St. Michael's Catholic Church (Holbrook, Iowa) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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St. Michael’s Church, Cemetery, Rectory, and Ancient Order of Hibernians Hall
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | On County Road F 52, East of Parnell, Iowa |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1867 (church) 1885 (rectory) 1899 (hall) |
| Architectural style | Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 83000371 |
| Added to NRHP | January 20, 1983 |
St. Michael's Catholic Church is a very old church building in Holbrook, Iowa. It used to be a church for the Diocese of Davenport. Today, it's known as St. Michael's Church, Cemetery, Rectory, and Ancient Order of Hibernians Hall. This whole group of buildings was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 because of its important history.
Contents
Holbrook's Irish Roots
The buildings at St. Michael's show us the history of Irish Catholic people settling in Holbrook. This area of Iowa County, Iowa was first settled by Irish immigrants or their children.
One early settler, Thomas Hanson, would bring a priest from Iowa City in his wagon. Church services were held in his home. People from all around would come together for these services.
Today, the old rectory (where the priest lived) is across the road from the church. The former Hibernian Hall is west of the church, across the cemetery. The cemetery itself surrounds the church on three sides. These buildings, along with a few houses, are almost all that remains of the village of Holbrook. It once had a post office and a store!
St. Michael's Church History
The St. Michael's church community started in 1843. Soon after, people began planning to build a church. A small wooden church was built first. It was located in what is now St. Michael's Cemetery, close to where the current church stands.
In 1853, Father Mathias Hannon visited Holbrook. He described the first church as very simple. He said Mass there even before the floor was finished. He remembered only about 14 families attending at that time.
Building the Current Church
Bishop Mathias Loras of the Dubuque Diocese sent Father Peter J. Sullivan to be the first full-time pastor. He led the building of the church you see today. It was built in 1867 in the Romanesque Revival style.
The church is made of brick and is about 90 feet long and 50 feet wide. It cost around $2,000 to build. The pastor even donated paintings for the Stations of the Cross, which cost $1,000. Sadly, these paintings are no longer in the church, and no one knows what happened to them.
Changes Over Time
When the Davenport Diocese was created in 1881, St. Michael's became part of it. Over the years, the buildings were changed and updated. The church bell, which is still in the tower, was made in St. Louis in 1882.
A new dome was added to the bell tower between 1889 and 1909. Later, from 1909 to 1917, a new sanctuary and altars were added to the church. The current bell tower, which is the third one on this site, was also built around this time.
An addition was put onto the rectory between 1917 and 1922. From 1922 to 1927, the outside of the church was covered in stucco.
Father James Davis
In 1885, Bishop Henry Cosgrove assigned Father James Davis as pastor. He was an Irish immigrant who came to the Dubuque Diocese in 1878. At that time, St. Joseph's in Parnell was a smaller church connected to St. Michael's. Father Davis built both the school and church there. He also built the front part of the rectory in Holbrook.
Four years later, he moved to Davenport. The people of Holbrook were sad about this move. Father Davis went on to become a bishop in 1906.
The Church Closes
As the 20th century continued, fewer people lived in rural Iowa, including Holbrook. By the end of the century, St. Michael's shared a priest with other churches nearby.
Finally, on March 28, 1996, Bishop William Franklin announced that St. Michael's would close. This happened by the end of June that year. In just over 100 years, St. Michael's went from being a very important church to closing its doors.
The church buildings were sold to a group called the "Friends of St. Michael's." This group is now in charge of taking care of the historic site.
Ancient Order of Hibernians Hall
The Hibernian Hall was built in 1899. It was built by the local group of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. This group was for Irish Catholic men.
In 1948, the hall was given to the church and renamed St. Michael's Parish Hall. It is a one-and-a-half-story wooden building located west of the church. The building is covered in clapboard siding and has a gabled roof.
The hall has round-arch windows, just like the church. These windows have decorative "drip molds" around them. There is also a rectangular window above the entrance that looks a bit unusual. It appears in old photos, but it might not have been part of the original design.
