St. James Catholic Church
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Village or Township: Vermont Township
Address: 3672 County Highway F, Blue Mounds, WI Operated: 1860 - 1969 Pastors: Notes: In 1860, funds were gathered for the construction of the church of St. Simon. Part of the church was constructed of logs and area settlers helped in the construction. The congregation consisted of German-Austrian and Irish settlers of the area. The pews for this first church were crafted by Florian Zwettler. His tool chest was brought from Austria. The tool chest and the tools he acquired can be found at the Mount Horeb Area Historical Society. This church became known as the "old brown church" when a new building was constructed. Part of the old church building was sold off to St. Barnabas of Mazomanie to be used as a school. In 1883, a new church was built. In 1891, the Vermont Catholic Church was renamed to St. James Catholic Church. The centennial of St. James was observed in 1960 and the building was redecorated and repainted. In the spring of 1969, the building was once again beautified and on June 12th of that year the building was struck by lightning in the early morning hours and burned to the ground. The members joined other area Catholic churches and a memorial alter was placed at the site of the old church. |
Plat Map: 1890
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