Saints Peter and Paul Church (Petersburg, Iowa)

United States historic place

Saints Peter and Paul Church

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

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Location| Jct. of C64 and X47
Petersburg, Iowa
Coordinates| 42°33′18″N 91°12′51″W﻿ / ﻿42.55500°N 91.21417°W﻿ / 42.55500; -91.21417
Area| 2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built| 1906
Architect| Martin Heer
Architectural style| Late Gothic Revival
NRHP reference No.| 94001589[1]
Added to NRHP| January 24, 1995

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church  is a parish church in the Archdiocese of Dubuque. The church is located in the unincorporated community of Petersburg, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

## History

[edit]

The first church building for Saints Peter and Paul parish was constructed of limestone in 1868. The present church was completed in 1906. It was constructed in cut-stone, quarried in Stone City, Iowa, in the Late Gothic Revival style. It was designed by Dubuque architect Martin Heer. The church was commissioned during the pastorate of the Rev. William B. Sassen in 1903. The foundation was laid by M.J. Mersch, and Dubuque contractor F.D. Schnak was responsible for the superstructure. The altars and the confessionals were created by the Hackner Altar Company of La Crosse, Wisconsin. The interior frescos were the work of Joseph Walters of Dubuque. The stained glass windows were designed and manufactured under the direction of Victor von der Frost in Munster, Germany. The church was completed for $85,000.[2] The pipe organ in the rear gallery was built by the Tellers Organ Company of Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1939. In addition to the church, the rectory (1917) and an Art Deco school building are located on the parish grounds.

* From the north

* Side elevation

* Rear elevation

* Rectory

## Architecture

[edit]

The church is, by far, the dominant structure in the village of Petersburg.[2] The cross-shaped structure is 150 by 54 feet (46 by 16 m), and 74 feet (23 m) wide at the transept. The tall central tower and spire on the main facade rises 145 feet (44 m). It is flanked by two 120 feet (37 m) towers on the corners of the facade.[2] The side elevations are six bays long, including the corner tower and the transept. Each bay features a large lancet window below a grouping of three small lancet windows in a wall dormer above. Rose windows replace the window groups in the wall dormers on the transept. In the rear of the structure is a polygonal apse surrounded by a rectangular sacristy.

## School

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Saints Peter and Paul School, later the Petersburg campus of Archbishop Hennessy Catholic School

Prior to 1987 Saints Peter and Paul School served as the parish school.

Archbishop Hennessy Catholic School formed in 1987 as part of a consolidation,[3] which had two locations: grades K-3 in New Vienna and preschool and 4-6 in Petersburg.[4] It served as the joint parish school for Saints Peter and Paul as well as Saint Boniface Church in New Vienna.[5] Enrollment was over 100 at that time.[6] The school had a relationship with Beckman Catholic High School in Dyersville.[7] In 2013 the school consolidated all grades into its Petersburg location. Its enrollment at that time was 60.[3] Enrollments consistently decreased prior to 2017:[8] by 2017 the school only had 45 students. Archbishop Hennessy closed in 2018.[6]

The remaining Catholic grade school in the "Spires of Faith" Catholic church network is St. Francis Xavier Catholic School in Dyersville.[9]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. ^ a b c Sara Anne Daines. "Saints Peter and Paul Church". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-01-17. with photos
3. ^ a b Muilenburg, Matt (27 February 2013). "Hennessy School consolidation underway". Dyersville Commercial. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
4. ^ "school.html". Hennessy School. 2001-06-06. Archived from the original on 2001-06-06. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
5. ^ Kruse-Domeyer, Jill (2017-10-13). "Archbishop Hennessy to close at end of the school year". The Witness. Retrieved 2020-04-07.
6. ^ a b Wong, Allison (2017-09-21). "Hennessy Catholic School to close at the end of the school year". KCRG-TV. Retrieved 2020-04-07.
7. ^ "School". Hennessy Catholic School. 2001-06-06. Archived from the original on 2001-06-06. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
8. ^ "Hennessy School in Petersburg Will Close". KMCH. 2017-09-20. Retrieved 2020-04-07.
9. ^ "Home". St. Francis Xavier Catholic School. Retrieved 2020-04-18. \- linked from the Spires of Faith homepage (as of 2020/04/18)-->

