Back in 1854, a man named Thomas Devlin moved to Ottumwa to join his sons, who were already working here. Not long after he arrived, he built a big, beautiful house in the 200 block of East Second Street. On old maps from 1902, the address was listed as 219 E. Second.
People at the time called it the nicest house in the whole county. It was built using rich woods like walnut, oak, and cherry—no small thing back then.
Devlin wasn’t just known for his home. He owned a lot of land across Wapello County and other parts of Iowa. When he passed away in 1873 at the age of 82, he left behind quite a bit of property. One of his lasting gifts to the community was a piece of land he donated to the Ottumwa school district. That’s where the original Adams School was built in 1865.
His house stayed in the family for a while, but eventually it became the Wapello Club—a kind of social hangout spot for local folks. In 1921, the original home was torn down and replaced with a newer building, which kept the Wapello Club going until it shut down in 1936.
