OLD CHURCH OF THE HOLY FAMILY - Cahokia, Illinois
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 38° 34.217 W 090° 11.319
15S E 744927 N 4272840
A log Catholic Church built in 1799 is listed as a National Historic Landmark.
Waymark Code: WM3FC8
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 03/28/2008
Views: 21
From Illinois: A Descriptive and Historical Guide - Alton section:
The OLD CHURCH OF THE HOLY FAMILY, now a parish meeting hall.
Completed in 1799, it was blessed in September of that year by Father Rivet,
pastor of Vincennes. The original walnut logs, hand-hewn and set upright,
in the Canadian palisade type construction, have been covered with clapboard.
The flaring eves are also suggestive of old Quebec.
The Holy Family Parish Log Church in Cahokia, Illinois is the oldest
continuously sited church in the state of Illinois. The Parish was established
in May, 1699. The original log church was destroyed by a fire in the 1730's and
the subsequent church was also destroyed by fire in 1783.
The present church, with a capacity of over 100 people, was dedicated in
1799. The church's construction is typical of the French Creole architecture of
the era. Built in the post-on-sill manner, a vertical log style that uses hewn
walnut logs placed upright on a horizontal base. The roof timbers are oak, and
the roof itself is made of cypress clapboards covered by sycamore and the church
is held together entirely with wooden pegs instead of nails. In l949, in time
for the parish’s 250th anniversary, the church was restored and the clapboard
siding mentioned in the Guide was removed at this time.
The church was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1970.
The church is open to visitors from Memorial Day through Labor Day, 10:00 AM
- 4:00 PM. Each Sunday Latin Mass is held at 9:00 AM.