“Everyone should see the Gothic House if they’re in Iowa,” Jim said.

Dewitt Shelton’s actions showed a similar view when he arrived a few minutes later with his wife, his son and his son’s fiancée. Their visit came after a dinner conversation in which the house came up. He pointed out that the house was nearby. His son and soon-to-be daughter-in-law live in Kansas City and Des Moines, respectively. Neither had seen the house before.

So the family loaded up the car Saturday morning and came to Eldon.

They followed the Keltners up to the house, taking time to read the plaque on the side porch and, like everyone else, taking a couple pictures. Both families stayed about 10 minutes, walking around the house and the center’s grounds.

More people started trickling in as the parade in town wrapped up. One woman drove up on the road that runs nearest the house, hopped out and took a picture before heading off again, all without turning off the car’s engine.

Eldon’s celebrations were well under way and more people started making the pilgrimage up to the house. Nature ceased to have a near-exclusive claim on the site.

The house, of course, showed no indication it was aware of the change. For one day, it was again a center of attention. There is still something that draws people from all over the Midwest to see a house they know but have often never seen.

Matt Milner can be reached at (641) 683-5359 or via e-mail at mwmilner@mchsi.com