The Hendrik J. and Wilhelmina H. Van Den Berg Cottage is an historic building located in Pella, Iowa, United States. During the 1840s and the 1850s immigrants moved to Iowa from the Netherlands to escape religious persecution. Hendrik J. Van den Berg was one such person. He built this home in two phases, 1862 and 1880. It exemplifies the first generation of houses built in Pella and exhibits architectural influences of the Netherlands. It is one of only a few such structures that still remain in the town. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
First Christian Church is a historic church at 824 Franklin Street in Pella, Iowa.
The Augustus Caesar Dodge House is a historic building located in Burlington, Iowa, United States. Augustus C. Dodge came to Burlington as Registrar of the Land Office, a political appointment of President Martin Van Buren. As a Democrat, he went on to serve as the Iowa Territory's Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives (1840-1846), one of Iowa's first two U.S. Senators (1848-1854), Minister to Spain under Presidents Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan (1855-1859), and then Mayor of Burlington (1874-1875). The two-story, brick house follows an L-shaped plan and was built sometime around in the mid-to-late 1860s. It is representative of Burlington's mid-19th century architecture. The house is not clearly defined by any particular architectural style, but the bracketed eaves allow it to be classified as a vernacular form of the Italianate style. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The Vander Wilt Farmstead Historic District, also known as the Heritage House Bed and Breakfast, is an agricultural historic district located north of Leighton, Iowa, United States. At the time of its nomination it included three contributing buildings, three contributing structures, one non-contributing building, and two non-contributing structures. The significance of the district is attributed to its association with progressive farming and the Country Life Movement, which sought to improve the living conditions of rural residents. The contributing buildings include the 1904 barn, the house (1920), the corn crib (1953), dairy barn (1955) and the feed lots. The two-story house was built by Douwe Sjaardema, a contractor from Pella, Iowa. The corn crib was built by the Iowa Concrete Crib & Silo Co. of Des Moines. The farm also includes a former landing strip for airplanes. It featured a 1,500-foot (460 m) grass runway where cows grazed on certain days. At one time it had a windsock and homemade landing lights. A hangar, no longer in existence, had been built in 1955. An automobile garage and two silos are the non-contributing resources. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. The 1904 barn has subsequently been torn down.
The John and Elizabeth McMurn Early House is a historic residence located south of Earlham, Iowa, United States. The Earlys settled in Madison County in 1855 from Eddyville, Iowa. They bought 160 acres (65 ha) of raw prairie and established a farm. This was the second house built on the property, and it was unusual for a "second generation" farm house in Central Iowa to be built of stone around the time of the Civil War. The Earlys were Presbyterians and held services in the house until a church was built. John Early was an ardent Republican and abolitionist who was active in the Underground Railroad. While "it is said, had as many as five runaway slaves on his place at one time", there is no evidence this house itself was a stop. The Earlys lived here until their deaths in 1872 (Elizabeth) and 1873 (John). The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Passenger Depot-Pella, also known as the Pella Depot and the Rolscreen Museum, is a historic building located in Pella, Iowa, United States. The Des Moines Valley Railroad built the first tracks through the area in 1865, and they built a simple frame depot to serve passenger's needs. For 10 years, Pella served as the only rail stop in Marion County until a competing station was built in Knoxville, Iowa by the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad. The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad leased the Des Moines Valley's tracks beginning in 1878 and provided freight service through 1980. The old frame building was replaced, in 1906, with a single story, brick depot–a conventional building style for the railroad. The new, brick depot served as a passenger station until the latter 1940s. The last passenger service was as a stop on a short line motor train service between Eldon in southeast Iowa and Des Moines. The station was freight only by 1949.
