St. Wenceslaus Church, Wisconsin

Last updated
St. Wenceslaus Roman Catholic Church
St Wenceslaus Roman Catholic Church Waterloo Wisconsin.jpg
St. Wenceslaus Roman Catholic Church
Location Waterloo, Wisconsin
Coordinates 43°09′40″N88°55′17″W / 43.16114°N 88.92125°W / 43.16114; -88.92125 Coordinates: 43°09′40″N88°55′17″W / 43.16114°N 88.92125°W / 43.16114; -88.92125
NRHP reference No. 75000070
Added to NRHPMay 12, 1975

St. Wenceslaus Roman Catholic Church, also known as the Island Church, was built around 1863 by settlers on an island of high ground in the Blue Joint Marsh a couple miles southeast of Waterloo, Wisconsin. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. [1] [2]

In the mid-1840s and 50s, immigrants from Germany and Bohemia (now western Czech Republic) settled on the high ground in the Blue Joint Marsh to farm. Most of the immigrants from Bohemia came from four villages within walking distance of each other. Many were Catholic, and in their new land they wanted a place to worship. [3]

About 1863 they built their small church, with walls of tamarack logs. Richard Perrin considered this rare surviving log church important enough to include in his book The Architecture of Wisconsin. He guessed that the logs were exposed on the outside for the first few years, then covered with the vertical board and batten pictured. Two windows on each side are protected with wooden shutters. Entry is through a small vestibule centered at the front of the building. Above that entry rises a two-stage louvered belfry which holds the church's original bell. Above that a narrow spire rises to a metal cross. [3]

Inside, the log walls are coated with lime plaster. The altar is white, with a picture of St. Wenceslaus, patron of Bohemia, flanked by Mary and Joseph. Framed pictures of the Stations of the Cross hang high on the walls, with a wrought-iron candle-holder beneath each. (Perrin suggested that this was a rather Slavic arrangement, and the church as a whole reminded him of simple Slavic churches from Europe.) The pews are original, made from pine long ago by local carpenter John Fiedler. In the aisle stands an iron stove to warm the congregation in winter. [3]

St. Wenceslaus never had its own resident pastor. Instead it was visited by priests and missionaries from Milwaukee and Jefferson, and the pastor from St. Joseph's in Waterloo. Regular use of the building ended in 1891, but locals (in particular Henry Bartosch) took care of their church. [3]

In years since, the Blue Joint Marsh has largely dried up, but St. Wenceslaus still sits on the high ground, with some of its founders buried in the cemetery nearby. It survives very much as in the 1800s, thanks to its small congregation, its proximity to St. Joseph's in Waterloo, its closing over a hundred years ago, and the faithful work of volunteers. The church is now cared for by the Island Church Foundation, which hosts a family picnic each July and a St Wenceslaus Day celebration each September. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia</span> Duke of Bohemia from 921 until his assassination in 935

Wenceslaus I, Wenceslas I or Václav the Good was the Duke (kníže) of Bohemia from 921 until his death, probably in 935. According to the legend, he was assassinated by his younger brother, Boleslaus the Cruel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Czech lands</span> Overview of the history of the Czech lands

The history of the Czech lands – an area roughly corresponding to the present-day Czech Republic – starts approximately 800,000 years BCE. A simple chopper from that age was discovered at the Red Hill archeological site in Brno. Many different primitive cultures left their traces throughout the Stone Age, which lasted approximately until 2000 BCE. The most widely known culture present in the Czech lands during the pre-historical era is the Únětice Culture, leaving traces for about five centuries from the end of the Stone Age to the start of the Bronze Age. Celts – who came during the 5th century BCE – are the first people known by name. One of the Celtic tribes were the Boii (plural), who gave the Czech lands their first name Boiohaemum – Latin for the Land of Boii. Before the beginning of the Common Era the Celts were mostly pushed out by Germanic tribes. The most notable of those tribes were the Marcomanni and traces of their wars with the Roman Empire were left in south Moravia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Wisconsin, USA

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the United States. It encompasses the City of Milwaukee, as well as the counties of Dodge, Fond du Lac, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha, all located in Wisconsin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ludmila of Bohemia</span> Czech saint

Ludmila of Bohemia is a Czech saint and martyr venerated by the Orthodox and the Roman Catholics. She was born in Mělník as the daughter of the Sorbian prince Slavibor. Saint Ludmila was the grandmother of Saint Wenceslaus, who is widely referred to as Good King Wenceslaus. Saint Ludmila was canonized shortly after her death. As part of the process of canonization, in 925, Wenceslaus moved her remains to St. George's Basilica, Prague.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist (Milwaukee)</span> Historic church in Wisconsin, United States

The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist is the episcopal see of the Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The building itself is in German Renaissance Revival style, built in 1847, with changes after several fires. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Milwaukee Landmark. It is located just east of Cathedral Square Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Wenceslaus Church, Chicago</span> Church in Illinois, United States

St. Wenceslaus is a church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago located at 3400 North Monticello Avenue in the Avondale neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St. Wenceslaus (New Prague, Minnesota)</span> Historic church in Minnesota, United States

