County of district: Moniteau County
Location of site: Cedron Rd & Zey St., Cedron (ghost town), ½ mile W. of MO-D, and several miles W. of Jamestown
Approved listing: 4 February 2014
"The rectory, now privately owned, was constructed in 1908 at a cost of $1800 and replaced an
1884 building. (See Photo 15, and Figure 9). It sits south across Cedron Road from the church
and its primary elevation faces north. It is a vernacular house type commonly called an L, or Tplan
house type. Its characterizing features are a prominent front gable at the east end which
projects from a long perpendicular recessed core. Though the type can come in one and twostory
variations, the Assumption rectory is a two-story frame example. The roof is metal frontgable
and hip with a lower gabled dormer on the west end. The walls are clad in painted cedar
siding that replaced the original deteriorated wood weatherboards.
The north (primary) elevation is divided into three bays, one consisting of the projecting front
gable, and two in the west wing. On the first floor of the projecting gable (eastern most bay) are
grouped windows with a wider centered 1/1 wood double hung sash flanked by equally tall but
narrower 1/1 wood double hung windows. The second floor of the front gable has a single
centered 1/1 double hung wood sash. Originally, woodwork in peak of the gable provided the
appearance of a pediment, though the entablature and cornice have since been removed. The
west wing is fronted by a one story shed roof porch supported by turned posts. The porch
shelters the front entrance that is roughly centered in the overall façade (center bay). In the
west bay are paired 1/1 wood sash windows. The second floor has one 1/1 wood double hung
window over the entrance, and a similar window in the west bay.
The west elevation shows the evolution of the house from rectory to family home after its sale to
a private owner. The north section is the original house and has two evenly spaced 1/1
windows on the first and second floor. Above this is a gabled dormer that retains its simple
wood entablature. The center section of this elevation is a later addition and consists of a
lattice-work enclosed shed roof porch that acts as a breezeway connection between the rear ell
of the house and the large two car garage to the south. The garage is a large Butler-type building with vertical metal siding and a metal-clad gable roof. The gable faces Cedron Road to
the west and contains two garage doors.
Access to the east and south elevations was limited due to private ownership of the property.
The east elevation of the original section of the house (north portion) can be seen on aerial
maps and contains two evenly spaced windows on both the first and second floors, likely of
similar configuration to those on the north façade. The southern section of this elevation is the
side wall of the rear one-story ell, a gable-roofed addition of unknown vintage. The south
elevation is obscured from public view from Cedron Road by the large garage.
The residence has seen several changes since its 1908 construction date, including the removal
of decorative porch elements and the addition of ells and garages to the rear (south). However,
the massing and character-defining features are still evident on the north façade. Also, as
viewed from the church yard the rear additions and garage are not readily apparent so the
district’s larger sense of time and place are retained. The importance of a rectory to historic
rural Catholic Church parishes, the retention of character defining features, and use of like if not
original siding materials are sufficient to evidence integrity and contribution to the district." ~ NRHP Nomination Form
"The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish Historic District is located at the intersection
of Cedron Road and Zey Lane in Cedron, Moniteau County. The Cedron settlement is
approximately four miles west of Jamestown. The church is representative of the center steeple
church type as described in the "Rural Church Architecture in Missouri c. 1819 to c. 1945"
Multiple Property Documentation Form. Originally a brick gable-end church, constructed in
1867-1872 as the congregation outgrew its earlier log structure, the brick church took on its
current center-steeple appearance in 1903. At that time a three-tiered brick bell tower and
sacristy (including apse and vestry) were built from plans by O.E. Sprouce. The church
entrance faces west under the bell tower. The church is the center of a small historic district
containing four contributing buildings and one contributing site. Typical of rural Catholic
parishes, the congregation supported a school, rectory, and cemetery which remain on the 4.5
acre property. The cemetery lies on the north side of the church and contains approximately
two hundred eighty-five (285) graves with the earliest dating from November 1841. The one
room schoolhouse is a frame, gable front building constructed, c. 1900. A recently restored
historic shed roof privy is located west of the church. The rectory, an L-Plan house is located
south of the church and was constructed in 1908. " ~ NRHP Nomination Form
"Traveling Jesuit priest Father Ferdinand Helias was born to Belgian aristocracy but made his name legendary for his dedication to bringing faith to the wilds of Missouri in the state’s early days. From his early teen years, Helias dreamed of a life spent sharing the Gospel with the Native Americans. Fleeing persecution in his homeland, Helias arrived in New York in 1833, learned German in Pennsylvania and then taught languages, canon law and moral theology at St. Louis University by 1835" ~ News Tribune By Michelle Brooks
Thursday, September 3, 2015
The church's own web site has great history and details