St. John the Baptist Catholic Church Tower - San Juan TX
Posted by: 
PeterNoG
N 26° 11.682 W 098° 09.407
14R E 584249 N 2897519
This Bell Rower is at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church at 216 West 1st Street in San Juan, Texas.
Waymark Code: WMKFY5
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 04/09/2014
Views: 1
~ text from Texas Historical Marker beside the tower ~
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church
In 1925, Reverend Alphonse Jalbert, OMI, built a chapel for the hispanic community of San Juan. The first pastor, Father Jose Azpiazu, installed a statue of the Virgen de San Juan de Los Lagos in 1948, and the mission was designated a parish in 1949. A new church was built in 1954. During the next ten years, facilities for pilgrims were added. In 1970, a tragic plane crash and fire destroyed the church/shrine but the statue and bell tower survived. In 1972, the shrine was separated from the parish. The shrine/basilica of Our Lady of San Juan Del Valle was dedicated in 1980 and became the new home of the statue. In 1975, a new St. John the Baptist Parish Church was built beside the bell tower.
Marker is Property of the State of Texas (2012)
Address of Tower:
216 West 1st Street
San Juan, TX United States
Still Operational: yes
Number of bells in tower?: 1
Rate tower: 
Tours or visits allowed in tower?: Unknown
Relevant website?: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Please post an original picture of the tower taken while you were there. Please also record how you came to be at this tower and any other interesting information you learned about it while there.