The Philipus J. and Cornelia Koelman House, also known as the D.C. Van Zante House, is a historic residence located in Pella, Iowa, United States. Philipus, his father and sister were part of the first colony of settlers in Pella from the Netherlands in 1847. He went into farming and when he retired to this house, he owned five farms. His two-story brick house is a transitional structure. It combines the Dutch construction techniques of the early settlers with American architectural design. The later is found the house's basic I-house design, and the Renaissance Revival detailing. The former is found in the use of beam anchors and the floor system where the flooring rests on top of the floor joists without a subfloor between them. The original stoop porch with its saw-tooth railing was replaced around 1905 with a sitting porch that covered the three center bays and had a railing that encircled the second floor porch. It was removed in 2001. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
The Dominie Henry P. Scholte House is an historic residence located in Pella, Iowa, United States. Dominie Scholte was the leader of a secessionist movement from the organized church in the Netherlands in the 1830s. He became the spiritual, practical and formal leader of the Dutch Emigration Society, which prepared and executed the immigration of several hundred Dutch people to Pella in 1847. He is credited with founding the town itself, and was heavily involved in the town's early economic development. Initially a Democrat, he switched to the new Republican party and gave a speech on behalf of Abraham Lincoln at the 1860 Republican National Convention. Switching political parties and his involvement in church schism issues diminished his influence. He died in 1868. R.R. Beard, who married his widow, carried on Scholte's economic leadership in the community.
The Dirk Van Loon House – also known as the Rock House – is an historic residence located in Pella, Iowa, United States. Van Loon was a native of the Netherlands who immigrated to Pella in 1856. He bought this property from Dominie Scholte, the town's founder. Van Loon built the single-story, coarsely dressed, native limestone structure, and the frame addition off the back as his family grew. In 1875, he became a homesteader in Kansas. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The Dirk and Cornelia J. Vander Wilt Cottage, also known as the Vermeer House and the Wayne D. Stienstra House, is an historic residence located in Pella, Iowa, United States. It is a first generation residential building that exemplifies the architectural influence of the Netherlands, the homeland of Pella's early Dutch immigrants. The Dutch building techniques utilized in this 1½-story brick house include the use of beam anchors, which are similar to tie rods, a floor system where the flooring rests on top of the floor joists without the use of a subfloor, and an economy of space. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
The Thomas F. and Nancy Tuttle House, also known as the Tuttle Cabin, is a historic residence located in Pella, Iowa, United States. Built in 1843, it predates the founding of the Pella, and is therefore the oldest building in town. The 1½-story log cabin contains a single room, and was built as a farmhouse for a homestead claim by Thomas Tuttle. In 1847 Pella's founder, Dominie Henry P. Scholte, bought the dwelling and farm from Tuttle for the location of the settlement for Dutch immigrants. Scholte sold the cabin in 1866. The last family to live here was the Sneller family who lived here from 1912 to 1973. Robert Van Vark bought the cabin at an auction in 1973 and his daughter, Gail Van Vark Kirby, inherited it from him. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. The Historic Pella Trust acquired the property in April of the same year.
The B.H. and J.H.H. Van Spanckeren Row Houses, also known as the Wyatt Earp House and the Pella Historical Society, is a historic building located in Pella, Iowa, United States. The Van Spanckerens were brothers who, along with their mother, Catharina Reerink Van Spanckeren and two other siblings emigrated from the Netherlands in the 1840s. Catharina bought property in Pella in 1849, which she divided into three parcels and sold to her three sons. B.H. and J.H.H. built this rowhouse sometime between 1855 and 1860, while the third brother sold his parcel in 1864. The shared wall of this two-story brick house is on the property line. Both houses were divided into two units. In 505 both units were separate apartments. American frontier lawman Wyatt Earp spent 14 years of his boyhood in this row house. In 507, the upstairs was an apartment while the downstairs housed J.H.H.'s general store. Both houses were owned by separate owners until 1966.
The William Van Asch House-Huibert Debooy Commercial Room, also known as the Central College Temporary Quarters, is a historic building located in Pella, Iowa, United States. It is one of the finest extant examples of vernacular architecture that the early Dutch settlers to Pella brought with them from the Netherlands. Both Van Asch and Debooy were among the earliest settlers in Pella. Van Asch had the two-story brick house built in 1854. Before he and his wife could move in, he rented the house to Central University of Iowa for its use. The college used it for two years. DeBooy built the 1½-story brick commercial room to the east in 1856. He bought the Van Asch's house in 1864 and joined the two buildings together with a hyphen. The DeBooys lived in the house. After they died in the early 20th century the entire complex housed apartments. The Strawtown Corporation bought it in 1974 and it now houses retail businesses.
