USA > Pennsylvania > Allegheny County > Pittsburgh > A history of the Catholic church in the dioceses of Pittsburg and Allegheny from its establishment to the present time > Part 17
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* Washington's Journal.
+ Hist. Alleg. Co., pp. 24, 161.
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ST. THOMAS' CHURCH, BRADDOCK'S FIELD.
chapel, which seems never to have been dedicated to any particular saint, but which is yet standing, is now devoted to other uses.
ST. THOMAS' CHURCH, BRADDOCK'S FIELD.
A few Catholic families at length found their way into Brad- dock's Field and Port Perry, on the opposite side of Turtle Creek, and Mass was occasionally celebrated, now in one place, now in the other, in a private house by one of the priests at- tached to the Cathedral. When this commenced or how long it continued is uncertain; but at length the Bishop deter- mined to have a church erected. Rev. Jas. Treacy, of St. Bridget's Church, Pittsburg, visited the place and purchased a large lot; but the organization of the parish and the erec- tion of the church were confided to Rev. Thos. O'Farrel, of the Cathedral. Work was commenced on the foundation, and the corner-stone was laid by Father O'Farrel April 22d, 1860. The church stands on the front of a gentle rise, and thus affords a basement under half its length. This basement was finished, roofed in, and first opened for divine service October 14th, 1860. But it was not until the end of two years that the church was finished and ready for dedication. The ceremony was performed by the Bishop October 28th, 1862, and the church was placed under the invocation of St. Thomas the Apostle. It is a brick building modelled after the Gothic style of architecture, and is rather substantial than elegant in its finish. The church was then about 50 feet in length by 40 in width,-it has since been enlarged,-with a tower rising from the centre in front, of which only the brickwork is built.
The congregation was visited from the Cathedral until February, 1863, when Rev. C. V. Neeson, one of the pro- fessors of St. Michael's Seminary, was appointed pastor. but with the obligation of residing and teaching at the seminary and visiting the church on Sunday. He was succeeded, at the end of 1866, by Rev. W. A. Nolan, who also resided at the seminary. At the end of October of the following year he gave place to Rev. Peter Hughes. He took up his resi-
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DEATH OF REV. PETER HUGHES.
dence with the congregation, and in the latter half of 1869 built an elegant brick dwelling.
About the year 1870 he built a cheap hall, which he soon after fitted up for school-rooms. Here school has since been held by lay teachers. The next year he enlarged the church, by the addition of about 25 feet to its length, and otherwise improved the interior.
At length, after he had ministered to the congregation for eleven years, it pleased God to call Father Hughes to a better life. Few of his brother-priests had heard of his illness, when they were pained with the news of his death from cerebro- spinal meningitis on the evening of November 26th, 1879. He was then in the 49th year of his age and the 24th of his minis- try. His illness was of short duration, but conscious that death must ensue he received the last rites of the Church, and calmly awaited the final summons. His funeral took place from St. Thomas' Church, and his remains repose in St. Mary's Cemetery, Pittsburg.
REV. PETER HUGHES was a native of county Monaghan, Treland. Having prosecuted his studies for some time in the seminary of St. M'Cartan, in the town of Monaghan, he emi- grated to the United States and entered the seminary of St. Charles Borromeo, Philadelphia. Upon the completion of his course of theology he was raised to the sacred dignity of the priesthood by Bishop O'Connor, in the Cathedral of Pittsburg, August 15th, 1856. He remained at the Cathedral as an assist- ant until October, 1859, when he was transferred to Murrins- ville. At the end of two years he was placed in charge of the Huntingdon mission ; and when that was divided, in the spring of 1863, he located himself at Broad Top, in the same county. Here he built a church and residence ; and having ministered to the congregation until July, 1868, he came to Wilmore. At the end of October of the same year he was transferred to Braddock's Field, which was destined to witness the closing scenes of his labors. Father Hughes was a zealous and ener- getic priest, a man of well-defined views and principles, and an ardent advocate of right.
Upon the death of Father Hughes, Rev. M. J. Mitchell, of the Mercy Hospital, Pittsburg, was appointed to the vacant
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ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH, BRADDOCK'S FIELD.
post; but, owing to the size of the congregation, he is generally assisted on Sundays by a member of one of the religious orders in Pittsburg.
The greater part of the congregation resides in the town, but there are a few members scattered through the surround- ing country to the distance of three or four miles. It is increasing at an encouraging rate in the present, and must continue to add to its members in the future.
ST. JOSEPH'S GERMAN CHURCH, BRADDOCK'S FIELD.
In the course of time a German element began to infuse itself into the English congregation at Braddock's Field, and in the summer of 1877 the people petitioned for a church of their own nationality. Having considered the matter atten- tively, the Bishop acceded to their request, and at the end of August sent Rev. Anthony Fisher, lately ordained, to organize the parish. He rented a hall for the use of the congregation until such time as it should be able to undertake the erection of a church ; and Mass has since been celebrated there. He also rented a house for himself. A school was opened by a lay teacher in a room adjoining the church. Lots were also purchased as the site of a future church, and a temporary hall was built on them for fairs, etc. The congregation will num- ber perhaps sixty families, and is still under the pastoral care of Father Fisher.
M'KEESPORT.
The borough of M.Keesport is situated on the east banks of the Monongahela and the Youghioghenny rivers at their confluence, about fifteen miles south-east of Pittsburg. The Pittsburg division of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad passes through the town, and the Pittsburg, Virginia and Charleston Railroad passes up the opposite side of the Monongahela. The history of the place, both civil and religious, is interesting. Before the Indians had yielded possession to the white man they had a village there, the home of the celebrated Aliquippa, Queen of the Delawares. Her royal highness took offence at
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ST. PETER'S CHURCH, M'KEESPORT.
Major Washington for not calling on her when on his way to the French posts, in the north-western part of the State, in the fall of 1753. But on his return, he says in his journal, "I made her a present of a watch-coat and a bottle of rum, which latter was thought much the better present of the two." In the year 1755 David M'Kee, a Scotch Presbyterian, settled there, and the place soon after became known as "the Forks of the Yough"-the name by which the Youghioghenny River is frequently designated. A ferry was soon after established, by which pioneers crossed the Monongahela, and from which the place was also called "M.Kee's Ferry." At length, in 1794, John M'Kee, a son of the original proprietor, had a town, which consisted of about two hundred large lots, regularly laid out. "The price of lots was twenty dollars, and the deeds were made by lottery for choice of position. Each person was to pay ten dollars when he purchased his ticket, and the remainder when his purchase was located and his deed secured. On the 26th of March, 1795, he had sold one hun- dred and eighty lots, but had as yet given no name to the town, and it was not till some time in November of the same year that the name M'Kee's Port was finally settled upon" -a name which in time assumed the present form. "As an incentive for parties to locate in the new town, it was told them that the place was 'twelve miles nearer to Phila- delphia' than Pittsburg."* It was not until September 3d, 1842, when it contained a population of about 500, that it was incorporated as a borough. The present population is about 5000.
ST. PETER'S CHURCH.
The first Catholic families who settled in the town and its vicinity were Germans ; but it would now be difficult to determine the date of their arrival. This much, however, is known with certainty, that prior to the year 1846 they were sufficiently numerous to excite the zeal of the Redemptorist fathers of Pittsburg, who had already begun to visit them at regular intervals. They were also visited at times from the
* History of Allegheny County, pp. 162, 163.
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DEATH OF REV. N. HORES.
Cathedral. In that year they purchased a lot and commenced to build a church. Providence smiled upon their labors and sacrifices, and the church was finished the following spring, when it was dedicated under the invocation of St. Peter the Apostle by Rev. M. Müller, C.SS.R., April 5th, 1847. This church was built of brick, and was about 50 feet in length by 30 in width, with a small belfry. The congregation was visited from Pittsburg for about a year longer, after which time Rev. Nicholas Hores was appointed resident pastor, with the additional obligation of visiting certain other mis- sions further up the Monongahela. For several years he lodged in the sacristy of the church as best he could, but he finally built a small frame house near the church, in which he spent the closing years of his ministry.
Nothing of special interest occurred until the summer of 1862. At that time the railroad was opened through the town, and it was thought that by facilitating manufacture it would induce laborers to settle and thus increase the congre- gation, which up to that time had grown but little. But the congregation was destined to sustain a loss in the death of its zealous pastor, who for fourteen years had ministered to its spiritual necessities. Father Hores came to the diocesan seminary in company with many other priests to perform the exercises of the annual retreat. But hardly had he entered upon them when he was taken sick. After suffering for three days he gave up his soul to God on the 18th of July, 1862, surrounded by his brothers in the sacred ministry. The funeral took place from M'Keesport, where his remains re- pose.
