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 30
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45
Digitized by Google
346
CARROLLTOWN.
to that of the Holy Name of Jesus. It is an elegant brick building, modelled after the Gothic style of architecture, and is 100 feet in length by 50 in width. There are three altars. The tower in the centre in front is at present completed only to the comb of the roof.
Shortly before the completion of the church Father Christy introduced a number of Sisters of St. Joseph from New York, for whose reception a convent was built, and who, besides taking charge of the parish school now first called into exist- ence, also opened Mount Gallitzin Seminary for very small boys. A little later the old pastoral residence was disposed of, and a new brick one erected at the rear of the church and adjoining it. But Father Christy's health, which had been seriously impaired by toil and exposure while he was chaplain of the Seventy-eighth Regiment in the Army of the Cumberland during the Rebellion, was since gradually declining, and he was forced to seek an easier field of labor in the beginning of 1874. He was succeeded by Rev. John Boyle, the present pastor. The congregation has undergone but little change for many years, and there is nothing to show that its future history will be more eventful than its past has been. It will number about sixty families, farmers and busi- ness men in the town.
ST. BENEDICT'S CHURCH, CARROLLTOWN, AND ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH, HART'S SLEEPING-PLACE .*
The village of Carrolltown, which was founded about the year 1839, is situated on the summit of the Laurel Ridge, a spur of the Allegheny Mountains about twelve miles north- west of Loretto, at a point where the ridge begins to lose its distinctive character and becomes assimilated to the surround- ing country. It was the wish of Dr. Gallitzin to see a Catho- lic colony planted at Carrolltown, as he had founded that at Loretto, and at his earnest solicitation Father Lemcke under- took to found it. A number of settlers had already located themselves a short distance north of where the village stands,
* Compiled principally from "St. Vincenz in Pennsylvanien," pp. 199 et seq.
Digitized by Google
347
THE TRAPPISTS AT CARROLLTOWN.
and in 1836 Father Lemcke purchased four hundred acres of land there, upon which he soon after took up his residence. But the idea of founding a colony on the top of the ridge was as ill-advised as that of Dr. Gallitzin in founding one upon the summit of the Alleghenies. It was the intention of Father Lemcke to name the rising village Gallitzin, in honor of his friend ; but the latter would not consent to it, and suggested that of the first American Prelate, Archbishop Carroll, which was adopted. In 1870 the village had a population of 416.
But the Catholic history of this section of the country dates from a period long anterior to the arrival of Father Lemcke. A colony of Trappist monks sought to establish a house of their order at a spot about half a mile from Carroll- town about the beginning of the present century, although, strange as it may appear, there is no mention of it in any of the extant letters of Dr. Gallitzin. Driven from France by the revolution in 1791, a number of the monks found a tem- porary home in Switzerland, where they remained until the influence of the French Government began to be felt in that country in 1798, when they were again forced to fly. They now passed into Russia and soon after into Prussia, and fi- nally set sail for the New World under the guidance of Father Urban Guillet, May 29th, 1803. They landed at Baltimore on the 4th of September, and came to the vicinity of the future Carrolltown; but failing to make a foundation there, they next proceeded to Pigeon Hill, Adams County, Pa., and aban- doning that also, they went further west.
The first settler near Carrolltown was John Weakland, one of the most courageous and powerful of men, and one of the most famous Catholic pioneers of Western Pennsylvania. Leaving Loretto in 1819, he purchased a large tract of land for himself and his numerous family about three miles north of the site of Carrolltown, at a spot called Hart's Sleeping- Place, in memory of a celebrated fur trader by the name of John Hart, who had frequently rested there. Among the settlers, the greater part of whom were Germans, was a man by the name of Luther, said to have been a descendant of the Father of the Reformation. About the year 1830, or perhaps earlier, John Weakland donated four acres of ground as the
Digitized by Google
348
THE BENEDICTINES AT CARROLLTOWN.
site of a church, and, in company with the other settlers and under the direction of Dr. Gallitzin, he built a log-church, which was dedicated to St. Joseph and is yet standing. Dr. Gallitzin visited the church until the arrival of Father Bradley at Ebensburg in the fall of 1830, who then took charge of it until he was succeeded by Fr. Lemcke. Bishop Kenrick visited the church and administered confirmation October 16th, 1832. When Father Lemcke purchased a farm at Car- rolltown four years later, he built a small house for himself over a spring of water which is the source of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. Some time later he built a frame chapel near it, in which Mass was celebrated on week-days, although St. Joseph's was the parish church until the summer of 1850, as will appear further on. Father Lemcke continued to preside over the congregation until about 1844, when he crossed the Atlantic to Germany to try to collect money to aid him in erecting a large church and to secure German priests for the new diocese .* During his absence St. Joseph's was visited for a time from Loretto, and later was under the pastoral care of Rev. M. Stauber.
