St. Jude Thadeus Church Bell Tower - Mokane, MO
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 38° 40.659 W 091° 52.572
15S E 597753 N 4281605
Built in 1900 by the Presbyterians, and acquired by the Catholics in 1908.
Waymark Code: WMXPTW
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 02/10/2018
Views: 0
County of church: Callaway County
Location of church: Collier St & Adams St., Mokane
Phone: (573) 642-5562
Pastor: Rev. Frank A. Bussmann
"Little is available on the history of the church in readily accessible books or histories. The brief history of Mokane on the Kingdom of
Callaway Historical Society website mentions that the “Catholic Church bought the church building owned by the Presbyterians in
1908,” but little else was found on the early Presbyterian congregation in Mokane or the Catholic congregation that continues to use the
building. That Mokane is located near the historic village of Cote Sans Desseins, where the county’s earliest church, a Catholic
congregation, organized. Though the village and church disbanded long before the town of Mokane was established, the roots of the
town’s Catholic Church could be in the decedents of the county’s earliest setters.
"The church sits near one of the highest points in town and its original front (now the rear of the building) looks over an small vale
leading down to Fulton St. The block on which the church sits is triangular, with the building sitting in the northeast corner surrounded
by a grassy lawn. Across the street to the north are residential buildings.
"Originally a frame side steeple church with cross gable roof and stone foundation, the building has been reoriented with a rear addition
now acting as the front of the building. The original portion of the building faced west southwest overlooking a slope leading to Fulton
Street, Mokane’s main street. The original entrance may have been located in the large corner tower, but modern vinyl siding obscures
original features of the tower and original (west) elevation of the building. The west elevation likely contained an entrance or large
window, but is now a blank wall due to the installation of modern siding. The eastern elevation (now the “front”) consists of a gable front
addition, the gable shorter and at a lower pitch that the original building block. Centered in the elevation are paired doors sheltered
beneath a gable front porch roof."
~ Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Rural Churches in Callaway County, PDF page 21