Backyard Adventures

BACKYARD ADVENTURES 2016 PIKE PUBLISHING 35 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33 VANDERBURGH COUNTY ST. JOSEPH CHURCH (CIRCA 1841) Evansville Saint Joseph Parish is located eight miles northwest of Evans- ville, settled in the early nine- teenth century by mostly German immigrants. The area was first developed in 1817. In 1836, a mis- sionary, Father Czackart became the first recorded priest to visit the area. He celebrated the first Mass in the house of the Widow Weiss in 1836. In April 1840, newly ordained Father Roman Weinzapfel led the community members to build a two-story log church, completed in 1841. The cornerstone of the new brick church was laid on May 28, 1850, and completed eleven months later in May 1851. On April 17, 1888, the corner- stone for a new church building was laid and the church was dedicated on November 17, 1888, at a total cost of $15,000. Accord- ing to newspaper accounts, "the new church is quite a large one for a county church, measuring 80 by 125 feet." MCJOHNSTON'S CHAPEL, (CIRCA 1880) McCutchenville McCutchenville Community Church or McJohnson's Chapel has a long history that dates back to the first Circuit Riders who preached in an old log schoolhouse in 1836. According to the book "From Then Til Now," by Kenneth Mc- Cutchan, 1969...Hymn books were scarce....The leader read a line, the congregation sang. A second line was read and sung. In case the leader was not a singer, someone in the audience was called on to pitch the tune. Quite frequently, it was pitched out of tune. The younger and more progressive members wanted a surer guide. A fter much planning, a new organ was placed in the church on Jan. 19, 1868. The organ came with a storm of opposition and grave predictions that the younger mem- bers were on the "straight road to perdition." An important date in the church's history was Sept. 7, 1941. The preceding autumn, the official board met at the parsonage and decided that something should be done to renovate the interior of the sanctuary. The building needed a makeover for a long time; many of the congregation expressed a de- sire for a pipe organ. To celebrate the completion of the project, a re-dedication was held on Septem- ber 7, 1941. Bishop Titus Lowe was present to give the sermon of the morning and to officiate at the baptism of infants. Following a basket dinner at the schoolhouse, Mrs. Armand Haeussler, of Evans- ville, gave a recital on the new pipe organ. IMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH (CIRCA 1854) Evansville, Volkman Road The Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church was officially es- tablished in 1858 after the former St. Stephen church was plagued with a series of dissension in 1852, when some men considered pastors, were discovered frauds. Eight members disassociated and founded the new church, first meeting in a nearby farmhouse in 1854. A log cabin served as the school and church building in 1860. The charter members included Ger- hardt Henry Boehne, Anton Heldt and Clamor Bosse. A separate church was built in 1869 as the congregation outgrew the school building. The new building was constructed in 1949. ST. BENEDICT'S CATHEDRAL (CIRCA 1912) Evansville St. Benedict Parish was estab- lished in 1912 and the pastoral care for the parish was given to Benedictine Monks from St. Mein- rad Abbey. The present church building was completed in 1928 and dedicated March 18, 1928, by Abbot Athanasius Schmidt. The cathedral features ceilings that are 65 feet high, a baldachin over the altar and a seating capacity of over 1,000 people. Most of the other parish build- ings are older than the cathedral church. The convent was com- pleted in 1913 and the older school building the following year. The rectory was built in 1921-1922. The newer school building opened in 1953. On October 21, 1944, Pope Pius XII established the Diocese of Evansville. Assumption Church, Evansville's oldest Catholic parish, was chosen as the first cathedral. The property was sold to the city of Evansville, who demolished it in 1965 for the new civic center. WARRICK COUNTY ST. RUPERT'S CATHOLIC CHURCH (CIRCA 1865) Yankeetown/Newburgh Catholics from Dorlinback, Germany settled the area near Yankeetown in the mid-1850s. Rev. Henry Hugg visited the 13 Catholic families, saying Mass in private homes. Fr. Martin Marty, a Benedictine Monk from Einsiedeil Abbey, Switzerland and St. Meinrad Abby, helped St. Rupert's construct a frame building in 1865. It was blessed by the Father Chryso- stome on Jan. 2, 1866. In 1880, the church was consid- erably enlarged by Father Book, who had charge of the mission. It numbered many families and had no debts. The priests who had charge of Rockport, or who had visited it, also attended Yan- keetown. ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST (CIRCA 1866) Newburgh A group of 15 Catholic fami- lies congregated at the home of Henry Weis in the early 1860's. Fr. Kutassi, pastor of Holy Trinity in Evansville, offered the first mass in 1862. In 1863, he selected a site on the northeast corner of Jennings and Market for a church, and in 1866, the cornerstone was laid. The clay industry was thriving and bricks were commonly burned on site. This method was used by mem- bers of the church in the construc- tion of St. John's during the Civil War period. Bricks were fired by members of the church. It was dedicated July 1867 and could hold 125 people. The Parish had 30 families and many worked the coal mines in Newburgh. The church was en- larged in 1893 through 1904. In 1952, another expansion program began with the purchase of eleven acres on Frame Road. The new church was completed in 1958. The old church remained empty until 1964, when it was purchased from the parish and was then converted to Newburgh's Country Store. PIGEON CREEK CHURCH (CIRCA 1816) Lincoln State Park Pigeon Creek Church was founded on June 8, 1816, the year that Thomas Lincoln and his family moved from Kentucky and settled on Little Pigeon Creek in what was then Warwick County, Indiana Territory. It was the area's main church at the time. When Lincoln's mother died, she was buried between their home and the church, as the graveyard did not exist at the time. Lincoln's sister, Sarah Grigsby, died in 1828 and is buried at the church's cemetery. This church has two books con- taining its records and minutes, the first covers the period from 1816 to 1840. The deer-skinned- covered book contains records that Lincoln's family were members of Baptist Church of Pigeon Creek. ST. BONIFACE CHURCH (CIRCA 1847) Fulda St. Boniface celebrates a rich and colorful history in the most beautiful setting. On October 30, 1980, St. Boniface Church was placed on the Indiana State Regis- ter of Historic Sites. Fulda, Ind., was founded in 1845 and was named after Fulda, Germany. The parish was named after the Patron Saint of Germany, Saint Boniface. The Saint Boni- face Catholic Parish was founded with its first mass on the Feast of St. Boniface, June 5, 1847. Work began on the original church that year. It was made of logs and com- pleted the following year. In January of 1854, the St. Boni- face Women's Society was started, receiving the name "Holy Rosary Society." In 1860, Father Chrysostom accepted plans for a new church. Milton Jackson furnished the stones for the foundation, which is seven feet thick. A new one-room frame school building was also constructed this year. In 1861, construction of the church was halted due to the Civil War. Fr. Chrysostom was moved to Ferdinand and the local men were joining the army to fight in the Civil War. Also during this year, Fr. Martin Marty, OSB, became pas- tor of St. Boniface. He also became the first Abbott of the St. Meinrad Archabbey. On June 5, 1866, the new brick church, although not completely finished on the inside, was dedi- cated by Fr. Prior Martin Marty and Fr. Chrysostom preached the sermon. This same year, three bells were cast for the Fulda church by J.G. Stuckstede & Bro. of St. Louis. ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM (CIRCA 1859) New Boston This beautiful Catholic Church was founded in 1859 as a mission church of the Benedictine Monks of St. Meinrad Archabbey. Father John Chrysostom Foffa, O.S.B, founded the parish under the name of his patron saint, St. John Chrysostom. Father John was six feet two inches tall, 224 pounds, and broad shouldered. He was born in 1830 in Switzerland and was ordained a priest in September 1854, at the Abbey in Einsiedeln. A fter a year of teaching at the school in Einsie- deln. He was sent to St. Meinrad in May 1855. SAINT MEINRAD ARCHABBEY (CIRCA 1857) St. Meinrad Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology was first established in 1857 by Benedictine monks who came from the Swiss Abbey of Einsiedeln to establish a seminary in Southern Indiana. The original buildings were destroyed by fire in 1887 and the commercial courses were trans- ferred to Jasper Academy. The newly built school was limited to educating candidates for the Ro- man Catholic priesthood. The Seminary and School of Theology has been a fully accred- ited member of the Association of Theological Schools since 1969. In 1979, the North Central Associa- tion also accredited the school and has issued continued accreditation since that time. Today, the Seminary and School of Theology offers these degrees: Master's of Divinity, Master's of Arts in Catholic Philosophi- cal Studies, Master's of Arts in Theology and Master's of Arts in Pastoral Theology. SPENCER COUNTY CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

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