When the Benedictine fathers entered the diocese in the fall of 1846, they at first thought of establishing themselves at Carrolltown, but were dissuaded from doing so by the Bishop, who, better informed than they, recommended the site of the present Abbey of St. Vincent's in Westmoreland County. The father prior, however, soon contemplated the erection of a second house, and on visiting, Father Lemcke, in the sum- mer of 1848, made an arrangement with him for the purchase of his farm and for taking charge of the congregation. The Bishop gave the necessary permission for founding a priory, and also committed the care of the congregation to the Bene- dictine Order by an instrument dated October 16th of that year. The foundation was made December 16th, and Rev. Peter Lechner, one of the most learned and energetic mem- bers of the order, became the first prior and pastor. Father Lemcke soon after went to Kansas and thence to Reading, Pa., where he took charge of a congregation and wrote his " Leben und Wirken des Prinzen Demetrius Gallitzin."
* St. Vincenz in Pennsylvanien, p. 26.
Digitized by Google
349
ST. BENEDICT'S CHURCH.
St. Joseph's Church had by this time become too small to accommodate the ever-increasing congregation, and it was, besides, some distance north of the centre of the parish, which was principally in the vicinity of the village. The new church contemplated by Father Lemcke was undertaken in the spring of 1849, and the corner-stone was laid by the Bishop on the Ioth of June. It was finished at the end of the following year, and was dedicated, under the invocation of St. Benedict -to whom the priory is also dedicated-by the prior, Rev. Father Colestine, on Christmas Day. The church is a sub- stantial brick building, modelled after the Romanesque style of architecture, and is 110 feet in length by 55 in width. St. . Joseph's was now abandoned as a parish church, although Mass is occasionally celebrated in it, and St. Benedict's be- came the future place of worship for the congregation.
A large brick priory was built during the administration of Father Agedius Christoph-from 1862 to 1868-but the pre- cise date of its completion has not been ascertained. A parish school was still wanting, and the people of that portion of the county, who for the most part are Catholics, did all in their power to supply the deficiency-and the same may be said of other congregations in the northern section of the county- by having Catholic teachers employed in the public schools. But although this measure may have been productive of some good, the public-school system is so radically wrong and op- posed to the true Christian instinct that the people of St. Benedict's were not satisfied until they had a parish school. The date of its opening is not known, but it was some time after the year 1856. The children-or rather such of them as did not live at too great a distance to attend-were under the care of lay teachers until the early part of 1870. In the pre- vious year a large brick convent had been built near the church and placed under the patronage of St. Scholastica, and a colony of Benedictine nuns was introduced into it and has since had charge of the schools. This convent was the mother- house of the nuns of this order in the two dioceses until re- cently. But the march of improvement did not stop here. The congregation continued to increase, and the church, though large, could no longer accommodate it. It was ac-
Digitized by Google
350
ST. LAWRENCE'S CHURCH.
cordingly enlarged in 1867, and when completed was dedi- cated by the Bishop November 13th. Nor was this all. A massive tower was erected, terminating in a spire at the height of 165 feet, and was supplied with a chime of four bells, which were blessed by the Bishop September 22d, 1872. Here the people rested, being now supplied with all the buildings and accommodations necessary for many years. The congregation numbers 2000,* all farmers with the excep- tion of those living in the village, and although originally Ger- man, it is fast becoming American both in language and cus- toms. The future of the congregation will be as its past has been, a gradual increase in numbers and prosperity.
ST. LAWRENCE'S CHURCH, GLEN CONNELL.
St. Lawrence's Church is in a country place in the midst of a small German settlement commonly known as Glen Con- nell, about ten miles north-east of Carrolltown. For some time it was a missionary station visited from St. Joseph's and later from Carrolltown. A church was undertaken as early as 1853, although Mass had been celebrated at intervals long before that time, but it was not finished and dedicated till about two years later, when it was placed under the invoca- tion of St. Lawrence, which name is fast superseding that of Glen Connell as the name of the locality. It has always been and is yet attached to Carrolltown. At first it was visited on one Sunday in the month, but more recently it was visited on two Sundays. The congregation numbers at present 180 souls, all farmers ; and while it is slowly increasing, its fu- ture prospects are not very flattering, being so far removed from ready communication with other places.
