The Building
“A frame building that will be in keeping with Mr. Wooden’s usual enterprising spirit…”
…stated the published announcement of the letting of the contract to build the lovely home at 107 East Washington Street in Centerville, Iowa, now known as The Columns. Built in 1895, the house was a model of modern architecture, and its interior arrangement for comfort and convenience made it one of the most handsome homes of the time in the city. It contains a beautiful open staircase, wide, carved woodwork, large, airy rooms, pocket doors, several fireplaces, thick brick walls, a quaint attic and a full basement, and a back stairway into the kitchen. Outside, two-story ionic columns connect the second-floor balcony and the welcoming front porch. A portico extends over the driveway. In the early years, there were fish ponds and elegant willow trees.
ABOUT THE PAST
The original owner of this home, A.E. (Albert Edgar – Ed to his friends) Wooden, was born at Gosport, Indiana, in 1849, and came to Centerville at age 8 with his parents, J.R. (James Robert) and America Wooden. (An interesting note about J.R. is that he donated the $1,000 Seth Thomas clock that adorned the Appanoose County Courthouse clock tower on the Centerville town square.) A.E.’s brother, Charles (C.R.), was born in Centerville.
After his schooling, A.E. entered into business with his father, who was then conducting a general store. When J.R. decided to go into the banking business, A.E. became the sole proprietor of the store. J.R. taught A.E. that “a man’s first business was his business, and whatever happened, a man must take care of his business — business first and pleasure afterward – if at all – that honesty is the best policy and that a business should be built upon reliability, integrity, economy, and careful judgment.” From his mother, A.E. inherited a gentleness and a kindly interest in others. It was no wonder that he was a successful businessman and had many friends. It became the “Wooden Policy” not to generalize and scatter, but to specialize and concentrate. Therefore, A.E. soon discontinued the general feature of the store and specialized in men’s clothing, making his establishment the leading store for men’s furnishings in this part of the state.
A.E. married Mary E. Miller of Springfield, Ohio, in 1870. A.E. purchased the property at 107 East Washington the same year. The couple lived in two other houses on the grounds prior to the building of the current home. To his union were born two children — Harry, who died in infancy, and America Belle. Belle proudly served as First Lady of the State of Iowa, as she married Nate Kendall of Albia, who was elected Governor of Iowa in 1920.
A.E. sold the store after 33 years of ownership and opened a private bank for the loaning of money. In the midst of this business, A.E. died after a series of three strokes in early 1920. Mary Wooden also died of a stroke later the same year. America Belle Kendall was stricken with apoplexy and died in Naples, Italy, while (ironically) on a trip expected to improve former Governor N.E. Kendall’s health. The Wooden family burial plot is in the Oakland Cemetery in Centerville.
Through the years, the house was not only a private home, but also a nursing home. It is said that the small divots in the stone floor of the sun room were created by the legs of the patients’ beds. At one point, the home was a dormitory for Centerville Community College football players. The rooms were named by where the occupants came from; for example, The Illinois Room, The Missouri Room, etc. Two separate enterprising owners created craft/painting studio/gift shop/ and bed and breakfast businesses in the home.
Visit the store: http://thecolumns.info/
The Columns Galleria in Iowa 