The History of St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church
East Troy, Wisconsin
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Note: The information on this page was secured from several outlets, including the St. Peter’s Anniversary Booklet 1954, the Walworth County Historical Society, and from parish members. March, 2022
Imagine living in the 1800’s. The population of East Troy was around 100 at most. You’re raising a family, a homestead to tend, crops and livestock to manage. Traveling was difficult either by foot or horseback…there were no paved roads. And, imagine not having a church to attend. No regular Sunday Masses. You wait with anticipation for a priest on horseback to come and hold Mass in your house (or your neighbor’s). Imagine not having a church building to walk into where you feel closer to God.
That is what our founding parishioners dealt with over 170 years ago. These founding parishioners had such faith that they built the Catholic heritage that we continue to appreciate today in East Troy.
East Troy was founded in the mid 1800’s and the Catholic Church was organized here in 1851. The first parishioners and priests were Irish, Scottish and German immigrants as well as first generation New Yorkers who looked for new opportunities, religious freedom and rich farmland. These families were the Porters, Johnstons, Judes, Schwartzes, Wilmers, Mahoneys, Clearys and many others. You might recognize some of their names as still having descendants here. For example, James and Alex Porter came to America in 1823 from Galloway, Scotland. They settled near Charleston, SC and then moved to East Troy and purchased land in 1838. James Porter is the great-great grandfather to the Atkinson Family.
These families prayed for a missionary priest to visit them, and so came Fr. Thomas Morrissy, a native of Ireland, who was the first priest to celebrate Mass in East Troy in 1842. For 20 years, he was a missionary “circuit rider” riding on an Indian pony from parish to parish all over southeast Wisconsin. People were anxious to have Mass read in their homes. Seats were out of the question; you either stood or knelt and were happy to have the opportunity.
The rugged frontier work took a toll on Fr. Morrisy’s health. On his last trip he became ill and stayed overnight at the home of the aforementioned Paul Schwartz. The next day he left and then passed away at the home of James Porter.
The rugged frontier work took a toll on Fr. Morrisy’s health. On his last trip he became ill and stayed overnight at the home of the aforementioned Paul Schwartz. The next day he left and then passed away at the home of James Porter.
Later, in 1852, the resident pastor in Waukesha organized a parish in East Troy. He came once a month and held services in the various homes for which he received $50 annually which is about $1,800 today.
The original settlers plotted the Village of East Troy with areas designated for churches. And, in 1854, St. Thaddeus Catholic Church was built on Division Street near Elm. It was a frame 30x40’ building and cost $1,200 to build (about $40,000 today).
In 1856 St. Thaddeus was blessed and Mass was celebrated by Bishop Henni. After Mass, he confirmed a class of 49 people; many of them adults.
As the population in East Troy began to grow, it was determined in 1870 that St. Thaddeus became inadequate in size to accommodate parishioners. So here comes Alex Porter who donated land on Beulah Ave (known back then as Oak Street). They also donated land for St. Peter’s cemetery.
St. Thaddeus was eventually sold and moved to become part of what we now know as the East Troy House.
The original settlers plotted the Village of East Troy with areas designated for churches. And, in 1854, St. Thaddeus Catholic Church was built on Division Street near Elm. It was a frame 30x40’ building and cost $1,200 to build (about $40,000 today).
In 1856 St. Thaddeus was blessed and Mass was celebrated by Bishop Henni. After Mass, he confirmed a class of 49 people; many of them adults.
As the population in East Troy began to grow, it was determined in 1870 that St. Thaddeus became inadequate in size to accommodate parishioners. So here comes Alex Porter who donated land on Beulah Ave (known back then as Oak Street). They also donated land for St. Peter’s cemetery.
St. Thaddeus was eventually sold and moved to become part of what we now know as the East Troy House.
For the building of St. Peter’s church, a stone mason named Titus from Beulah Station was hired and with parishioners, they hauled the stone from Casselman’s Quarry which was at Potter’s Lake. In our church archives, we found a hand written editorial from parishioner Lawrence Clancy dated 1946. Lawrence was baptized in 1861 and was grandfather to Elizabeth Price.
“The stone which forms the walls of this church, we obtained from the Casselman Quarry on the shore of Potter’s Lake. They were hauled from quarry to church site by members of the parish, with horse and wagon of those days. I had the pleasure of riding in several such loads, hauled by our horse team, and driven by my older brother.” ~ Lawrence Clancy
The new church was completed in 1872 at a cost of $16,000 (around $369,000 today). It was named St. Peter the Apostle after the disciple of Christ who denied him three times and also singled out as “the rock upon which I will build my church”.
On March 8, 1883 St. Peter’s Congregation was incorporated under the laws of the State of Wisconsin. The church was completed in 1872 but it wasn’t incorporated until 11 years later in 1883.
For eight years after the consecration of St. Peter’s, there was no bell in the steeple. In 1880, the church bell was purchased by Fr. James Fitzgibbons. On the day the bell was blessed, parishioner Michael Rush (who lived next door to the church) volunteered to ring the Angelus daily for as long as he lived. After he passed, his wife carried on for him until she was no longer able.
Back then, ringing of the bell, known as the Angelus, was a very important part of a Catholic’s life. The Angelus (Latin for Angel) is a devotional practice that was developed over several centuries. It was designed to commemorate the mystery of the Incarnation and to honor Mary. It signified the time for worshipers to stop whatever they were doing and recite a simple but
beautiful prayer. The ringing consisted of three strokes of the bell, each followed by a pause and then nine strokes. The Angelus was performed three times each day at 6am, noon and 6pm. This manner has changed little since the 11th century.
Here’s an entertaining photo of Jim Friemoth dated 1954 being pulled up by the bell rope.
