Language
St. Mary Catholic Church, West Freedom, Wisconsin, USA
Notes: Records should be found in the record books of the church that served the St. Mary Mission church
A partial incomplete list of the dates and churches that served St. Mary Church West Freedom;
Bef 1879 St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Seymour
bet 5/30/1878 - 5/23/1879 St. Edwards Catholic Church, Mackville
Aft 1879 St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Seymour
abt 1880 St. Nicholas Catholic Church, Freedom
Bet 1890 - 1891 St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Seymour
aft 1891 St. Nicholas Catholic Church, Freedom
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The following is transcribed from Diocese Archives;
St. Mary's Parish of West Freedom, Outagamie, Wisconsin
In the early 1870's, a sizable number of Catholics were already living around the corners of the four townships of Black Creek, Osborn, Freedom and Center meet in Outagamie County. When Father Roman Scholter was Pastor at Seymour, he decided to build a church there to take care of the people. On December 13, 1876, THomas Monahan donated three acres of land near the northwest corner of Freedom to Frederick Krautbauer. On this land a church was erected, frame construction and veneered with brick.
In the Catholic Directory, it was officially called, "St. Mary's of West Freedom". It was sometmes called the "South Osborn" church because nearby stood the South Osborn Post Office. The most commonly used name eas the "Five Corners Church", because a road from the northwest entered the intersection of the east-west and north-south roads to form five corners, and the church stood near this intersection.
When Father Scholter arrived as Pastor of Mackville on May 0, 1878, he still kept the care of this Mission. When he left Mackville on May 23, 1879, the care of St. Mary's was given back to the Pastor at Seymour. In 1880 it was placed under the care of the Pastor at Freedom, In 1890 and 1891 the Seymour Priest again took care of it's needs. Shortly aftreward. it was again placed under the jurisdiction of the Freedom Pastor.
It was shortly sfter the beginning of the present century that an extensive program of renovation was carried out. This included, among other things, the laying of a hardwood floor, the installation of beautiful stained glass windows and the interior decorationg of the church. THru the industry of the mebers, there was no debt when work was completed.
And then the blow fell.
Father Van Heyster announced one Sunday, that he would no longer attend the mission but that it would be closed. The people divided, usually joining the Parish in the township in which they lived. The building dismantled. The brick was purchased by the neighbors. The timbers and lumber were hauled to the village of Oneida and reerected, this time sheathed with wooden siding. Th reerected church was solemnly blessed by Bishop Messmer on November 17, 1909 and was dedicated to St. Joseph.
No seperate record books were kept for the Mission, but the records were entered in the books of the Parish of the Paster who had charge of the place. Some of the bodies in the Cemetery were disinterred and reburied at Freedom. Today, a few stones still rise among the weeds to mark the place of the former burial ground.
Information from ;
Green Bay Catholic Diocese Archives
West Freedom, St. Mary Ghost File.
OpenStreetMap
Location : Latitude: 44.41585, Longitude: -88.37265
Stationed at
Matches 1 to 2 of 2
Last Name, Given Name(s)  |
Stationed at  |
Person ID | ||
| 1 |  Scholter, Reverend Roman | Between 30 May 1878 and 23 May 1879 | St. Mary Catholic Church, West Freedom, Wisconsin, USA | I328838 |
| 2 | Vanheyster, Reverend Peter Johannes | Bef 1909 | St. Mary Catholic Church, West Freedom, Wisconsin, USA | I308167 |
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