St. Joseph's Catholic Church (Elkader, Iowa)

Location330 1st St., NW.
Elkader, Iowa

Coordinates42°51′5″N 91°24′13″W / 42.85139°N 91.40361°W

Area1 acre (0.40 ha)

Built1856-1858 (hall)
1899 (church)


St. Joseph Church and Parish Hall
U.S. National Register of Historic Places

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Location	330 1st St., NW. Elkader, Iowa
Coordinates	42°51′5″N 91°24′13″W / 42.85139°N 91.40361°W / 42.85139; -91.40361
Area	1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built	1856-1858 (hall) 1899 (church)
Architectural style	Gothic Revival
NRHP reference No.	76000750^[1]
Added to NRHP	November 21, 1976

St. Joseph's Catholic Church is a parish church of the Archdiocese of Dubuque located in Elkader, Iowa, United States. The church and parish hall were both listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Catholicism in Elkader can be traced to the missionary activities of a priest from Holy Cross in the 1840s. He also visited mission stations in Guttenberg, Garnavillo, and other communities. The first Mass in Elkader was celebrated in a log cabin where the town's post office now stands. The first baptism was in 1855.^[2]

The first resident pastor of the parish was the Rev. Peter McGinnis who came to St. Joseph's in 1856. He purchased land and built the first church in limestone which was quarried from the hill behind the church. The structure took two years before the church was under roof, and even longer before it was furnished. It measured 36 by 80 feet (11 by 24 m) when completed.^[3] The pastor had difficulties raising the $4,000 needed to build the church.^[4] Parishioners had to stand or kneel on the floor until the pews were added. The three altars added to the church were constructed of wood. In 1876 the three brass bells cast in Cincinnati were bought for $1,800.^[2] A bell tower, separate from the church building, was built to hold the bells. The church was extended in 1887 under the leadership of the Rev. J. F. Reilly. The extension created space for a new sanctuary and sacristy. The seating capacity of the church was increased to 100.

Present Church

In 1897 plans were made for a new church because the old church had grown too small for the congregation. Thomas Byrnes, who had previously built the Keystone Arch Bridge and the Bayless Hotel, was awarded the contract to build the church. The cornerstone for the new church was laid on April 24, 1898, and it was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day in 1900. The church, without furnishings, was built for $12,000.^[2] Another $7,000 was spent to furnish the church, which brought the total construction bill to $19,000.^[4]

The dimensions of the new church measure 50 by 104 feet (15 by 32 m). The top of the cross on the steeple is 142 feet (43 m) above the ground.^[2] The church was built in the Gothic Revival style, and like the old church is built of limestone. The roof was covered in Pennsylvania slate. The interior has three naves and is separated by columns which were originally marbleized. The central nave rises to 36 feet (11 m), while the side naves are 27.5 feet (8.4 m).^[3] The ornate wood altars from the old church were moved to the new church and the three bells were placed in the tower. The ceiling of the church was frescoed with circular portraits of various saints. The seating capacity was 500. After the new church was built the old church was converted into a parish hall.^[4]

Major renovations were made to the church in the 1960s and again in the 1990s. During the renovation in the 1960s many of the original furnishings were removed and the interior was plastered with Kalloite. An altar was constructed so the priest could face the congregation, as well as other changes influenced by the liturgical changes brought about by the Second Vatican Council. The roof was recovered with black slate in the 1980s. In the 1990s many of the original furnishings were brought back into the church and repurposed. The gates to the former communion rail were made into table tops. The old sedalia was remade into a presider's chair. A new ambo, baptismal font and ambry were made to complement the church's Gothic design. The seating capacity of the church was reduced to 300.

