimming pool was doubled in size replacing a children's pool which was then relocated between the bath house and the pond. In 2004 Pella's outdoor aquatic center was opened which spelled the end of the first municipal swimming pool. It was demolished and the pool filled in. Today it is nothing but a flat space of grass. Not a hint remains of the two-thirds of a century of enjoyment this swimming pool provided to the community. -BB
There is a beautiful new matching sidewalk leading up to the front of Tuttle Cabin. This was made possible with a $2500 grant from the Pella Community Foundation. There is also a sidewalk leading up to the west side of the Tuttle Cabin porch directly from the new Tuttle Learning Walk.
Historic Pella Trust continues to raise funds towards the Tuttle Learning Walk project. The walk leads from Tuttle Cabin to Sunken Garden Park. We appreciate 3M and all the contributors who have made this vision a reality! Thank you so very much!
Historic Pella trust receives $4,500 grant from 3M for Tuttle Learning Walk
www.oskaloosa.com
PELLA -- The Historic Pella Trust recently received a $4,500 grant from the 3M Foundation to help fund the Tuttle Learning Walk project.We inch closer to reaching our goal for funding the Tuttle Learning Walk. A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed towards this project! The plants have been ordered and we are working on the signage. The Tuttle Learning Walk was the vision of Historic Pella Trust and will be owned and maintained by the City of Pella.
Historic Pella Trust Adds Support for Tuttle Walkway
www.kniakrls.com
The Historic Pella Trust recently received a $4,500 grant from the 3M Foundation to help fund the Tuttle Learning Walk project. 3M was also an earlier contributor with a $5,000 grant towards the desig...Historic Pella Trust welcomes Shawn Thomas as the new owner of the Historic Blacksmith Shop at 914 Franklin Street! The building will be their collectable racecar studio. Shawn enjoys every aspect of car collecting from restoration to display in several museums. He agreed to a story in the near future...right now he is preparing to list their historic home that overlooks the Golden Gate Bridge...he said it was one of the few homes that survived, I think it was the 1906 Earthquake? Wow! Shawn shared his passion for historic preservation and I am looking forward to meeting him in person! His wife and son are currently working on their Pella studio project and home close by. If you were like me, you were curious about the new owners plans also...It just so happens I belong to several blacksmithing groups and ran across his post! JVK
