Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1924-05-01
History Of The Catholic
Church In Bdroboo; First
Mass Held In Year 1850

d In Year 1850
, that we should build church. They
met after mass to decide where to
build. Some wanted to choose a site
on the north side of the river. They
had been holding services on the
south side, where the schoolhouse
and most of the business houses were
situated. Father Montague said that
of course the south side was the place
for the church, because there were
only black shanties on the north
side and it was no place for a church.
The north side residents were called
the Shanty Irish ever afterward
Most Of the Catholics seemed willing
to be called that, or they would not
have crossed the river. Shortly af-
ter that meeting was held at Mrs,
Cummings, mother of Martin and
Mike Cummings, at which $4,000
was raised to build a church. A
committee was elected at the same
meeting, composed of john O'Connell,
Patrick Kelley and Martin Degan. [
found in the register of deeds office
the record of the transfer of the
Congregational church property by
the committee of the Congregational
church to the committee of thhe Cath
olic church in Baraboo in August
1861, for the sum of $4,000 1t was
decided to Bishop Henni ON March IL,
1852.
Easily Pleased Then
Church members were easily pleas
ed then. 1t was little old red brick
church with green blinds, steep tam
ble-down steps up from the road. 1t
was located where the new postoffice
is now, little back from the cor
ner, with the entrance on the east
side. Those old pioneers made more
of sacrifice to buy that church than
we of today have made in erecting
our fine church, school building, and
all we have now. Many time Mr.
Doherty or Mr.. Sarahan would walk
eight miles to our place to tell us we
would have mass on Sunday. There
were about fifty families in our par
ish when we purchased the red brick
church in 1861-Mrs. Gray, P. Nc
~ TnhnH1S[
gans, Mike and Martin Cummings,
Steinmetz, M Hoffman, Neitchers, P.
Kelley, Mrs Cummings, P Doherty.
B. Doherty, VIM. Power, M. Power,
j. Donaghey, c. Sarahan, Maurice
Coughlin, Ankenbrandt, Helms, Mrs
Megan, Kinnelley Mrs Oats, F'inne-
gans, j. Terrys, p. Terrys, w. Terrys,
Briliotts, George Mertens, ]. Hanley
M HanIey, Michael Buckley, Micheal
Murphy, Ganleys, Careys, Pettifs,
Clemens, Mrs McDormit, Mrs Null
oy, George Bender, Mr.. Reuland, T.
Mcmahon, M. Mcmahon, M. Maher,
VIM Maher, John hurry, Mrs. Me
han, John Jordans, James Bowling,
John Divers, Stadlers, Sieberz, Han
mans, Udells, Cairnes, Kallens, Miles.
The present church property was
purchased in 1863 by Father Schrin-
! ef.
In 1870 Father Mathew White
came here. He was young Irish
American, born and educated in Sank
county, before he went to the Uni
versity of Wisconsin, where he grad
uated from the law school with the
highest honors. He found the church
| locked and the vestments, chaIice,
etc. were all gone. The committee
had to break open the door to gain
admittance Father White advised
the congregation to buy the proper
ty from Father Schriner and see if
he would not leave here, which they
| did 1t was peace at any price and
we have since paid the price. Father
White wanted us to build a new
church. The c. & N. w. railroad
was under construction and there
were many more Catholics here.
Father White was an eloquent speak
er and. was very soon called to a
better field
\ In 1872 Father Cougnlin, very
pious, kind man came 20 Baraboo. His
aim was to have a cemetery. We
had to go to Portage, Sank or Del
Iona to bury our dead. John O'Con-
nell said he would give rs four acres
Of land northwest of the city We
took it and paid him $4,000 for it,
and Father Coughlin was the first
Iparscn buried there. The cemetery
was named st. MichaeIs, because
that was the name of the church at
that time. The men had a bee and
cleared and fenced it. Many critf-
cised the purchase of the property