page_title: St. Mary's Church (Adair, Missouri)
section_title: Early years
hierarchical_section_title: St. Mary's Church (Adair, Missouri) / History / Early years
caption_attribution_description: English: St. Mary's Catholic Church in Adair, Missouri as it appeared circa 1910. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
context_page_description: St. Mary's Church is a historic turn-of-the-20th century Catholic church located in the unincorporated community of Adair, 12 miles northeast of Kirksville, Adair County, Missouri, on Missouri Route 11. An example of Romanesque Revival architecture, it is one of the few wood-frame structures in that style still remaining in the United States. St. Mary's was constructed in 1904, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. It is now owned and managed by Friends of St. Mary's, a non-profit preservation organization.
context_section_description: The present-day building is the third church built in the village to serve the needs of 
  Catholic immigrants. The first Irish Catholics began to arrive in eastern Adair County in the early 1840s, with a substantial increase thereafter largely due to the Irish Potato Famine. The first services were held in a private residence in Adair in 1844. They were conducted by Father McNamee, who journeyed to the village with his portable altar by horseback from Edina, Missouri. In 1860 the first Catholic church, a rough-hewn log structure, was constructed and the first priest, Father Ryan, assigned. The log church was replaced in 1869 with a simple wood frame building.  The village and church congregation continued to grow through the late 1800s, and by 1900 it was clear to the worshipers that something more substantial was needed.
caption: St. Mary's Catholic Church, circa 1910. Note the taller tower than the present day photo due to storm damage.
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