ST. BONIFACE'S CHURCH, ST. BONIFACE.
St. Boniface's Church stands in a country place about six miles north of Carrolltown, and is the northern, as the latter is the southern, extremity of the Hart's Sleeping-Place settlement.
* These figures, as well as those of the following congregation, are taken from the Catalogus Exhibens Nomina Monachorum, etc., 1879, P. 55.
Digitized by Google
351
ST. NICKOLAS' CHURCH.
The congregation is German or of German descent, and con- sists exclusively of farmers. For a time it was a station visited occasionally from Carrolltown, to which it is yet at- tached; but in process of time the number of Catholics so far increased as to render it expedient to build a church for their accommodation. It was finished and dedicated under the invocation of St. Boniface a short time before the year 1869, but the precise date has not been ascertained. Mass is celebrated on two Sundays in the month. In 1873 it num- bered 300 souls, and it has since been steadily increasing, as it will continue to do in the future. The proximity of the church to Carrolltown makes it probable that it will continue for many years to be visited from the Benedictine priory.
ST. NICKOLAS' CHURCH, ST. NICKOLAS.
The village of St. Nickolas, or Nicktown-as the post-office is named-is about eight miles west of Carrolltown. It was laid out, probably about the year 1865, by Nickolas Lambourn, who owned the land and who donated a lot as the site of a church. The Catholic inhabitants of the village and surround- ing country are principally Germans. From the beginning the mission was, as it still is, under the spiritual direction of the Benedictine fathers of Carrolltown, under whose inspira- tion a church was undertaken in the spring of 1866. The corner-stone was laid by the Bishop on the 21st of June, and when finished the church was dedicated to St. Nickolas by the same prelate. It is a neat frame building containing ele- ments of the Romanesque style of architecture, and is about 70 feet in length by 35 in width and surmounted by a belfry. From the date of its completion it was visited on two Sundays in the month, but more recently Mass is celebrated every Sunday. But the pastor does not live in the congregation, nor will he in all probability for many years. A school was opened in a rustic building by a lay teacher soon after the completion of the church, and has since continued to con- tribute its share to the cause of religion. The congregation is composed of farmers and numbers 650 souls. Its growth will be very moderate, owing to its comparative seclusion.
Digitized by Google
352
JOHNSTOWN.
JOHNSTOWN.
Johnstown is situated on a broad flat at the foot of the western slope of the Alleghenies, and is completely surrounded by mountains. What is generally called "Johnstown" is not, however, a city, but consists of a number of separately incor- porated boroughs immediately adjoining each other, and all within a radius of two miles from the centre of Johnstown borough. They have an aggregate population of 18,000, more than one third of which is Catholic. It occupies the site of an Indian village by the name of Kickanapawlin's Town, and is on the Conemaugh River, the Pennsylvania Canal, and the Pennsylvania Railroad, by the last of which it is 78 miles east of Pittsburg. About the year 1791 or 1792 Mr. Joseph Yahn, or Jahn, an enterprising German, came and settled there, and the original title-deeds of many of the town lots are in his name. As this was the head of navigation to those seeking the western waters-although the Conemaugh River was navigable only at certain seasons and for small craft, and even then dangerous-it became a place of shipment for the iron of Huntingdon County, and for the lumber and produce of the vicinity, as well as for the emigration destined for the west. Arks and flat-boats were then the only mode of conveyance. The pigs and blooms of Juniata iron were hauled over the old Frankstown road by the gap of that name. The place was then called Concmaugh .*
Being at a later date the eastern terminus of the western division of the canal, it was necessary to connect with the eastern division at Hollidaysburg; which was accomplished by means of the Allegheny Portage Railroad, commonly known as "the old Portage."t It was to the construction of the canal, and the business which it called into life, that Johns- town owed its rise; but its present importance is due to its
* Day's Historical Collections, pp. 182, 183.
t Being mainly the work of Irish Catholics, the subjoined notice of it will no doubt be interesting : "The Allegheny Portage Railroad is 391\', miles in length from Hollidaysburg to Johnstown, overcoming in ascent and descent an aggregate of 2570 feet, 1398 of which are on the eastern and 1172 on the western side of the mountain. It crosses the mountains at Blair's Gap summit, and descends along the mountain branch of the Conemaugh ; the top of the mountain, which is some 200
Digitized by Google
353
ST. JOHN GUALBERT'S CHURCH.
