Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church | |
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| Location | 16 2nd Ave., NW,Pocahontas, Iowa |
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| Coordinates | 42°44′05″N94°40′13.2″W / 42.73472°N 94.670333°W /42.73472; -94.670333 |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1882 |
| Built by | Will Hubel |
| Architectural style | Italianate Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 94000086[1] |
| Added to NRHP | March 1, 1994 |
Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church is a formerparish church of theDiocese of Sioux City. The historic building is located inPocahontas, Iowa, United States. The parish served theBohemian community that lived in the Pocahontas area. It was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1994.
The first Catholic Mass in Pocahontas was celebrated in 1875, by the Rev. T.M. Lenahan fromFort Dodge. Theliturgies were celebrated irregularly in a schoolhouse until 1881. That year Pocahontas was organized as a mission of St. Patrick's on Lizard Creek inWebster County. The Rev. Mathew Norton, started celebrating mass once a month. At that time, the parishes in this area were in theDiocese of Dubuque.
In 1882, Warrick Price donated three acres of land, east of town for a church and cemetery. Will Hubbel designed the building and directed the construction done by the men of the local Bohemian community. Hubbel built almost all of the early buildings in Pocahontas.[2] Thealtar was built by Charles Andera ofSpillville. Mary Payer donated the altar as well as a picture of St. Peter and St. Paul that was painted inBohemia. The bells for the church, named Agnes and Joseph, were brought fromSt. Louis, Missouri. The first resident pastor, the Rev. J.P. Bronz, served the parish from 1891 to 1895. Therectory was built at this time. In 1894, the church building was moved from the Calvary Cemetery property on the east side of town to its current location west of thecentral business district. The church was enlarged and remodeled the following year. A school was begun by the parish in 1896, and the Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Family fromDubuque served as the teachers.
In 1901, Sacred Heart Parish was established in Pocahontas for the Germans and Irish, and school went with them. Saints Peter and Paul became a Bohemiannational parish to serve that immigrant community, and it became a parish of the Sioux City diocese when it was established the following year. It was difficult, however, for the bishop to maintain a Bohemian-speaking priest in the parish.[2] The Rev. Michael J. Kolvek was the pastor from 1923 to 1938, and the Rev. John Turza was the pastor from 1954 to 1957. The parish's other pastors could not speak the language.
Renovations were made to the church in 1957, which included new floors,pews, altar, andcommunion rail. It was redecorated in 1964, and changes were made a couple years later which reflected the liturgical changes inspired by theSecond Vatican Council. The altar was changed so the priest could face the congregation.
By 1975, Pocahontas no longer needed two parishes, let alone a national parish for Bohemians. BishopFrank Greteman merged both Saints Peter and Paul and Sacred Heart in Pocahontas into one parish named Resurrection of Our Lord. Both churches were initially used for liturgy. Saints Peter and Paul Church was permanently closed in 1983. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. The last Mass in the church was held in 1997.
The wood-frame building measures 90 by 32 feet (27.4 by 9.8 m) and it features a three-story tower.[2] It exhibits a combination ofItalianate andGreek Revival elements. The Italianate influence is found in the round-arched windows and the paired brackets on the belfry. The Greek Revival is found in thefanlight over the main entrance; thepilastered corner boards and the fanlight motif on the upper section of the tower; and the lantern that caps the tower.
Saints Peter and Paul is significant for several reasons. It was the first Catholic church inPocahontas County, and it holds an association with the Bohemian people who settled here. The church building is significant for its Italianate and Greek Revival design and its association with its builder, Will Hubbel. It is the last of the wood-frame church buildings left in Pocahontas, and one of the last in the county.[2]
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