St. Joseph's Church Complex (Fort Madison, Iowa) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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St. Joseph's Church, Rectory, Chapel, Convent, and School
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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Drawing of the church from 1886.
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | 601 5th Street, 508, 509, 516, 520 Avenue F, Fort Madison, Iowa |
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| Built | 1850s (rectory) 1886 (church) 1890 (convent) 1914 (chapel) 1926 (school) |
| Architect | Arthur Ebeling (school) |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival (church) Greek Revival (rectory) Italianate (convent) Neoclassical (school) |
| Part of | Park-to-Park Residential Historic District |
| NRHP reference No. | 14001069 |
| Added to NRHP | December 22, 2014 |
The St. Joseph's Church Complex is a group of old buildings in Fort Madison, Iowa, United States. For many years, it was a Catholic parish (a local church community). The St. Joseph and St. Mary of the Assumption parishes joined together in the 1990s. They formed a new parish called Saints Mary and Joseph.
Later, in 2007, this parish joined with Sacred Heart Parish. This created the new Holy Family Parish. When this happened, St. Joseph's Church was closed. The old church, its chapel, the rectory (where the priest lived), the convent (where the sisters lived), and the school are all historic. They are important parts of the Park-to-Park Residential Historic District. This district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
Contents
The Story of St. Joseph's Church
Starting the First Church in Fort Madison
The Catholic community in Fort Madison began with a missionary priest named John George Alleman. He traveled to the Midwest to help start churches. Father Alleman first stayed at John Gerhard Schwartz's home. He also held the very first Mass (church service) in the town there.
John Schwartz helped build the first Catholic church in the area. St. Joseph parish officially started in 1840. At that time, it was part of the Diocese of Dubuque. The first families to join included the Schwartzes, Herman Dingman, Joseph Hellman, and others.
Within six years, the number of families grew to 75. The small brick church they first built became too small. So, a new, bigger church was built in 1847. Father Alleman lived in a room in the church's basement. He helped German-speaking people in Southeastern Iowa and in Nauvoo, Illinois.
Father Alleman also started the first parochial school (a church school) at St. Joseph's. He was its first teacher. The School Sisters of Notre Dame from St. Louis were the first sisters to teach in Fort Madison. Later, the Congregation of the Humility of Mary took over teaching at St. Joseph's. The school grew to include both elementary and high school grades. The final church building for the parish was built in 1886. This building still stands today.
New Parishes and School Changes
In 1857, the pastor of St. Joseph's, Father Alexander Hattenberger, wanted a larger church. He also wanted it to be in a more central location for his growing parish. However, the American Civil War stopped these plans.
Later, in 1865, land was bought west of downtown. A new school was built there, followed by a new church. On September 3, 1865, some parishioners disagreed strongly with moving the church. This led to a riot. The disagreement lasted for eight years and caused many delays.
The new school building was opened on November 9, 1865. It was named Kreutz Erhohung Schule, which means Exultation of the Cross School. This name honored the day (September 14) when the School Sisters of Notre Dame came to Fort Madison in 1860.
Father Jacob Orth became the pastor the next year. Construction on the new church continued. The cornerstone for what is now St. Mary's Church was laid on July 18, 1866. Plans were made to move to the new church in late 1870. However, Bishop John Hennessy of Dubuque would not officially open the new church. He wanted its debt of $7,000 to be paid first.
Father Orth decided to open the new church himself on January 1, 1871. He was replaced as pastor the next month. For a while, the new church was sometimes called St. Joseph's. This was because many German people attended the parish. The confusion ended in January 1874. St. Joseph's got its own pastor at its original location. The new church became a separate parish. It was named St. Mary of the Assumption.
A third Catholic parish was started in Fort Madison. It was in the Santa Fe neighborhood, near the Santa Fe Railroad yards. In 1892, Father Louis DeCailly from St. Joseph's opened a school there. The Sisters of Humility from St. Joseph's taught at this school. Father DeCailly also held Mass for the people in the area sometimes. Sacred Heart Parish was officially started the next year.