extensive iron and steel manufactories. As early as 1820 a forge or bloomery. was built, and about twenty years later the first blast-furnace was constructed. In 1853 a large rolling- mill was completed, and since that time the manufacture of ยท iron and steel has been steadily increasing till it has reached an extent that is almost incredible for the size of the town ; and notwithstanding the financial depression of the times, the works are being constantly enlarged. The completion of the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1853 struck a death-blow at the canal; although it survived a few years, just at the time when, with great expense to the State, the grading of the "new Portage" Railroad, by which it was intended to cross the mountains by means of locomotives instead of stationary engines and planes, had been completed. But the railroad infused new life into Johnstown.
ST. JOHN GUALBERT'S CHURCH, JOHNSTOWN.
The introduction of Catholicity dates from before the con- struction of the canal. Dr. Gallitzin is thought to have visited the town and ministered to the few Catholic families before the year 1830. After the appointment of Rev. Jas. Bradley to Ebensburg, in the fall of that year, Johnstown became a part of his mission; and he visited it, as he informs me, at regular intervals. Having celebrated Mass for a time in a private house, he began the erection of a church, in 1832, on a lot in Conemaugh borough, donated for that object by a Mr. Liver- good. The Catholic population at this time consisted of no more than three or four families, besides a number of transient laborers. Father Bradley was soon after transferred to Newry, and Father Lemcke visited Johnstown on one Sunday in the month from the date of his appointment to Ebensburg. The church, an unpretending brick building about 50 feet in length
feet higher than the culminating point of the railroad, is 2700 feet above the Dela- ware River at Philadelphia. The ascent and descent have been overcome by ten inclined planes, lifting from 130 to 307 feet and varying in inclination between 4} and 5 degrees. The shortest plane is 1585 feet, and 130 feet high ; the longest is 3100 feet, and 307 feet high. . . The cars are elevated by stationary steam- engines at the head of each plane, and on the intervening levels locomotives and horses are used. The total cost of the road, including stationary engines, etc., exceeded $1,500,000."-Ibid., p. 183.
Digitized by Google
354
THE CHURCH SOLD.
by 30 in width, was finished, and was dedicated by Bishop Ken- rick July 15th, 1835.
When the Portage Railroad was finished in 1834 the hands withdrew, reducing the congregation to thirteen families, while much of the debt contracted in building the church remained unpaid, and it was sold by the contractor in 1836. Two years later, when the congregation had increased, the church was repurchased. It was visited, generally once in the month, at one time from Ebensburg, again from Loretto, and finally from the Summit, until 1844, when Rev. Patrick Ratigan was appointed first resident pastor. He had, how- ever, other missions in connection with it. But his health failing, he withdrew, and the church was again visited by Father Lemcke until about the close of 1846, when Rev. T. Mullen was appointed pastor with the additional mission of Wilmore. Previously to this a number of German families had settled in the town, and the prospects were that it would in time contain a considerable German Catholic population. In July, 1850, the Bishop sent Rev. Teresius Gezowski, a Carmelite, to Johnstown to minister to the Germans of the mountain district .* Soon after, however, they became a dis. tinct congregation. The Catholic population increased rapidly owing to the commencement of the iron manufacture. To accommodate the people, as well as to secure a more central locality, Father Mullen purchased lots on Jackson Street, in the eastern part of the town, as the site of a new church, and began preparations for its erection. He also opened a paro- chial school conducted by lay teachers.
In the autumn of 1854 he was transferred to Allegheny City, and was succeeded by Rev. James Kearney. During his pastorate the idea of erecting a church was entertained, but work was not actually commenced. Early in 1859 he was succeeded by Rev. Peter M. Garvey, who soon after his ap- pointment began work on the new church. Upon its comple- tion it was dedicated by the Bishop September 25th, 1864. It is a brick building 131 feet in length by 64 in width, with a tower in the centre in front built up to the comb of the roof,
* St. Vincenz in Pennsylvanien, p. 231.
