This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Saint Simon's Fire and St Joseph's Church History
The article recalls Father Brady succeeding Scallon and McCormick in 1879, when St Simon's burned after a girl, Margaret Mooney, rescued items from the blaze. It notes the 1879 Observer report, Mass in the courthouse, and the 1880 construction of St Joseph's Church. Father Maher built and funded initial parish schools, with Sisters of Mercy arriving in 1890. later the first St Joseph's school burned in 1918 and classes moved temporarily.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Father Brady
Father Scallon
Father McCormick
St. Simon’s
St Simon’s
DeWitt
the Observer
Old Court House
St. Joseph’s
Father P
Maher
American Legion Home
Sisters of Mercy
Cedar Rapids
St.: Joseph’s New School
DeWitt Memorial Com
Pny
Asa
Thomas Quigley
Father Maher