The Church of St. Wenceslaus is a Catholic church in New Prague, Minnesota, United States, constructed in 1907. The church is flanked by a 1908 rectory and a 1914 parochial school, and the three-building complex is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its association with the Czech American settlement of south-central Minnesota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Maria Koudelka</span>

Joseph Maria Koudelka was a Czech-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Superior in Wisconsin from 1913 until his death in 1921.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of St. Joseph, Alameda</span> Historic church in California, United States

The Basilica of St. Joseph is a Roman Catholic church located in Alameda, California at 1109 Chestnut Street. Its history dates back to early settlement of the City of Alameda, California. A former mission church of St. Anthony's in Oakland, the parish of St. Joseph's was established in 1885. It is part of the Diocese of Oakland. The Basilica was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 18, 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Mary's Church and Rectory (Iowa City, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

St. Mary's Catholic Church, also known as St. Mary of the Visitation Church, is a parish church of the Diocese of Davenport which is located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. The church building and rectory were listed together on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. They were both included as contributing properties in the Jefferson Street Historic District in 2004. The parish's first rectory, which is now a private home, is also listed on the National Register as St. Mary's Rectory. It is located a few blocks to the east of the present church location at 610 E. Jefferson St.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist</span> Church in Connecticut, United States

The Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist is a Catholic parish church and minor basilica in Stamford, Connecticut, USA. It was founded in the 1850s and the current church was built in 1868 to meet the increasing needs of the congregation. It serves a multi-lingual congregation, including descendants of the original congregation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of the Transfiguration, Roman Catholic (Manhattan)</span> Historic church in New York, United States

The Church of the Transfiguration is a Roman Catholic parish located at 25 Mott Street on the northwest corner of Mosco Street in the Chinatown neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The parish is under the authority of the Archdiocese of New York and is staffed by the Maryknoll order.

St. John Chrysostom's Church is a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, in the Morrisania section of the New York City borough of the Bronx.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old St. Peter's Church (Poughkeepsie, New York)</span> Building in New York, United States of America

The Old Church of St. Peter is a Roman Catholic church established under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York in 1837. It is the second oldest Catholic Church on the Hudson and is considered the Mother Church of the Hudson Valley because from it all the parishes in Ulster and Dutchess counties were founded. The church is also referred to as Our Lady of Mount Carmel since 1965 when St. Peter's parish relocated to Hyde Park, New York and the parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel church relocated to site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church (Baltimore)</span> Church in Maryland, US

St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church is a Catholic parish church of the Archdiocese of Baltimore located in the Middle East neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. It is administered by the Josephites and serves a primarily African-American congregation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Lawrence Catholic Church (Stangelville, Wisconsin)</span> Historic church in Wisconsin, United States

St. Lawrence Catholic Church is a historic church located in Stangelville, Wisconsin. On July 1, 2000, the parish of St. Lawrence merged with St. Hedwig's and St. Joseph-St. John to form the parish of St. Therese de Lisieux, based in Denmark, which continues to use the church as a worship space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacred Heart-Saint Wenceslaus Church</span> Church in Wisconsin, United States

Sacred Heart-Saint Wenceslaus Church in Pine Creek, Wisconsin, referred to in Polish as Kościół Najświętszego Serca Pana Jezusa i Świętego Wacława, is a historic church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of La Crosse. It is known simply as Sacred Heart.

The history of Czechs in Baltimore dates back to the mid-19th century. Thousands of Czechs immigrated to East Baltimore during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, becoming an important component of Baltimore's ethnic and cultural heritage. The Czech community has founded a number of cultural institutions to preserve the city's Czech heritage, including a Roman Catholic church, a heritage association, a gymnastics association, an annual festival, a language school, and a cemetery. During the height of the Czech community in the late 19th century and early 20th century, Baltimore was home to 12,000 to 15,000 people of Czech birth or heritage. The population began to decline during the mid-to-late 20th century, as the community assimilated and aged, while many Czech Americans moved to the suburbs of Baltimore. By the 1980s and early 1990s, the former Czech community in East Baltimore had been almost entirely dispersed, though a few remnants of the city's Czech cultural legacy still remain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historic St. Ann's (Greenwood, Taylor County, Wisconsin)</span> Historic church in Wisconsin, United States

Saint Ann's Catholic Church and Cemetery is a historic rural, Roman Catholic church in the town of Greenwood, Taylor County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located at W3963 Brehm Avenue, south of Rib Lake and north of Medford. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Augustine's Church (Austin, Minnesota)</span> Church in Minnesota, United States

St. Augustine's Church is a Roman Catholic church in Austin, Minnesota, United States, located in the Diocese of Winona. Completed in 1896, both the interior and exterior have been well-preserved, showcasing a distinct Gothic Revival architecture style. The large sanctuary can accommodate more than 600 people.

References

  1. "St. Wenceslaus Roman Catholic Church". Wisconsin Historical Society. January 2012. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  2. "Wisconsin - Jefferson County". National Register of Historic Places.com. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Donald N. Anderson (1974-12-12). "NRHP Inventory/Nomination: St. Wenceslaus Roman Catholic Church". National Park Service . Retrieved 2017-10-20. With 1 photo.
  4. "Island Church Foundation". Waterloo, Wisconsin. City of Waterloo. Retrieved 2017-10-20. See "Photo Gallery" link for photos of interior.