St. Peter's and St. Joseph's Catholic Churches facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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St. Peter's and St. Joseph's Catholic Churches
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St. Joseph's Catholic Church
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 Location in Wisconsin
Location in the United States
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| Location | 516 Brazeau Ave. and 705 Park Ave., Oconto, Wisconsin |
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| Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
| Built | 1899 |
| Architect | Henry Foeller, Carlos C. Buck |
| Architectural style | Gothic, Romanesque, Romanesque Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 80000172 |
| Added to NRHP | November 10, 1980 |
St. Peter's and St. Joseph's Catholic Churches are two old and important churches in Oconto, Wisconsin. Both were built in the 1890s and are known for their beautiful architecture. Because of their history and design, they were added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 10, 1980. This means they are recognized as special places that are worth protecting.
Contents
A Glimpse into Oconto's Church History
Oconto, Wisconsin, has a long and interesting past, especially with French explorers and traders. Back in 1857, the Catholic Church started its first parish in Oconto, called St. Peter's. They built a small wooden church for the community.
St. Peter's First Church
At first, most people attending St. Peter's were French-American. Because of this, church services were often held in the French language. This was important for the community at the time.
St. Joseph's Church: A New Beginning
Over time, more Catholics who were not French joined the community. Their numbers grew, and they wanted services in other languages. In 1869, about 100 families decided to form a new parish. They created St. Joseph's parish, led by Father Mathias Schwebach. Most of these families had German, Dutch, or Irish backgrounds.
To make sure everyone felt welcome, St. Joseph's offered services in different languages. They rotated between English, Dutch, German, and even Bohemian. Like St. Peter's, St. Joseph's also started with a small wooden church building.
The Churches Grow and Change
As the number of people in both parishes grew, they needed bigger and stronger buildings. The wooden churches were replaced with grander ones made of brick.
St. Joseph's New Building
In 1895, St. Joseph's parish built a new brick church. This is the beautiful building you can see today. Carlos Buck, an architect from Green Bay, designed it in a style called High Victorian Gothic.
St. Joseph's Design Details
The church has strong cream-colored brick walls that stand out. These walls are decorated with red brick trim. Brick supports, called buttresses, help hold the walls up. The main entrances at the front have three double doors. Above the central door, there is a tall, strong tower. This tower has trompe-l'œil flying buttresses, which are decorations that look like real supports. The tower ends in a pointed spire with four smaller spires at its corners. A cross sits at the very top of the main spire. Inside, the ceiling has fancy plaster decorations. When the church was built, different groups of people donated stained glass windows. Each window showed their favorite saints.
St. Peter's New Building
Four years after St. Joseph's built its new church, St. Peter's also replaced its wooden building. In 1899, they built a new brick church. Henry Foeller, another architect from Green Bay, designed this one. He used a style called Romanesque Revival.
St. Peter's Design Details
This church has a foundation made of rough, textured stone. This is typical of the Romanesque Revival style. All the bricks are red, and the church features arcades, which are rows of arches. The design really emphasizes height. Above the main entrance at the front, there is a tall central tower. This tower has a cone-shaped spire with a cross on top. At the back of the building, the apse (a rounded part) is lit by round windows called oculi.