REV. NICHOLAS HÆERES was born at Schleida, in the Grand Duchy of Saxe Weimar, Germany, in March, 1802. After having completed his studies in his native land, he was ordained in 1831. He came to America and to the Diocese of Pittsburg in 1846, and was assistant at the church in Loretto until he was transferred to M'Keesport.
The first few years immediately succeeding his death were marked by numerous changes in the pastors of the church. Among these was Rev. Cajetan Klæker, who was pastor in the early part of 1865. But finding that consumption was
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DEATH OF REV. C. KLEKER.
undermining his health, he withdrew to the Mercy Hospital, Pittsburg, where he expired on the 18th of May of that year.
REV. CAJETAN KLÆKER was born at Hurbach, in Upper Bavaria, March 24th, 1819. Having finished his course of studies, he was ordained in 1853. Like many other generous souls to whom the Church in this county owes a deep debt of gratitude, he was moved by the wants of the infant church, and came to minister where the harvest was ready but the laborers were few. In the Diocese of Pittsburg he labored in various missions, among which were St. Mary's, Allegheny, where he was assistant for a time ; then he was pastor of St. Mary's, Chartier's Creek; St. John the Baptist's, Harman Bottom; Sts. Peter and Paul's, East Liberty ; St. Mary's, Pine Creek ; and finally the church from which he was called to his reward.
Among his successors, Rev. John B. Smith remained the longest. Up to that date the congregation was largely com- posed of Germans. But during his stay he built, about the year 1868, a church at Bull's Run, about two miles from M'Keesport on the opposite side of the Monongahela, which drew away a large number of the Germans who lived on that side. The accessions to the congregation have been of English-speaking Catholics for the most part, so that the parish, although still containing a small number of Germans, is now English. At length, 1870, the present pastor, Rev. James Nolan, was ap- pointed. The congregation had so far increased by this time as to demand more ample accommodations than were af- forded by the little church. To this the pastor directed his attention. A school-house was also needed. Accordingly, in 1872, he commenced the erection of a brick school-house 65 feet in length by 32 in width and two stories high, the lower story of which was to be used as a school of two rooms, and the upper as the church till the new church should be built, which was to occupy the site of the old one. This building, which is neat and substantial, was finished early in the winter of the same year, and the room destined for a church was dedicated by Bishop Domenec January 19th, 1873. In the following summer a frame dwelling-house, with the large lot upon which it stood, was purchased, and soon after it was con-
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DESCRIPTION OF ST. PETER'S CHURCH.
siderably enlarged and became the residence of the pastor. At the same time the church was undertaken. The corner- stone was laid by the Bishop September 14th, 1873. The congregation had been rapidly increasing in the past few years, thanks to the erection of extensive iron-works which brought a large number of Irish Catholics, who are acknowl- edged on all hands to be the nerve and sinew of religion in this county, so far at least as the English element is con- cerned. Two years were required to complete the church, and during that time the panic prostrated business and limited the resources of this as of many other congregations. Sunday, September 12th, 1875, was the day set apart for the solemn ceremony of dedicating the new church, and prepara- tions were made in keeping with the magnificent temple that was to become the house of God and the place of his dwelling upon earth. The ceremony was performed by the Bishop of the diocese, and the sermon was preached by Bishop Ryan, of Buffalo. The church is one of the most substantial and beau- tiful in the diocese, and is in the pure Gothic style. It is built of brick, and is 130 feet in length by 65 in width, having a tower in the centre in front 175 feet high. In the interior the nave is 46 feet in height, but without a clerestory, and the aisles, which are separated from it by elegant pillars, are 30 feet in height. There are three marble altars in harmony with the style of the church, which are separated from the body of the church by a massive railing that runs across the building. The pews, pulpit, gallery, organ, and confessionals are finished in a style in keeping with that of the sacred edi- fice; while the windows are filled with stained glass in pleas- ing and appropriate designs. To the right of the entrance, in a recess prepared for it, stands the baptismal-font, enclosed by a tasteful railing. Taken as a whole, the church is en- titled to a place in the first rank among our churches in point of purity in the style of architecture and completeness of fin- ish.