Digitized by Google
355
DEATH OF REV. P. BROWN.
and surmounted by a nondescript temporary wooden belfry. The style, if style it may be called, of the church is peculiar. The nave is separated from the aisles by four columns on each side, surmounted by composite capitals. The ceiling of the nave is the tunnel vault, while that of the aisles is flat. The windows are small and square-topped and very high in the walls, and the interior is painted and pointed in imitation of stone. The altar-railing crosses the entire building, enclos- ing the high and two side altars. A large brick pastoral residence was also built by the side of the church. About the year 1869 the congregation purchased a large brick build- ing near the church, which was converted into a convent under the title of St. Mary's for the Benedictine nuns, who soon after took charge of the schools. Some time later a brick school-house 45 by 80 feet was built, to which the children of the parish were transferred.
The congregation had so much increased that a second priest was required about the year 1866, and since that time, with but little exception, two priests have ministered in St. John's Church.
Rev. Peter Brown, the first to fill that office, after having labored in the sacred ministry for almost thirty years, died at Johnstown, August 8th, 1872, in the 56th year of his age. Ilis remains were interred at Summitsville by the side of those of Rev. Thos. M'Cullagh. A tasteful monument was erected some time later to mark the spot by the members of the congregation in whose behalf he had so efficiently labored.
REV. PETER BROWN was born in Gleneely, parish of Donoughmore, county Galway, Ireland. Having almost completed his course of theology at Maynooth College, he came to America and to the Diocese of Pittsburg at the invi- tation of the newly consecrated Bishop O'Connor, being one of the first to accept it. He was ordained to the sacred min- istry in company with two of his companions, Rev. T. Mullen and Rev. P. Duffy, September 3d, 1844. He was sent almost immediately after to Erie City, where he labored for a num- ber of years, when he returned, after having been at several other places, to the Diocese of Pittsburg and was stationed at
Digitized by Google
356
GERMANS IN JOHNSTOWN.
Johnstown. As a pleasing, persuasive, and eloquent preacher he had few superiors in the country.
At the close of the year 1872 Father Garvey was succeeded by the present incumbent, Rev. O. P. Gallagher. Notwith- standing the panic that fell upon the country soon after his appointment, Father Gallagher has been able to make many important and necessary improvements both in the church and the pastoral residence, besides paying off a heavy debt in an incredibly short space of time. Further improvements are contemplated in the church which will add to its appearance and comfort, but which will not be undertaken for some time. The erection of new steel manufactories is now adding to the congregation. In September, 1878, when the Benedictine nuns took charge of the large school at St. Mary's Church, Allegheny City, they found it necessary to withdraw from Johnstown, and they accordingly gave place to a number of Sisters of Charity from Altoona, for whose reception a house was leased, the old convent being now very much out of re- pair. It is the intention of the pastor to build a new convent as soon as the circumstances of the congregation will justify the undertaking.
The congregation is at present the most flourishing out- side of the cities, and with the exception of that at Altoona, and perhaps without excepting it, is the largest, and will number in all probability 5000 souls. It must continue to in- crease in the future until a division becomes necessary. In no part of the diocese perhaps are the prospects of the Church more flattering than in Johnstown.
ST. JOSEPH'S GERMAN CHURCH, JOHNSTOWN .*
German Catholics began to settle in Johnstown at an early day, but their number was not considerable until about the year 1850. Bishop O'Connor then sent a Carmelite father, Rev. Teresius Gezowski, to minister to the Germans there and in other parts of the mountain district. When he was transferred to Butler, about a year later, the Bishop requested the abbot of St. Vincent's to take charge of the place, and a
* St. Vincenz in Pennsylvanien, pp. 231, 232.
Digitized by Google
357
ST. JOSEPH'S GERMAN CHURCH.
priest was accordingly sent, at first once in the month, then twice, from the abbey. But while a mission was being held in the English church during the same year, the Germans were encouraged to build a church for themselves. This they immediately determined to do, and what they were unable to accomplish by means of subscriptions they did by the labor of their own hands; and although the incipient con- gregation consisted of but twenty-eight families, the church was soon finished. It is a plain frame building, 30 by 48 feet, and was dedicated, under the invocation of St. Joseph, by Rev. T. Mullen, pastor of the English church, January 4th, 1852. A school in charge of a lay teacher was soon after opened in the basement. Since its organization the church has been in charge of the Benedictine fathers. For some years it was visited from the abbey, but in 1859 a brick pastoral residence was built near the church and a priory was established there. About this time the Germans residing in Cambria City, the western part of what is called Johnstown-St. Joseph's Church being in the eastern part-determined to build a church for their own accommodation, a determination which resulted in the present Church of the Immaculate Conception.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.