## External links

[edit]

Media related to Saints Peter and Paul Church (Petersburg, Iowa) at Wikimedia Commons

* Ss. Peter & Paul - Petersburg \- In the Spires of Faith official website
* Archbishop Hennessy Catholic School at the Wayback Machine (archive index)

* v
* t
* e

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque

Ordinaries|

Bishops
Mathias Loras
Clement Smyth

Archbishops
John Hennessy
John Keane
James Keane
Francis Beckman
Henry Rohlman
Leo Binz
James Byrne
Daniel Kucera
Jerome Hanus
Michael Jackels
Thomas Robert Zinkula

Auxiliary bishops|

* Edward Aloysius Fitzgerald
* Loras Thomas Lane
* George Biskup
* Loras Joseph Watters
* Francis John Dunn
* William Edwin Franklin

Churches|

Cathedral
St. Raphael's Cathedral, Dubuque

Parishes
Basilica of St. Francis Xavier, Dyersville
St. John XXIII, Cedar Rapids
Holy Ghost, Dubuque
Holy Trinity, Luxemburg
Sacred Heart, Dubuque
Sacred Heart, Fillmore
St. Boniface, New Vienna
St. Donatus, St. Donatus
St. Joseph, Elkader
St. Joseph, Key West
Saint Joseph the Worker, Dubuque
St. Martin, Cascade
St. Mary, Guttenberg
St. Patrick, Dubuque
St. Patrick, Garryowen
St. Lawrence, Otter Creek
St. Paul, Worthington
Saints Peter and Paul, Petersburg

Former parishes
Saint Joseph's Prairie Church
St. Mary, Dubuque
St. Joseph, Stone City

Education|

Higher education
Clarke University
Divine Word College
Loras College
Mount Mercy University
St. Pius X Seminary, Dubuque

High schools
Beckman High School, Dyersville
Columbus High School, Waterloo
Don Bosco High School, Gilbertville
Marquette High School, Bellevue
Newman Catholic High School, Mason City
Wahlert High School, Dubuque
Xavier High School, Cedar Rapids

Primary schools
Mazzuchelli Middle School, Dubuque
Holy Family Catholic Schools, Dubuque
St. Mary's School, Guttenberg

Former schools
Sacred Heart School, Dubuque
St. Luke's School, St. Lucas

Religious orders|

* New Melleray Abbey
* Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey
* Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Priests|

* John George Alleman
* John Patrick Carroll
* James Vincent Casey
* Joseph Crétin
* Justin Albert Driscoll
* Thomas William Drumm
* Raymond Philip Etteldorf
* Daniel Mary Gorman
* Edward Howard
* William Michael Joensen
* Louis Benedict Kucera
* Mathias Clement Lenihan
* Thomas Mathias Lenihan
* William Menster
* J. A. M. Pelamourgues
* Aloysius Schmitt
* Joseph Clement Willging
* Thomas Zinkula

Miscellany|

* Mount Saint Bernard Seminary and Barn
* Our Mother of Sorrows Grotto Historic District

* Catholicism portal

* v
* t
* e

National Register of Historic Places in Delaware County, Iowa

Coggon|

* Robert Kirkpatrick Round Barn

Delhi|

* Bay Settlement Church and Monument

Dundee|

* Backbone State Park, Cabin-Bathing Area (Area A)
* Backbone State Park, Picnicking, Hiking & Camping Area (Area B)
* Backbone State Park, Richmond Springs (Area C)

Earlville|

* Ruth Suckow House

Hopkinton|

* Historic Lenox College

Manchester|

* Coffin's Grove Stagecoach House
* Delaware County Courthouse
* J.J. Hoag House
* Lincoln Elementary School
* McGee School
* Spring Branch Butter Factory Site

Petersburg|

* Saints Peter and Paul Church

Strawberry Point|

* Backbone State Park Historic District

See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Delaware County, Iowa and List of National Historic Landmarks in Iowa
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