St. Mary’s of Neillsville to commemorate 100th anniversary of church building

Contributed by Jody Conner The fire that destroyed the original St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Neillsville in 1923 proved to be a catastrophe that brought the community together through the building of a new house of worship. That community will celebrate the centennial anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of the current St. Mary’s Church on Aug. 18, with Mass at 10:30 a.m., followed by a pig roast.

“This is indeed a magnificent moment in the history of the parish family at St. Mary’s,” said Rev. Greg Michaud, current pastor of St. Mary’s. “Though our parish family endures beyond any building, the importance of having our parish home cannot be overstated, and so we celebrate the faith of those who built it and the faith of those who continue to call St. Mary’s home.”

The original St. Mary’s was a wood frame with brick veneer church constructed in 1878. On Sunday evening, June 24, 1923, a lightning bolt struck the church, causing a fire that completely destroyed the building and nearly burned the adjoining rectory. The lightning came from a severe electrical storm that hit the area late that evening. Around 9 p.m., an unusually large bolt of lightning was observed striking the church steeple, the blast scattering lumber all over the churchyard. William Williamson and a party of young folks, who happened to be turning their vehicle around on the church property, witnessed the strike. Williamson sounded the alarm almost immediately and firefighters were on the scene within minutes.

But the wind was blowing “a hurricane” and it was seen in a moment that the church could not be saved. The firemen concentrated their efforts on carrying out whatever items they could, including all the vestments and altar furnishings. Among the items saved were the statues of St. Joseph holding the infant Jesus and Mary the Mother of God that are still in the church nave today. Unfortunately, nothing could be done to save the beautifully carved wooden altar. Flames reached such an intensity the bricks melted, and the walls fell in. The fire company fought hard to save the rectory (priest’s residence), which was aflame. The house survived but had extensive roof damage as a result of the fire. Fireman Mel Ure suffered a slight injury when he was hit on the head by a falling board.

One of the results of the fire was recognition by the City of Neillsville that it needed to upgrade its water service. Firemen complained there was inadequate water and pressure to throw water on the buildings. This was due to a broken pump at the water station, the standpipe needing repairs and the fact that much of the available water had been drawn off for use by the city brewery.

Rev. Peter Weber and his flock rebounded quickly and boldly after the fire. The church was insured for $8,000, sufficient to start building a new church. They collected an additional $4,000 on the damaged rectory. Just three weeks after the loss, Weber and the trustees were empowered to plan a new church for about $50,000. It was an amount that would allow for “Neillsville’s finest church edifice,” according to a Clark County Press article published at the time. This would become the church that still stands today.

“He asked the people for a donation of $100 for the new church. That was a lot of money in those days,” noted parishioner Clarence Gangler in a 1978 recollection.

Money to rebuild was raised in a manner that required faith. Rather than pledges, all members of the congregation were to make donations in cash, obtained by many by borrowing money from a bank in their own name on which they paid their own interest. Weber also mailed a plea for donations to every Neillsville area address and received considerable assistance from non-Catholics in the area.

“To build new is very costly. But we must have a church. We appeal to your goodwill and generosity to help us with a donation. Be it large or small, rest assured it will be gratefully received,” he wrote in his plea.

The new church was was constructed in the Tudor Gothic style, being 104 feet long and 51 feet wide with a seating capacity of 400 and a spacious choir loft, as well as a large basement kitchen and hall. Only the best materials were to be used: brick and tile with a copper and tile roof, marbleized floors laid in concrete, modern heating, and ventilation systems. The building would be “practically fireproof.”

A suitably grand corner stone-laying ceremony was held on May 29, 1924, and attended by numerous parishioners and members of the public. Joining Weber and other clergy was Rev. Volze — St. Mary’s first pastor who had built the old church — who was accorded the honor of pushing the stone into place. The luncheon that followed raised additional money for the project. Work progressed rapidly.

This was providential, as further tribulations ensued. While the church was being built, the first floor of the old school building was imprudently remodeled to serve as a temporary place of worship, removing what proved to be a load-bearing wall. The floor and ceiling began to buckle such that the school was vacated and closed before the end of the year and eventually torn down.

Before Christmas of 1924, services were being held in the unfinished basement of the new church while construction progressed above it. The official dedication of the church was held July 5, 1925.

The church has been renovated several times since then, including a 2008 project adding a 2,700-square-foot narthex/gathering area to the western end of the structure.

Other St. Mary’s benchmarks will also be recognized at the celebration on Aug. 18. Celebrated will be Rev. Michaud’s 15th anniversary of ordination. Neillsville native Rev. Nate Kuhn will celebrate 10 years of priesthood and another son of Neillsville, Rev. Alex Kren, will mark one year since ordination. Sister Anna Cecelia Kuhn OP (Order of Preachers), who is also Kuhn’s biological sister, will be recognized for having taken her perpetual vows three years ago.

Above: Parishioners of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Neillsville gather on May 29, 1924, for the laying of the cornerstone of their new church building. The previous church had been destroyed by fire on June 24, 1923, and after efforts from the community to raise money, a new church was constructed in its place. The church building still stands today and a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the construction of the church is to be held on Aug. 18. Below: a photo of the interior of the original church building constructed in 1887. Note the two statues in the photo – both statues were saved from the fire and are still in the sanctuary of the church today.

The original 1887 church building, as seen in this photo taken some time in the 1890s. Present in the photo are Rev. Volze, St. Mary’s first pastor, and his parishioners.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS