![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.
Our office is located in the oldest building in Pella, Iowa, The Thomas Tuttle Cabin was built in 1843. It is the homestead that included the center of town and was purchased by the Dutch leader, H.P. Scholte. Tours can be arranged by email but limited do to Covid 19. Beside Tuttle Cabin you will find Tuttle Learning Walk that leads to Sunken Garden Park.
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.
Protect & Promote our Heritage
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
Preserve Pella Newsletter Archives
Ribbon Cutting Celebration for the Collegiate Historic District being place on the National Register of Historic Places 2018
Recent Blog Posts
- Preserve Pella 2020, Volume 28 November 3, 2020
- 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
New: Donate Online!
In the News and Events
If you click on the on the page link above, we have also posted the annual meeting as 4 videos. This links you to Current Projects: Annual Meeting and Heritage Celebration.
On this page, we separated the long video program into 4 shorter topic videos; the business meeting, the Tuttle Learning Walk; The Strawtown Cottage; The Rock House.
Historic Pella Trust’s 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting is featured completely on the 52 Minute video below.
Thank you for watching our program and business review!
Tuttle Learning Walk
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!
Historic Pella Trust has agreed to provide 100% of the cost of Tuttle Learning Walk through fundraising. We need your help to finish paying for the six signs featured along this beautiful walk.
Our Facebook news feed is available to our viewers even if you are not a member of Facebook; you can view the post below by clicking on the white lettering or white photo word and it will open on your browser. Please enjoy looking at our social media posts...
As people who appreciate Pella, we may be guilty of taking the community for granted. If it were not the toil of many individuals, especially Henry Scholte, our town would not be here today. The Tuttle Walkway is one way that we can recognize some of the important people and events from our past. It seems especially fitting at this time of year to be mindful of those who made our community possible. With your help the Historic Pella Trust is working to complete the Tuttle Walkway, which will promote our community's heritage. We invite you to take a few moments to watch our recent video of the Tuttle Learning Walk. youtu.be/9lKxHHmlkkE
Historic Pella Trust welcomes the new owners of Pella Books, De J and Debbi De Jong!
The De Jong's collectable and pre-owned book business is located in the historic Soul Sleeper's Church at 824 Franklin Street, Pella, Iowa! This is across the street from the post office with their own parking lot along the side of the church.
The De Jong's have been busy displaying and cataloging the book inventory after buying the book business from Alfred Post.
Stop by Pella Books and visit with the new owners, Debbi and De J De Jong; it is a very entertaining place to browse the book topics you love!
The stone cottage on West University Street in Pella was built in 1856 by a stone mason named Dirk Van Loon. Dirk, an immigrant from the Netherlands, purchased the lot it is located on from Dominie Hendrick Scholte. Historic Pella Trust recently sold this property to Katie Douglas and her parents, Cliff and Kathy. The new cedar shakes on the house and garage were financed by Historic Pella Trust as part of purchase agreement. Historic Pella Trust featured the newly updated rock house as part of our virtual 2020 business meeting program. For more details about this historic home, see the HPT newsletter, Preserve Pella, volume 28. historicpellatrust.org/2020/11/03/preserve-pella-2020-volume-28/
We invite you to watch this video featuring the creative ways the Douglass family updated the historic Rock House.
youtu.be/sYq0qe3LZxA
Enjoy a tour of Strawtown Cottage! It is now an Airbnb, a very comfortable place to stay with two bedrooms. This house was the Stegeman Store, built in 1856. Historic Pella Trust rescued this property and started the restoration, and after many years it was sold to Mary. As one of our board member put it, she "took a sow's ear and turned it into a silk purse"; that always makes me chuckle. The building was close to original when HPT bought it and many volunteer hours were invested into it before selling it to Mary. This restoration proves that love and passion can preserve these historical treasures, as well as give them a profitable purpose. This video is part of our virtual annual meeting program. youtu.be/zuxRFKpCbx4
Historic Pella Trust invites you to watch our virtual annual business meeting and program that features the Tuttle Learning Walk and tours through two historic homes.
There are a couple of updates since we filmed this presentation. We have a sold sign on the house at 222 Oskaloosa Street, and Pella Books has new owners in the historic Soul Sleepers Church at 824 Franklin Street.
If you have any questions following this program please message, email or write a comment below.
Thank you for following HPT, encouraging us and for giving us your financial support in 2020. We wish you all good health in these trying times and hope you enjoy the program.
historicpellatrust.org/annual-heritage-meeting/
Annual Meeting and Heritage Celebration - Historic Pella Trust
historicpellatrust.org
2020 Virtual Annual Meeting Historic Pella Trust had a busy year in 2020. We appreciate our supporters for helping us to be active in the preservation of several homes, the historic district and build...Last weekend a wonderful group of hardworking Central College football players volunteered at Tuttle Cabin to help clean up the flower beds, rake the lawn, replace mulch and plant heritage plants next to the new Tuttle walkway.
The same group of football players, along with a half-dozen other Central students, also helped plant more than 13,000 tulip bulbs at the Fair Haven Memorial Garden flower beds.
Tireless HPT board member Duane Rempe donated his time to oversee and assist with both projects.
Pella is fortunate to have such willing partners to help in preserving our community's rich heritage. It says a lot that Central College, its students and athletes are so invested in the community. Henry P. Scholte, who founded both the town and the college, would be extremely proud of what his labors produced.
Thank you again to Central's football players, students and administration for your valuable contributions to the community! They are deeply appreciated.
Jennifer's birthday fundraiser for Historic Pella Trust is on the final day and the contributions from her friends has been so appreciated!
HPT members work hard to keep this Facebook page interesting, sharing about the heritage of Pella, Iowa and promoting preservation of our historic buildings.
Your contributions will help preserve historic Pella and provide ways to keep the history available for the community and visitors.
Contributing to this fundraiser or by giving a membership donation on the HPT website or mailing a donation to Box 1, Pella, Iowa 50219 will allow The Historic Pella Trust Facebook page and mission to continue. It has been a tough year for all, especially non-profits.
On the post below, the reason Tuttle Cabin is considered the birthplace of Pella is discussed along with why Historic Pella Trust feels the Tuttle Learning Walk is an important addition to this historic landmark.
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