The ten Hagen Cottage–Stegeman Store, is a historic building located in Pella, Iowa, United States. A.J.C. and Charlotte ten Hagen were first generation immigrants from the Netherlands. The ten Hagen's received the title to this property, and the single-story frame cottage was built on it before A.J.C. died the following year. Charlotte inherited the property and was its owner until she sold it in 1876 to G.F. Stegeman who enlarged it and converted it into a general store. The building is located in what is known as Strawtown, the original business district in Pella. The building features heavy wood-frame construction, a six-bay, asymmetrical facade, side-gabled roof, a full-width front porch, and Dutch building techniques. The building techniques include a floor system where the flooring rests on top of the floor joists without the use of a subfloor, and window design that maximizes the amount of light into the structure. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.
The Pella Opera House is a historic building located in Pella, Iowa, United States. Herman Rietveld, a local businessman and promoter, was the main backer for building the opera house, which was underwritten by the Pella Opera House Association. A previous opera house had been destroyed in a fire in the late 19th century. Pella architect Henry DeGooyer designed the four story, brick Romanesque Revival structure. He used the opera house in Sioux City, Iowa, as his guide. The locally produced orange-colored bricks are said to be distinctive to Pella.
East Amsterdam School is a historic building located southwest of Pella, Iowa, United States. The Wabash Railroad began construction of its line through this area in 1882. The route split the Independent School District of Amsterdam in two, and it required that its only school building be torn down. They decided to build two school buildings, East Amsterdam School and West Amsterdam School, so the districts children would not have to cross the tracks. The west building is no longer extant. The East Amsterdam School was in use from 1882 to 1960 when it was closed by the Pella Community School District, with which it had merged in 1958. It is now a museum operated by the Pella Historical Society. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
The Dr. Martin H. Caulkins House and Office is a historic building located in Wyoming, Iowa, United States. Caulkins was a New York native who started out as a teacher before studying medicine. He married his wife Lucinda Louden in 1855, and moved to Iowa the following year. Caulkins was the first physician to serve this rural community. He also served as the town's first mayor, and in the Iowa Legislature.
The Harlan House Hotel is a historic building located in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, United States. It is associated with James Harlan, the first Republican to represent Iowa in the United States Senate. He was also Secretary of the Interior (1865-1867). His daughter Mary was the wife of Robert Todd Lincoln, President Abraham Lincoln's only surviving son. Harlan built the oldest part of this building as his house in 1857. After his career as a Senator, he could no longer afford the house and bought another house in Mount Pleasant. Harlan built the first addition onto his old house and converted it into a hotel so he could support himself. He added onto the hotel two more times, c. 1880 and 1892. The first two additions are on the alley side of the building, and the third addition faces Jefferson Street. The middle section of the building with the bracketed cornice and mansard roof is the original house. Harlan moved into the hotel in the early 1890s and died here in 1899. A few minor alterations were made to the building in the 20th century. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
The Schindhelm-Drews House is a historic building located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is a well preserved example of residential architecture from the 19th century in the Goosetown neighborhood. The original section of the house was built of stone in 1855 by Christian Schindhelm. It was expanded to its present size with frame additions during the ownership of August and Henriette Drews sometime between 1867 and 1899. The 1½-story structure is a combination of vernacular forms and simplified decorative features The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.
The Gary J. and Matilda Vermeer Farmstead is a historic building located east of Pella, Iowa, United States, in Mahaska County. Gerrit "Gary" Vermeer was born on a farm outside of Pella on September 29, 1918, and was educated in the local schools. He married Matilda Van Gorp at her parents’ farm on February 14, 1941. They farmed a 120-acre (49 ha) farm that had been given to them by his parents. They built this modest house on that farm in 1953 and lived here the rest of their married life. Gary invented a wagon hoist that made it easier to unload corn. It became so popular that he and his cousin, Ralph Vermeer, started the Vermeer Company to manufacture the device as well as other agricultural implements. In 1971 Gary developed the Vermeer round hay baler, "an invention that revolutionized agriculture." In addition to his business and farming, Gary was involved in the Pella community and The Christian Reformed Church in North America. He died in Pella on February 2, 2009. Matilda, who was born near Pella on February 14, 1920, died on July 19, 2014. They are buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Pella. The farmstead was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.