In 1888, a piece of land across the street from the church was purchased and a school was built at a cost of $4000 (around $118,000 today). Notice the cross impression made with bricks. These areas are now windows.
Sisters from St. Francis taught at the school but due to lack of enrollment and transportation problems, the school closed only eight years later. Transportation problems didn’t mean school buses needed new tires – farming families had a hard time getting their students to school in the morning especially when morning chores like feeding their livestock were a priority.
These next two slides were photos made into postcards from the early 1900s. Notice how each child was well dressed and of course they are all wearing or holding a hat.
Now let’s take a look at the church building and how it has changed over the years.
In 1900, the sanctuary, chapel and storeroom were added. They were built from limestone again, hauled from Whitewater by our faithful parishioners. Additionally, three gothic style altars were installed.
Below is the oldest photo we found of the church interior.
Let’s look closely at the altar. Back then, there was the main altar and then two side altars. The side altars each had statuary in them. Notice the ornate paintings symmetrically surrounding the altars and on the side walls as well. There is a hint of detail painting also on the ceiling as well. Surrounding each art glass window are ornate embellishments. Also notice the white communion railing.
Here is a better photo from the 1940 during Christmastime. The painting has been updated. Notice the Frescos on the ceiling and walls.
Getting back to the improvements made over the years, in 1910, these magnificent art glass windows were installed. Here are two windows that many of us don’t notice:
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Below photo of window inside the altar.
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Below photo of window above the main entrance.
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Other than their beauty, why do you think these windows were installed as they are? We learned that the early church wanted to communicate the Bible in pictures and symbols to those who were illiterate. Stained glass and art glass windows told Bible stories. Steeples or spires on the altar helped by pointing upwards devotedly to heaven.
From 1915 to the 1930’s, many enhancements were made.
The following photos show some of the intricate details which enhanced the beauty of our church.
- In 1915, the parsonage was built which is now Gerard’s Embrace. At the time it cost $7,000 which is about $195,000 today.
- A pipe organ was installed in 1918. The Ladies Catholic Aide Society, now known as the Ladies Sodality paid $3,000 for the organ which is about $47,000 today
- Improvements to the church were made such a new slate roof, Stations of the Cross were added, a communion rail was added, and the church was re-frescoed.
- We also purchased five additional acres to the west – where we have the playground and open land.
The following photos show some of the intricate details which enhanced the beauty of our church.
This is from the Milton and Yvonne Friemoth wedding. Notice the detailed carving in the altar. We also see the walls above the side altars were painted – no more frescos. But we do see our current lighting fixtures.
Here we have a lovely bridesmaid from the Cathy and Merle Messerschmidt wedding in 1966. Do you notice symbolic St. Peter’s keys just over the door?
This is a beautiful colored photo showing that we still have the details on the ceiling but the frescos over the side altars are gone. Notice the intricate painting on the walls inside the nave.
Here you see that the bride and groom are outside of the communion altar. This is because the groom was not Catholic, therefore they were unable to proceed past the communion rail.
Here’s another picture from the 1960’s. Notice the Stations of the Cross as they were all white back then. The Stations follow the path of Christ from Pontius Pilate’s palace to Christ’s tomb. This devotion has evolved over time. Tradition tells us that our Blessed Mother visited daily the scenes of our Lord’s Passion. After Christianity was legalized in the year 312, this pathway was marked with its important stations. Pilgrims from various countries visited those holy places and followed the Way of the Cross.
Many of you may recall not long ago when funds were raised to have each station repainted by hand in color. Each station cost $1000 to have detailed.
In the 1960’s a number of changes occurred:
- St. Peter’s school was built at a cost of $365,000 ($3.5 mil today). Enrollment for four grades was 98 students.
- A new convent was built which is now the parish offices and rectory at a cost of $85,000 ($807k today).
- In 1961, our first Fall Festival was held. What an important event that has become over these 61 years as a source of income and a day to celebrate our parish heritage
- St. Peter’s started their own council of the Knights of Columbus which became the primary group for men.
In 1971, a major restoration took place for $40,000 which included underbracing the church, new wiring and plumbing, new pews and carpeting, a new sacristy and the removal of the two side altars. The interior was painted gray, as neutral tones were the style then.
In the 1980’s another renovation took place under the direction of Fr. John Twomey which included painting the church interior from gray to off-white. Fr. John wrote about improvements to the buildings. “…before it felt like an old barn. Now it’s cheerful and bright, even on a cloudy day.” “…with initiative and cooperation of the organizations and committees, St. Peter’s parishioners redecorated the church, restored altar candelabra, renovated louvered sections of the windows, replaced furnaces and the school roof and brought the parish facilities up to par. The Parish Finance Committee was able to erase the indebtedness of the parish and built up a reserve.”
For the walls and ceiling, a layer of fiberglass was applied in 80 foot strips laminated to the areas. This bonded the surface and covers any cracks that would appear in the future.
Fr. Larry and Fr. Mark have been proponents for retaining and restoring our historic church. During their tenure, major repairs were made to the church steeple, the organ, tuck pointing to the outside stone, new carpeting, painting and of course, we have our beautiful 112-year-old windows which were refurbished thanks to the generosity of our parish family.
I think Fr. Larry said it well when he wrote:
I think Fr. Larry said it well when he wrote:
Let us remember the Good Shepherds of St. Peters. Here are two slides of the more recent leaders of our flock; each with their own personality and focus.
How do we thank our founding parishioners for establishing our church? Perhaps by continuing to take care of our building, continuing to spread the Word of Jesus Christ and by continuing our spiritual journey together as one parish!
As we wrap up this 150-year visit, we hope you’ve been inspired to appreciate the dedication of the faithful who built St. Peter’s to what it is today. May we continue their legacy into the next 150 years.
