Thomas F. and Nancy Tuttle House

The Thomas F. and Nancy Tuttle House is the oldest building in Pella and possibly Marion County. Built by Thomas and Nancy Tuttle in 1843, it was here that the town of Pella was founded in 1847, when Dutch immigrant Thomas Scholte bought the Tuttle's farm to be site of the new town. The house is a small log cabin erected using V-notches in the corner joints. This style was known as the Midland tradition and it was common in Iowa before railroads were developed in the state. The house is owned and operated by the Historic Pella Trust, which opens it on various occasions during the year.

Thomas and Mary arrived in northern Marion County on May 13, 1843, only thirteen days after settlers were allowed in the area. Coming from Fairfield, Iowa on an ox-pulled wagon that carried everything they owned, they were the first to arrive in what would become the town of Pella. They built the cabin (it is what marked their claim on the land), prepared the field for planting, and grew and harvested a small crop before winter. According to the family's oral tradition, since their land was relatively remote, Thomas had to take nine-day trip to Fort Madison, Iowa to get supplies, leaving Mary at the house to protect their claim.

As noted above, the Tuttles sold the property to Scholte in 1847. They moved to another farm 20 miles to the northwest where they remained for 30 years. The next owners of the house were Jan Steenhoek, the Sneller family, and the Van Vark family.

Page, William C. "Thomas F. and Nancy Tuttle House." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. January 27, 2015. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/e1bb4db1-f7d6-4bf6-9010-6aca124a2260.

"Tuttle Cabin." Historic Pella Trust. Accessed January 12, 2022. https://historicpellatrust.org/tuttle-cabin.