Henry County Historical Highlights

This month we are featuring the Samuel and Sarah Hulme house, 1577 Franklin Avenue, Trenton, Iowa, which was recently honored with the distinction of being the first house to be awarded the National Register of Historic Places in the area of Wayland and Jefferson Township, Iowa.

The house gained its distinction when in 2015 the Henry County Historical Preservation Commission (HPC) received a grant to complete a reconnaissance survey of Jefferson Township. The report was completed in June 2016, and it recommended that the Hulme House be further evaluated for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), along with several other properties.

The Henry County HPC followed up by using money from their budget in the fall/winter of 2017-2018 to hire Rebecca Lawin McCarley, from SPARK Consulting, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to further research and evaluate the Hulme house. It was deemed eligible for listing on the NRHP. The Henry County HPC then decided to proceed with the nomination of the Hulme House from money in their budget in August 2018. A draft NRHP nomination was completed. It was then scheduled and reviewed at the State Nomination Review Committee (SNRC) meeting in and submitted to National Park Service (NPS) for their final review. The property was officially listed on the NRHP on July 3, 2019.

Historically the first homes build in the Wayland, Iowa and Jefferson Township areas were log cabins. This was followed by wood-framed abodes, with brick architecture showing the advancement in technology.

The Hulme home remains a private residence. It was willed to its current owner and resident, Sandy Hoover, by owner James P. Hulme. The two were neighbors and became best friends over the years.

Sandy states, 'Jim was like a grandpa to me. We took care of each other. He was my guardian angel and, as a Certified Nurse, I was his caregiver until he passed away in 1999.” James left the house to Sandy in his estate and she has lived there for 20 years. She is currently trying to gain grants to do remodeling on her home.

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) reads, 'The Greek Revival style brick home was built around 1862 for the newlyweds of Samuel and Sarah Hulme. It is located about one mile north of Trenton, Iowa. The Samuel Hulmes owned about 60 acres. It was sold in 1974 and a parcel of 2.5 acres with the home and immediate buildings was sold back to James Page Hulme, who passed away in 1999.”

The NRHP notes, 'The historical workmanship of the house continues to be reflected in the overall historic design elements and materials. The brick construction places the home above other frame houses constructed in this period, providing a glimpse of the social status of the young couple at the time.”

It is unclear who built the house, but Trenton was home to a brick kiln located on the Daniel Black property during that time period, and there are other brick homes built during this period.

'There is minimal loss of some historic materials. The overall feeling of the house is rural vernacular house from the middle of the 19th century with its exterior design and interior layout clearly reflecting this purpose. The house retains a strong association to rural and agricultural life in Henry County.” The one and a half story home originally had 4 chimneys/fireplaces. The windows retain stone sills and jack arch brick lintels. The interior of the house 'retains its original configuration of rooms, historic trim, wide wood floors, [paneled wood doors], and wood stairs and railing.” Of special architectural interest are the five metal tie rods that extend through the house with exterior iron anchors in 'S” and star shapes.

Samuel Hulme was the original owner of the property. Interestingly the registration contained this note, that 'he was an active member of the Henry County Institute of Science from its formation in Trenton in 1870. The Institute was unique in the social and cultural history of Henry County, and it thrived under his leadership. In addition, 'Hulme appears to have been a gentleman farmer per se, pursuing both agricultural and learned endeavors.”