v t e Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque
Ordinaries	Bishops Mathias Loras Clement Smyth Archbishops John Hennessy John Keane James Keane Francis Beckman Henry Rohlman Leo Binz James Byrne Daniel Kucera Jerome Hanus Michael Jackels Thomas Robert Zinkula
Auxiliary bishops	Edward Aloysius Fitzgerald Loras Thomas Lane George Biskup Loras Joseph Watters Francis John Dunn William Edwin Franklin
Churches	Cathedral St. Raphael's Cathedral, Dubuque Parishes Basilica of St. Francis Xavier, Dyersville St. John XXIII, Cedar Rapids Holy Ghost, Dubuque Holy Trinity, Luxemburg Sacred Heart, Dubuque Sacred Heart, Fillmore St. Boniface, New Vienna St. Donatus, St. Donatus St. Joseph, Elkader St. Joseph, Key West Saint Joseph the Worker, Dubuque St. Martin, Cascade St. Mary, Guttenberg St. Patrick, Dubuque St. Patrick, Garryowen St. Lawrence, Otter Creek St. Paul, Worthington Saints Peter and Paul, Petersburg Former parishes Saint Joseph's Prairie Church St. Mary, Dubuque St. Joseph, Stone City
Education	Higher education Clarke University Divine Word College Loras College Mount Mercy University St. Pius X Seminary, Dubuque High schools Beckman High School, Dyersville Columbus High School, Waterloo Don Bosco High School, Gilbertville Marquette High School, Bellevue Newman Catholic High School, Mason City Wahlert High School, Dubuque Xavier High School, Cedar Rapids Primary schools Mazzuchelli Middle School, Dubuque Holy Family Catholic Schools, Dubuque St. Mary's School, Guttenberg Former schools Sacred Heart School, Dubuque St. Luke's School, St. Lucas
Religious orders	New Melleray Abbey Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Priests	John George Alleman John Patrick Carroll James Vincent Casey Joseph Crétin Justin Albert Driscoll Thomas William Drumm Raymond Philip Etteldorf Daniel Mary Gorman Edward Howard William Michael Joensen Louis Benedict Kucera Mathias Clement Lenihan Thomas Mathias Lenihan William Menster J. A. M. Pelamourgues Aloysius Schmitt Joseph Clement Willging Thomas Zinkula
Miscellany	Mount Saint Bernard Seminary and Barn Our Mother of Sorrows Grotto Historic District
Catholicism portal

v t e National Register of Historic Places in Clayton County, Iowa
Clayton	Clayton School
Ceres	St. Peters United Evangelical Lutheran Church
Elkader	Carter House Clayton County Courthouse Timothy Davis House Elkader Downtown Historic District Elkader Keystone Bridge Elkader Opera House Motor Mill Historic District Motor Townsite Rialto Price House Read Township Culvert St. Joseph Church and Parish Hall Schmidt House J.C. Stemmer House
Garnavillo	First Congregational Church Garnavillo Township Bridge Garnavillo Township Culvert I.O.O.F. Hall Valley Mills
Guttenberg	Albertus Building Eckert House Front Street (River Park Drive) Historic District Fuerste House Guttenberg Corn Canning Co. Guttenberg National Fish Hatchery and Aquarium Historic District Guttenberg State Bank Kolker House Lakeside Ballroom Matt-Bahls House McClaine House Moser Stone House Nieland House Parker House St. Mary's Catholic Church Historic District Stone Barn Weber House Wehmer House
Littleport	Dry Run Bridge
Luana	Monona Township Culvert
McGregor	American House American School of Wild Life Protection Historic District Christian Bloedel Wagon Works Goedert Meat Market McGregor Commercial Historic District Joseph "Diamond Jo" Reynolds Office Building and House Peter Stauer House
Mederville	Mederville Bridge
Millville	Round Barn, Millville Township Turkey River State Preserve Archeological District
Osterdock	Mallory Township Bridge
St. Olaf	St. Olaf Auditorium
Strawberry Point	Franklin Hotel
Volga	Farmers' State Bank
National Register of Historic Places listings in Clayton County, Iowa List of National Historic Landmarks in Iowa

St. Joseph's Catholic Church (Elkader, Iowa)

Present Church

References

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