Joining Parishes and Schools
The Catholic schools in Fort Madison were the first to merge. In 1925, St. Joseph's and St. Mary's high schools joined. They formed Catholic Central High School in the St. Mary's building. A new high school, Aquinas High School, opened in 1959.
The three parishes (St. Joseph's, St. Mary's, and Sacred Heart) kept their own grade schools until 1966. Then, their 7th and 8th grade students combined to form St. Joseph's Middle School. They used the St. Joseph's building. St. Joseph's K-6 students then went to St. Mary's.
Sacred Heart and St. Mary's continued their own grade schools until 1977. At that time, they combined to form Aquinas East (at St. Joseph's) and Aquinas West (at Sacred Heart). By the 1990s, Catholic schools in Fort Madison and nearby West Point were having difficulties. The two Catholic school systems merged. A new school called Holy Trinity opened in July 2005.
Over time, the number of people living in Fort Madison changed. Also, the number of priests in the Diocese of Davenport decreased. A plan was made to combine parishes in the diocese. St. Joseph's and St. Mary's merged in 1996. They used both names for the new parish: Saints Mary and Joseph.
In 2007, Saints Mary and Joseph merged with Sacred Heart. This created Holy Family Parish. Bishop Martin Amos held the last Mass in St. Joseph's Church on November 17, 2007. The old church building is now used as a wedding chapel.
Building Styles
St. Joseph's Church Design
St. Joseph's Church was built in 1886. It uses the Gothic Revival style. This style often looks like old European cathedrals. The tall bell tower in the middle, with its pointed top, is part of the original church. The entry areas and smaller towers on the sides were added in 1906.
The church is made of brick and sits on a stone foundation. The tall, narrow lancet windows have colorful stained glass. There is also a small round rose window above the main entrance. Another small rose window is in the center of the church's apse (the curved part at the back). Paired lancet windows line the side walls. Inside, the church has three main sections (naves). These are separated by columns with Corinthian order (fancy tops). The roof is a hipped roof (slopes on all sides) with a gable (triangle shape) at the front.
Other Historic Buildings
To the west of the church is a small brick chapel. This chapel is a new version of the very first 1840 church. It was built around 1914 on the original foundation. It has a front gable and an asphalt shingle roof.
The old rectory (priest's house) is east of the church. It faces Fifth Street. This house is special because it was not built by the church. It was first built in the 1850s for Dr. James H. Bacon and his wife. The Bacons owned the house until 1883. Then, George and Natalie Schafer bought it. George Schafer was a druggist and a leader in the American Pharmaceutical Association. St. Joseph's bought the house for its rectory around 1925. It was used by priests until 1996. Now, it is a private home again.
This two-story house is made of brick on a stone foundation. It is built in the Greek Revival style. This style often has features like ancient Greek temples. The roof is a dual-pitched hipped roof with asphalt shingles. The house was updated in the 1950s. At that time, a two-car garage was built nearby. The garage is also a brick building with a hipped roof. It is also considered a historic property.
The old convent (sisters' house) was built by the parish in 1880. It was first used as the rectory. Around 1925, it became the convent for the Sisters of Humility. These sisters taught at the parish school. The house was used as the convent until 1979. It is now a private home. This two-story house is west of the chapel on Avenue F. It is made of brick on a stone foundation. It is built in the Italianate style. This style often has wide eaves and tall windows. A two-car garage was built around 2000. It is connected to the house by a breezeway (a covered walkway). The house has a hipped roof, and the garage has a front gabled roof.
The old school building is across Avenue F from the church. It was designed by Arthur Ebeling, an architect from Davenport. It is a two-story brick building with a raised basement. The foundation is made of concrete. It has a flat roof. This building is in the Neoclassical style. This style often uses elements from ancient Greek and Roman buildings. The school was finished in 1926. It was used as a school until 2006.
