St. Boniface Catholic Church (Westphalia, Iowa)
Saint Boniface Catholic Church District
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Location | Three blocks north of County Road F32, Westphalia, Iowa |
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Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
Area | 13.1 acres (5.3 ha) |
Built | 1882 |
MPS | Ethnic Historic Settlement of Shelby and Audubon Counties MPS |
NRHP Reference # | 91001449[1] |
Saint Boniface Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Des Moines. The church is located in Westphalia, Iowa, United States and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Saint Boniface Catholic Church District. The historical district includes the church, rectory, cemetery, school, Our Lady of Grace Shrine, St. Isadore Shrine, baseball diamond, clubhouse, and First Fruits (corn crib).[2]
Description
The area that is now Westphalia was settled by German Catholics in the 1870s.[2] The community’s founder, Herman Schwarte, envisioned a peaceful village where Germans could work the land, be self-sufficient and help one another. The community would be centered on their own church, and it remains a parish community.[2] The Emil Flusche home was the location of the first Catholic Mass.[2] The home was later moved behind St. Boniface Church.
St. Boniface Church was built from 1881-82. The workers baked their own bricks to build the church and forged the first of two 2.5 ton bells.[2] Since 1882 the parish has hosted a Fourth of July celebration.
References
External links
- Churches completed in 1882
- 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States
- Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Des Moines
- Buildings and structures in Shelby County, Iowa
- German-American culture in Iowa
- Roman Catholic churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa
- Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa
- Gothic Revival churches in Iowa
- Religious organizations established in 1872
- 1872 establishments in Iowa
- Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa
- National Register of Historic Places in Shelby County, Iowa