St. Mary’s | A Brief Guide Through Her History

1851 Father M. Gaertner Came from Sauk City to celebrate the first mass in the new settlement.

The new church was completed in 1853. The name of the new church located at the present St. Mary’s Cemetery was St. Bridget’s Catholic Church.

In 1856 Father Stehle was appointed paster. He purchased thirty acres of land where the present St. Mary’s Cemetery is located. He had the church moved along with the remains of persons who had been buried by the old church.

In 1863, parishioners of St. Bridget’s decided to build a church in the new Village of Lyndon Station. The church was a frame structure 60×30 feet.

Father John Mears was pastor from 1876-1892. He built the first parochial school which opened April 28, 1877. At this time the name of the parish was changed to St. Mary’s.

By 1894, St. Mary’s Church had grown to 900 members. A new and greatly enlarged St. Mary’s was dedicated in 1900.

Stone was laid for the base of the new church July 15, 1899. The cornerstone followed on September 28, 1899. The church was built during the pastorate of Father Nevins, and was dedicated on May 8, 1900, by the Most Rev. James Schwebeck, Bishop of La Crosse.

The stone for the church was cut and hauled from the Lemonweir Mills area. The river washed sand was brought from the John Dougherty farm along the Wisconsin River. Over a two year period men with teams of horses pulling wagons and stone boats worked countless hours hauling the materials used by the masons and carpenters.

Among those who contributed labor for the construction were: Richard Fox, Bartley Cauley, William Daley, William Tracy, Patrick Carroll, Pat Dougherty, Richard, Michael, and Patrick Dixon, Jack McGowan, Michael and Pete Collins, Frank Senzig, Edward and John Coughlin, John, Thomas, and James Walsh, Tom and Theresa Anglim, Michael and Jane Eagan Scully, John J. Roth, Patrick Havey, the Fred Rogge Family, and the John Cauley Family.

The families of St. Mary’s Parish continue to build on the legacy of their ancestors. In 2013 the parish started the window restoration project, and was able to restore and preserve the beauty of these works of art.

In 2018 the parish once again took on the task of updating and preserving the parish with the floor project, which continues to provide a timeless beauty for all who enter.

St. Mary’s Parish has stood through time as a refuge to its community members, providing for the spiritual welfare of its people. Like it’s families, St. Mary’s continues to be a place for worship, community, fellowship and love that will continue to welcome all in the years to come.