April 25, 1890 Oshkosh Northwestern
News filler, to be sure here. But then the St. Mary's story.... I had just assumed that when St. Mary's was built in 1883, the tall spire was built at the same time and that the church looked then as it does now. Now I read this, that it wasn't built until 7 years later? I've never come across a photo of those in-between years. Did the original church have a spire? And if so, was the existing one damaged? Or was the cost so prohibitive that more fundraising had to be conducted at a later date? Sounds like a call for more research.
Having assisted a custodian replace light bulbs in the church by lowering the large fixtures from the attic space above the ceiling (and getting very, very sick from bat poop dust), it appears to me that there was at one time a smaller steeple, and then it was added on to to make it taller. This is what it looks like to me, anyway.
ReplyDeleteThat seems to substantiate what the article said. Thanks so much for bringing your personal experience to light.
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