Pella Historical Society Windmill

Pella Historical Society is hoping to expand its membership base to keep the organization strong and growing in the coming years.

Executive Director Valerie Van Kooten says they are aiming to expand the kinds of history they preserve moving forward.

“Pella did not develop in a bubble and it developed at the same time a lot of things were going in our country and the world,” she says. “And our history is not just what happened 169 years ago when we started Pella, it’s what’s happened 20 years ago and 50 years ago.”

“We’re going to bring a full range of Pella and Marion County history to our members through our speaker series and some of our upcoming events.”

She says it’s also important to take care of the facilities they currently have, including the Wyatt Earp Boyhood Home, which is an upcoming $500,000 renovation project.

“Wyatt Earp really is a national treasure, he lived in the Pella area from the time he was two until he was 16,” Van Kooten says.

“He lived at least part of the time in one of the houses in the village. It’s still in original location and it’s in bad shape–it needs a complete renovation.”

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