Historic Pella Trust received a grant from the Marion County Community Foundation to kick off a new project connecting the Sunken Gardens and the Tuttle Cabin.

Executive Director Jennifer Van Kooten tells KNIA/KRLS News a $5000 grant was awarded to Historic Pella Trust for the Tuttle Learning Walk. Van Kooten says the project includes a new walkway in an alley from the Tuttle Cabin on Lincoln Street to the Sunken Gardens Windmill, with signs posted to share the history of Pella’s founding members.

“It will have signage to describe the first visitors to this area,” she says. “We’ll talk about what it was like to immigrate to this area, and each sign will describe a part of Pella’s history,” she says.

Lynn Branderhorst with the Marion County Community Foundation says the project was an ideal fit for their mission to support projects benefiting the county.

“We looked at the grant application and felt this walkway embraced almost everything we stand for — it embraces county, it embraces community, it embraces history, and will be accessible to people of all ages,” she says.

The project is in the early phases, with fundraising ongoing as Historic Pella Trust is applying to pass city regulations. Hear more about the Tuttle Learning Walk on today’s Let’s Talk Pella.