Remembering what brought us to where we are today

HENRY COUNTY - Another Henry County building has been added to the National Register of Historic Places thanks to the yearslong work of the Henry County Historic Preservation Commission.

The Sarah and Samuel Hulme House in Jefferson Township was built in 1862. Larry Roth, a member of the commission, said the structure was added to the register because of the owners' 'association to rural and agricultural life in Henry County,” as well as several architectural details and pieces of the house itself that are representative of the time the building was constructed.

Roth explained the one-and-a-half story house still has its original four chimneys and five fireplaces. The house also retained its original window stone sills, jack arch brick lentils, historic trim and wood floors, stairs and railing.

'The first homes in Jefferson Township and Wayland were cabins, followed by wood frame abodes. Then it was brick architecture. The house, which is brick, shows that advancement in technology,” Roth explained.

The commission member said owner Samuel Hulme 'was quite the guy.”

In the report detailing the historical significance of the house, it notes Samuel Hulme 'was a prominent rural resident in this period,” who 'pursued agricultural interests as well as being actively involved in the Henry County Institute of Science,” which at the time was located in nearby Trenton.

'In addition, Samuel Hulme appears to have been a gentleman farmer pursuing both agriculture and learned endeavors,” the report reads.

The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs also noted the institute 'became the center of social and cultural life in Trenton, and membership dues and fundraisers were used to buy new books, bookcases and small statues of famous people,” in a news release announcing the Hulme's House's addition to the national register. Hulme would eventually become one of the institute's managers.

The release also states Hulme was active in local politics and was a member of the May 1896 nominating committee during the Democratic County Convention.

When Samuel died in 1913, the house was passed onto his grandson, Max, who owned the property until 1974. James Hulme would then own the property until 1999, when it was willed to Sandra Hoover, who continues to inhabit the house.

The process to get the Hulme House as well as several others from the Wayland and Jefferson Township area began in 2015, when the commision decided to start a project focusing on buildings in the area which Roth helped to chair. Roth explained the process is generally pretty lengthy and can cost up to $6,000 per property. Currently, the commission is looking at four more properties in the area that may also be eligible to be added onto the register.

The Hulme House is the first from Wayland and Jefferson Township to be recognized. To Roth, who previously ran the Wayland Museum, the accomplishment is a significant milestone.

'It means a lot to people of our age. It's quite significant to have something on the national register. It shows what all we have in the county, the special things,” he said.

Roth added he feels the commission's work is important for the continuation of museums and other institutions that are geared toward remembering the past.

'It's kind of a dying art and we need to bring it up to attention so we don't lose out on our past, on our heritage, on what brought us to where we are today. It's very important,” Roth said.