| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office.
POINTED ARCH WINDOWS AND CENTRAL STEEPLE OVER ENTRY. (original church building) Dedicated 6/12/1884. Burned 1888, new church building completed 1889.
Additional Comments, 2023:
Architecture:
St. Mary’s Church sits in a rural setting on a large lot with an adjacent paved parking area. A recently-constructed “fieldstone” wall with gates separates the church from the cemetery at the rear of the building. The rectangular church building has a steeply-pitched gable roof and sits on a stone foundation. In the foundation there is a cornerstone marked “St. Mary’s June 12, 1884.” However, only the foundation dates from 1884. In 1889 the church burned and a new building was erected on the old foundation.
The walls of the building are covered with wooden clapboards and punctuated with gothic-arched openings. There are three large openings on each side wall filled with pictorial stained glass. Two smaller gothic-arched openings sit in the rear wall. On the main elevation there is a central square tower. It is topped with an octagonal belfry with louvered openings topped with a spire roof. The main entrance is in the first story of the tower and it features a double door topped with a large gothic-arched transom filled with stained glass. In the tower there are two additional gothic-arched openings.
The interior of the church is reached through a narrow foyer and double glass doors. The nave has a central aisle flanked by wooden benches sitting on wooden floors. There is a plaster ceiling and plaster walls. At the center of the ceiling is a painted medallion with a religious image. Along the side walls of the nave are sculptural stations of the cross.
The sanctuary was once divided by a communion railing, but it was removed in the 1960s when the “front” altar was added. The other original altars are still extant, including two side altars. They are decorated with elaborate reredos that have gothic-arched niches with statues of Mary and Joseph, steeply-pitched gables, pinnacles with crockets, columns, and quatrefoils.
The main altar is recessed behind a large gothic arch. It has a large reredos with three gothic-arched niches filled with statuary, large pinnacles with crockets and crosses, columns, and quatrefoils. The tabernacle sits at the center of the reredos and it is topped with a steeply pitched gable. Also in the sanctuary is a lectern, several chairs, a staircase leading out of the building, and a small room for storage of robes and supplies for masses.
History:
A large Irish immigrant farm community developed in this area. A tiny crossroads village existed during the historic period with a post office known as Stark, which gave the community its name. In 1884, the Irish Catholic farm families built a church near Stark (this location), but unfortunately it burned down in 1888. Using the 1884 foundation, the congregation rebuilt the church in 1889.
Unfortunately, in 1907 the village of Stark lost its main business and post office. The remaining building, the cheese factory, was reused until it, too burned in the 1950s. St. Mary’s Church is the only remaining building related to the old village of Stark.
(Carol Cartwright, 2023) |
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