Cape Blanco Catholic Church - Oregon
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Volcanoguy
N 42° 50.493 W 124° 32.559
10T E 373937 N 4744373
The old Cape Blanco Catholic Church site at Cape Blanco State Park, Oregon.
Waymark Code: WM80KZ
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 01/03/2010
Published By:Groundspeak Charter Member BruceS
Views: 2

From the guidebook:
At 161 m. is the junction with a gravel road.
Right on this road through rhododendron and azalea thickets and over lupine-covered hills to the CAPE BLANCO CATHOLIC CHURCH (L), 4.4 m., now in ruins; bats cling to the alter and the glass in the pointed window frames is shattered. By the walk is the flower-matted grave of Patrick Hughes, founder of the parish and builder of the church.

---Oregon: End of the Trail

The road to this site is now paved and the site is within Cape Blanco State Park. The church is now gone and only grave markers that were around the church remain.
More info on the old church link
Text of history sign near site of church:
Patrick and Jane Hughes’ strong support of education and religion helped their children and community flourish.
Oregon’s pioneers had to build or make almost everything they needed, including schools and churches. Like many in the area, Patrick and Jane were devout Roman Catholics, and the church they built for traveling priests was a cornerstone of their growing community. They hired Pehr Lingberg, who would also build the Hughes’ new house, to build the church. They called it Mary, Star of the Sea.
This area had no schools for pioneer children in the 1860s and 70s. The eldest Hughes son, Edward, was sent to Vancouver, Washington for a formal education. Upon his return, he taught his younger siblings the 3Rs: reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic.
In 1881, the Hughes built a small school for children of the area, affectionately known as “Cape Blanco University.” Teachers were paid $35 to $50 dollars per month, plus room and board.
After Jane Hughes’ funeral in 1923, the church was seldom used and fell into disrepair.

Book: Oregon: End of the Trail

Page Number(s) of Excerpt: 384

Year Originally Published: 1940

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Volcanoguy visited Cape Blanco Catholic Church - Oregon 09/01/2009 Volcanoguy visited it