When the church was finished the chapel in the school- house was abandoned, and was divided into two school-rooms. The school was as yet in charge of lay teachers ; but in Sep- tember, 1876, a foundation was obtained of Sisters of Mercy
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ST. AGNES' CHURCH, BULL'S RUN.
from Pittsburg, who came to take charge of the schools. They took possession of the pastoral residence as a convent, which they still occupy, and the pastor rented a house for himself for a time. But in the fall of 1877 he built a frame house to the rear of the church, and thus completed all the buildings necessary for the congregation.
The erection of so many buildings in so short a time necessarily left a considerable debt ; but this will yield in time to the prudence and energy that has been displayed in the management of the finances in the past. The congrega- tion is in a flourishing condition, and will number perhaps three hundred and fifty families ; and it has a far better pros- pect of increasing in the future than almost any other in the diocese.
ST. AGNES' CHURCH, BULL'S RUN.
St. Agnes' Church stands in a country place about two miles west of M'Keesport, on the opposite side of the Monon- gahela. The people residing in that neighborhood belonged in the beginning to the church at M'Keesport; but becoming sufficiently numerous in time to build a church for them- selves, they determined to undertake it. Encouraged by their pastor, they commenced work about the year 1868. When finished the church was dedicated, under the invocation of St. Agnes, by the Bishop on the Ist of August, 1869. Rev. J. Döffner was the first resident pastor. The church is a neat frame building capable of seating about four hundred ; and has a basement that has since been used for a school-room. When Father Döffner was transferred to St. Peter's, Pittsburg, Rev. Geo. Gunkle became pastor of St. Agnes', a position which he occupied until the fall of 1873. He was succeeded by Rev. John Willman. Prior to that date a house had been built for the pastor, and a school had been opened by a lay teacher in the basement of the church, which has continued with occasional interruptions to the present time. Towards the close of 1875 Father Willman withdrew, and the congre- gation was deprived of a resident pastor, but visited every Sunday by one of the Capuchin fathers from Pittsburg. At
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ST. PATRICK'S CHURCH, ALPSVILLE.
length, in October, 1877, the present pastor, Rev. Fred, Eberth, was transferred from Freeport to St. Agnes'.
The congregation is composed almost exclusively of Ger- mans, and contains perhaps one hundred and twenty-five families, miners and farmers. Its future increase will be very moderate if we are to judge from present indications.
ST. PATRICK'S CHURCH, ALPSVILLE.
Alpsville is situated on the eastern bank of the Youghio- ghenny River, about twenty-one miles from Pittsburg, and on the line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Being one of the many mining villages on the river, its fortunes fluctuate with those of the coal trade. Prior to the erection of the church, Mass had been celebrated in a private house on one Sunday in the month by the pastor of Elizabeth. When at length the number of Catholics had considerably increased it was determined to build a church. The organization of the parish and the erection of the church were confided to Rev. P. M. Ward, one of the professors of the diocesan seminary. The corner-stone was laid by Bishop Domenec September 23d, 1866; and the church was dedicated, under the invoca- tion of St. Patrick, by Very Rev. T. Mullen, V.G., September Ist of the following year. It is a brick building about 75 feet in length by 35 in width, and has a steeple rising from the centre in front. The style of architecture approaches the Gothic. There are three altars, and the whole interior is elegantly finished, making it one of the most beautiful of the smaller churches of the diocese. Father Ward resided a part of the time with the congregation and a part at the seminary, and continued to fill the position of pastor until permanently located in the city about the beginning of 1871, when Rev. Peter May became pastor of St. Patrick's. He built a small frame school-house soon after his appointment, to which he transferred the school from the rented room in which it had already been taught for at least three years. Having re- mained until June, 1873, he was transferred to Mansfield, and succeeded by Rev. John Staub. During his pastorate the
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ST. MICHAEL'S CHURCH, ELIZABETH.
panic fell upon the country, and Alpsville has not yet recovered from its prostrating effects.
He was succeeded after an interval by the present pastor, Rev. Jas. M.Tighe.
For a few years after the erection of the church, stations were held further up the river at Sutersville and Smithton, as will be seen when we come to treat of the church in West- moreland County ; and after having had a resident pastor for a short time, they again reverted to the pastor of Alpsville, and so they remain at present.
ST. MICHAEL'S CHURCH, ELIZABETH.
