St. Mary's, the oldest Catholic Church in Rock Island County, celebrated its
150th Anniversary in 2001. Founded in 1851 by Rev. George Alleman, it was
initially known as St. James, but the name was changed to St. Mary's about
24 years later. The current church building was constructed in 1862,
replacing the small stone church originally built on the site. Stones from
the destroyed Mormon Temple in Nauvoo were incorporated in the 1862
construction.
The rectory, just east of the church on 4th Avenue, was built in 1869. The
first school, a one-story frame building 18 x 32 feet, was built in 1875.
Franciscan sisters from a convent in Joliet were recruited to teach at the
new school. Not too many years later, enrollment had outgrown that small
school, and in 1890 the congregation began construction of a brand new
school building. That school, located on the northeast corner of 5th Avenue
and 22nd Street and pictured on our postcard, was constructed at a cost of
$10,000. Above the arched entrance was the inscription, "For God, Our
Country and Our Children," while just inside were the words "Welcome to
All."
A book produced for the church centennial offers more information. It
describes the school as "two story brick, of modern design, and built in
accordance with the requirements of the parish." A large number of people
from Davenport and Moline as well as Rock Island participated in its
dedication. Those from Davenport were met at the ferry by the Rock
Islanders, and the entourage, headed by Bleuer's band, proceeded back to the
church for services. After the blessing of the new school, there was a
gathering in Columbia Hall on its second floor. The hall, designed for
school programs, was said to have a "commodious" stage.
For many years, St. Mary's was known as the German church and conducted many
services in German. Other Catholic churches had different ethnic
identities, notably Belgian and Irish. Such specialization of congregations
was apparent in other denominations as well. This ethnic self-segregation
likely resulted from the large influx of immigrants who did not speak
English well and who sought the comfort of their native language in their
spiritual life.
Today's postcard is captioned "St. Mary's German Catholic School and Sisters'
Home." It shows both the school and the building that was home to the
Franciscan teachers. Since the Sisters Home or convent wasn't built till
after 1900, we can date this postcard to after that time. The postcard
shows both the school and home in red brick, with the gable detail in the
home matching that in the school. The school also has an exposed rough
stone foundation.
Except for the addition of cast stone siding on the school and the removal
of unneeded chimneys, the school has changed very little. The new siding
still shows the gable details and the stone foundation is the same as
always. The second story windows even have the original carving above each
upper sash. Although the school closed in 1968, the building continued in
use to serve the educational and social needs of the church. The school is
now called Schroeder Hall in honor of Rev. George Schroeder, who retired in
1992 after serving 50 years in the priesthood, most of those years at St.
Mary's. When the school closed, the convent was unused and, after being
vacant for some time, was finally demolished.
(Shortly after this article was published, the roof of the school collapsed,
causing tremendous damage as the sprinklers were set off. The congregation
chose to rebuild the roof and repair the school building, so it looks the
same today.)
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