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Washington Evening Journal
111 North Marion Avenue
Washington, IA 52353
319-653-2191
A look at the Dr. Elmer G. and Lydia Ann Rittler House
HENRY COUNTY HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS
Last year, Wayland had the first residential historic district in Henry County listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This historic district covers the 300 and part of the 400 block of West Main Street and includes 16 residential properties.
Dr. Elmer & Lydia Ann Rittler, a dentist, bought a property in 1913 which was at the east end of this district and demolished the old house and built the most prominent house in this district. The walls were concrete block from the block factory in Wayland.
There was a hip roof with gables and four dormers with decorative windows. The front porch had a round corner with a cone style roof. The interior of the home had dark oak trim and carved beading over the windows.
The Rittlers owned this home until they sold it to Lyle and Vivian Zehr who changed the business to a funeral home; it has remained a funeral home to the present time. It is currently owned by Mark Beatty and Beatty Funeral Home, Inc.
An in-depth report of the survey that was done and the historic information that was collected on the properties in Wayland, including the houses along West Main Street is available online at www.waylandiowa.com. Benefits of a property listed in the National Register of Historic Places for a homeowners include:
- Grants and loan programs available for historic preservation.
- Eligibility for federal and state income tax credit.
Additional benefits include:
- A tool for local planning, heritage tourism, and education.
- Feelings of belonging, continuity, stability, identity and memory, which old places can provide.
- The superior quality of historic buildings.
- High quality craftsmanship which expert woodcarvers performed on historic buildings.
- Historic places also preserve and promote the human stories of people who built, lived or worked in them.
There are many benefits to historic preservation. Some of the more intangible and personal benefits are often downplayed and under-recognized, but many people feel a deep-seated connection to old places, and enjoy being in places which have experienced years and years of history. We hope citizens of Wayland have this deep-seated connection and appreciate the past of our historic district!