Elizabeth, or Elizabethtown as it was originally called, is situated on the eastern bank of the Monongahela River, twenty-two miles from Pittsburg, and is the oldest town in Allegheny County. The original owner of the place was Thomas Monroe, who obtained a patent for the land upon which the town is built in 1769. In 1784 Stephen Bayard purchased the land and laid out the town, naming it Eliza- bethtown in honor of his wife. In its early history it obtained a small measure of notoriety for boat-building. It was not incorporated, however, until April 5th, 1834; and its popu- lation in 1870 was about 1196 .* On the opposite side of the river, which is very narrow here, is West Elizabeth, with a population of 590, through which the Pittsburg, Virginia and Charleston Railroad passes. Like the entire Mononga- hela Valley, Elizabeth is principally noted for its trade in coal.
Catholics settled in the river valley from Brownsville down early in the present century ; but their number was so small as not to form the nucleus of a congregation until a compara- tively recent date. They were occasionally visited by a priest from Brownsville or Pittsburg, from as early as 1830; and when their numbers had sufficiently increased to form a regular missionary station they were visited at fixed times by one of the priests attached to the Cathedral, and were known
* History of Allegheny County, p. 162.
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THE MONONGAHELA VALLEY.
as "the river missions." Time passed, and the Catholic popu- lation increased, especially after the coal trade began to assume its present gigantic proportions. The first notice we have of the formation of a parish at Elizabeth is in the year 1849 when, and for a year or two longer, the mission-for as yet there was no church-was visited by Rev. N. Hores, of M'Keesport. The erection of a church was soon after com- menced ; and upon its completion it was dedicated under the invocation of the Archangel St. Michael, September 28th, 1851. It is an unassuming brick building, about 60 feet in length by 35 in width, is surmounted by a small spire, and has a sacristy built against the rear. It occupies a commanding position at the back of the town. The congregation was now placed under the jurisdiction of the pastor of Brownsville, who visited it generally on one Sunday in the month. The pastor of M'Keesport, it would appear, also paid the church an occasional visit. At length, in the summer of 1860, Rev. Thos. Quinn was appointed first resident pastor ; but he with- drew after a short time. In the autumn of the following year Rev. Denis Kearney became pastor. One of his first acts was the purchase of a neat brick house near the church; for pre- vious to that date the congregation possessed no residence for the pastor. He also purchased a small piece of ground about half a mile from the town for a cemetery. But his labors were not confined exclusively to Elizabeth. Mononga- hela City and a number of stations were also dependent on his ministrations. Then as now St. Michael's received but every alternate Sunday. It may be stated here, once for all, that there have always existed at different points along the river, from Brownsville down to M'Keesport, a number of stations at different coal-mines, which were, and still are, visited on week-days as often as the spiritual necessities of the people require or the circumstances of the pastor permit; for the Catholic population is composed of miners, with a very small number of farmers. Father Kearney remained at Elizabeth until the beginning of 1867, when he was transferred to Sharpsburg, and Rev. W. F. Hayes became pastor. Soon after his appointment he built a small wooden school-house, and opened a school with a lay teacher. But it was difficult
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DEATH OF REV. M. J. BRAZILL.
to continue it, owing to the fact that a large number of the children lived on the opposite side of the river, which they could not cross without danger and expense. It was soon closed, and has not since been opened, nor will it be for many years from present indications. Father Hayes was succeeded in March, 1871, by Rev. M. J. Brazill, who remained until declining health forced him to withdraw in the autumn of 1872. He stopped at the episcopal residence for a short time, and then retired to the Mercy Hospital, where the disease, consumption, from which he suffered terminated his edifying life, November 9th, 1873.
REV. MARTIN J. BRAZILL was a native of Ireland, where, having pursued his studies for some time, he determined to devote himself to the American mission. He crossed the Atlantic and entered the diocesan seminary of Pittsburg. Having finished his course of theology he went to Dubuque, of which diocese his uncle, Very Rev. J. F. Brazill, was and is yet Vicar-General, where he was ordained in the beginning of 1867. Having labored there for about three years, he visited his native land. On returning to America he obtained permission to attach himself to the Diocese of Pittsburg, and in April, 1870, was appointed pastor of the church at Cameron Bottom. From there he was transferred to Eliza- beth. At the time of his death he was about thirty years of age. Few young priests were more highly or more deservedly esteemed than Father Brazill.
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