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History / 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 clocktower 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
judgement." 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.
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