The life of the founder of Pella was celebrated with a special ceremony at his gravesite.
Dr. Ronald Rietveld led a program in memory of Dominie Hendrik Pieter Scholte 150 years after his death at Oakwood Cemetery Friday morning. Scholte died on August 15th, 1868.
Among those in attendance were participants and scholars from the Netherlands and all over North America who are attending the Scholte Conference held at Pella Historical Society, as well as descendents of Scholte.

Rietveld read scripture from a Dutch-English Bible given to him sixty years ago, and picked a passage he believes the founder would have commonly read during his lifetime–John 11:21. Rietveld also shared the impact Scholte had on Pella and why it is important to remember his legacy.
“There would be no Pella if there had been no Dominie Scholte,” Rietveld says. “Because he is indeed the founder of Pella and it was said so even at the time of his death by the (then) mayor of Pella that he’s still the founder, in their hearts and their lives.”
He encourages everyone to tour the Pella Historical Village and the Scholte House to learn more about the Dominie’s life and those who helped build the town in the middle of the 19th century. Rietveld says Scholte was not only an important figure to the Tulip City, but to his adopted nation of the United States and his home in the Netherlands, where scholars are finding new details about the man as he fled Holland and settled in Iowa in the 1840s.
“He’s not just a local figure, and for some reason over all these years, that factor has been lost,” Rietveld says. “But as these new, younger scholars are coming up, they’ve gained a new appreciation for Scholte, and I think it’s only rising–the interest, in him.”
“It’s like they’ve discovered him all over again.”
Janis Patton (Gaass) is a direct descendant of Scholte, and is from Pella but now lives in Arizona. She says the conference and ceremony were special experiences for her and her family.
“This has been a wonderful experience,” she says. “It’s been very moving […] the family does appreciate all of the efforts they’ve put in and how it’s expanded our understanding of the importance of this one individual and others associated with him in the Netherlands and here in the establishment of Pella.”

Pella Historical Society Executive Director Valerie Van Kooten read a proclamation after Rietveld’s presentation, and she and Rietveld placed a wreath of flowers next to Scholte’s grave. Hear more about the Scholte dedication ceremony and conference at Pella Historical Society on Monday’s Let’s Talk Pella.
Listen to the scripture reading by Rietveld and proclamation by Van Kooten below:

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