St. Ann- St. Joseph, Harpers Ferry

History of St. Ann-St. Joseph,

Harpers Ferry

St. Ann’s Catholic Church was built in 1897 and is located within the town of Harpers Ferry. St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, organized in 1855, was located about 2 miles west of Harpers Ferry, on top of the Mississippi River bluffs. In 1973, St. Joseph’s was closed due to lack of active priests. The two parishes then merged to become one, thus the name St. Ann’s-St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.

St. Joseph’s Catholic Church

The St. Joseph’s Catholic Church was one of the first Catholic churches in the area. The 1913 Allamakee County History Book reports that Thomas Melaven Sr., who came to Allamakee County in 1855, donated enough land for a Catholic church, cemetery, rectory, and a 1-room schoolhouse. This area was known as Paint Rock and the Catholic Church built there was St. Joseph. The 1913 Book refers to the 1-room school as the St. Joseph "parochial" school. However, even though mostly Catholic children attended the school, it was a “Public” school. It was closed in March 1947 due to lack of students; the school building remained on the church property for several years thereafter.

Until St. Joseph’s church was built at Paint Rock, parishioners attended Mass near Wexford where Father Thomas Hoar, who came from Ireland, was the priest. The early Catholic settlers of the Paint Rock area, mostly of Irish descent, were organized in 1855 and the first St. Joseph church was built and attended to by Father Hoar.

After Father Hoar returned to Ireland, Father Francis, a Cistercian, served both the church in Wexford and St. Joseph’s. Father James McGowan served as St. Joseph’s first resident parish priest from 1867-1869; he also served the Wexford parish. In 1868, St. Joseph’s built a parish rectory on the donated land. Father McMannis replaced Father McGowan in late 1869. During Father McMannis’ time (1869-1881), tragically the St. Joseph’s Church and all their records were destroyed by fire. St. Joseph’s was then rebuilt on the same church site as the old structure; it was completed in 1875. Following Father McMannis was Father John R. Fogarty from 1881-1888; then Father Thomas Kiernan from 1888-1892. In August 1889, an impressive 3,000-lb bell, with the current members’ names embedded on it, was placed in the new church’s steeple. Father Michael Sheehan served from 1892-1920. The resident priest at St. Joseph’s not only served its parishioners during these years but also the pioneering families of Harpers Ferry. It was during Father Sheehan’s time at St. Joseph’s that he saw the need and helped build St. Ann’s Catholic Church within the town of Harpers Ferry.

In 1973, St. Joseph’s was closed due to lack of active priests. Numerous items including the stained-glass windows, pews, statues, Stations of the Cross, etc. from the church were auctioned and the church was taken down in 1976. In memory of the significant endowments over the years by the Kass Brothers, a sheltered chapel for inclement weather burial services was built in its place. However, the chapel quickly deteriorated and was removed in 1994. The parish rectory was removed in 1976. A small building to house lawn mowers and other landscape materials was built in 1994 on the southernmost part of the cemetery. The cemetery, informally called the Paint Rock cemetery, has always been maintained by both St. Joseph’s and St. Ann’s parishioners and continues to be so today. The original 3,000-lb bell from St. Joseph’s Church now adorns the front of the cemetery.

St. Ann’s Catholic Church

When Father Michael Sheehan was priest at St. Joseph’s in 1892, he recognized the increasing need for a Catholic Church to be built within the town of Harpers Ferry. Under his supervision, the new mission church, St. Ann’s, was built in 1897 with a dedication Mass on December 1, 1905. For 28 years and until he died, Father Sheehan served both St. Joseph’s and St. Ann’s parishes. In 1920, he was buried in the Paint Rock cemetery. From then on, both St. Ann’s and St. Joseph’s parishes were served by the same priest. Father Maurice Nolan was the priest from 1920-1934. The Catholic population continued to increase during these years and, as he cared for the people, he began various parish activities.

Father John Costelloe (1934-1950) followed Father Nolan and continued the spiritual work and undertook repairs and improvements to St. Ann’s. In 1946, Father Costelloe oversaw the tedious job of digging a basement by parishioners using horses and scrapers underneath St. Ann’s church to be used for various parish events. Father Robert Palen (1950-1952) followed Father Costelloe. During his time in the summer of 1952, a new roof of interlocking asphalt shingles was installed.

Father William Leonard replaced Father Palen in December of 1952 until 1958. This was when plans were made for the parish students to attend St. George Catholic High School in Lansing, IA, and for parishioners to pay the cost of a bus to transport students to and from school. From 1958-1966, Father John Peters was the priest. On November 29, 1964, the Holy Mass was offered facing the people for the first time. In 1965, with the help of Monsignor Vernon Peters, the altar rail was removed and rebuilt into a beautiful altar facing the people.

From 1967 to 1970, Father William Holzer was the priest. During his time, the church basement received new heating, new paneled walls, and a suspended ceiling with flush fluorescent lighting. A thorough renovation of St. Ann’s church began early in 1968, which involved leveling of the entire floor, new flooring, carpeting, paneling, and pews. In addition, a stainless steel Holy Water Reservoir and a Baptismal Water Urn were donated to complete the renovation. Father William Tiedemann (1970-1975) organized the repair of the church windows in 1971. In 1975, he resigned due to illness and Father Robert Levenhagen was appointed priest until 1980. During his time, many upgrades were made, including air conditioning, a new altar, and a new tabernacle and baptismal font. In 1980, Father Joseph Heineman became the parish priest until 1985.

In 1986, under the guidance of Father John Smith, an addition that could serve many purposes was added to the back of the church. It can be opened to the church proper to accommodate an overflow crowd at Mass, to hold wake services, funeral dinners, and social gatherings. It was completed in 1987 and was dedicated by Archbishop Daniel Kucera on March 17, 1987. Father Smith retired in 1987 due to health issues and Father Duane Raftis took over as priest; he retired in 1991. In July of 1991, Father Louis Trzil was appointed as the parish priest. On May 14, 1995, he blessed a shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary that is located slightly east of the church. It is a life-sized bronze statue of Mary, donated by their son, Paul, in honor of his deceased parents Emil & Olivia Krapfl, St. Joseph’s parish. Since Father Trzil’s appointment, the following priests have served St. Ann’s-St. Joseph’s church: Father Daniel Knipper, Father John Moser, Father Sean Smith, and our current priest is Father Joseph Sevcik.

The St. Ann’s-St. Joseph’s Church has a rich history and parishioners of strong faith. Over the years, nearly 50 men and women have been called to vocation in the priesthood and religious life. We are a linked parish with St. Joseph, New Albin; Immaculate Conception, Lansing; Immaculate Conception, Wexford; and St. Pius, Cherry Mound, an Oratory, all served by one priest.

Come join us as we live and grow in our faith through prayer and the sacraments.