St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church (Ashton, Wisconsin) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church
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 Location in Wisconsin
Location in the United States
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| Location | County Highway K, Ashton, Wisconsin |
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| Area | 1.7 acres (0.69 ha) |
| Built | 1901 |
| Architect | Anton Doham |
| NRHP reference No. | 80000130 |
| Added to NRHP | September 23, 1980 |
St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church is a beautiful church built in 1901. It's located in the small farming community of Ashton, Wisconsin. The church was designed in a style called Neogothic, which means "new Gothic." This style looks like the grand churches built in Europe many centuries ago. Because of its history and design, St. Peter's Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Contents
St. Peter's Church: A Historic Building
How the Community Began
The first person to settle in the area around St. Peter's arrived in 1848. This settler came all the way from Bavaria, a region in Germany. Over the next few years, more people moved here. Many of them came from places like Cologne in Germany and Alsace-Lorraine in France. A lot of these new settlers were German Catholics.
Building the First Church
These Catholic families wanted a place to worship. So, they worked together to create a local church group. They built their very first church building in 1861. A few years later, in 1867, they also added a Catholic school. This school was important because it was the only school in Ashton until a public school opened in 1920.
A New Church for a Growing Community
By 1901, the community had grown, and the old church was too small. The parish needed a bigger, new church building. A man named Anton Dohman from Milwaukee designed the church you see today. J.H. Owens, a builder from Mazomanie, was in charge of the stone work.
What Does It Look Like?
The church walls are made from limestone. This stone was dug up from local farms right in the area. The main entrance doors are at the bottom of a very tall, central steeple. Above the doors, there's a round window called a rose window. Higher up, you can see three tall, narrow windows known as lancet windows.
Above these windows is a part of the steeple called a belfry. This is where the church bells are kept. On top of the belfry is an eight-sided spire, and at the very top, there's a cross.
Special Features Outside
Small rounded sections, called apses, stick out from the sides of the church. A larger apse extends from the back. The walls also have stone supports called buttresses. These help hold up the tall walls. The main roof of the church still has its original slate shingles. These are flat pieces of stone that protect the roof.
Inside the Church
When you go inside, you enter the main open area called the nave. Here, you'll find two rows of wooden pews made of oak. These pews lead towards the main altar. The altar is at the south end of the church, in the large apse. It has tall, pointed decorations.
Art and Details Inside
Above the altar, there's a beautiful mural. A mural is a large painting on a wall. This one shows Christ and his disciples. On the sides of the altar, there's a carved wooden pulpit. This is where sermons are given. There are also lecterns, which are stands for reading.
One of the smaller side apses holds a baptistery. This is where baptisms take place. The other side apse has a grotto. A grotto is a small cave-like space, often used for prayer.
Other Buildings in the Area
The church property also includes a two-story brick building. This building used to be a school and a convent (where nuns lived). There's also a house built in 1906, called a rectory. This house was designed in the Queen Anne style. However, these other buildings are not part of the National Register of Historic Places listing.
Today, St. Peter's Church is still a very important building in Ashton. Its tall steeple can be seen for miles across the surrounding farmlands.
