Church of the Sacred Heart (Catholic) - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

Gothic/Romanesque Revival church built of St. Cloud brick in 1905-06 as spiritual, cultural, and social center of German community.

This German Catholic parish of Freeport was at first part of the New Munich parish. In 1881, the parish applied to the Diocese of St. Cloud for a priest, and Father Simplicius Wimmer was sent to them He built the first church, a small frame structure that was dedicated in 1882. It was 36 X 70 feet and had a steeple on the front. It stood on the site of the present rectory and cost $4000 including furnishings. A rectory was constructed in 1890. The old church was donated to the parish of St. Rose and moved five miles north. it stands to this day but is mostly unrecognizable by being brick veneered and enlarged.

The parish soon outgrew this modest little church and decided to build a new on e in 1896.. It was brick veneered and seated 1000 people. This parish cost more than $30,000 to build.

In 1904, a lightning strike and fire destroyed the church. The parish immediately decided to rebuild and everyone pitched in, including the priest. The third church was even larger and more ornate than the preceding one. Thirty eight boxcar loads of brick were required to build it. The main altar and side altars were made by the Daprato Statuary Co. Of New York at the total cost of $4,400. The stained glassed windows were made by Ford Brothers Glass Co. Of Minneapolis. In 1915 a clock was purchased from Hoffman-Pollhaus Clock Manufacturing Co. of St. Louis and installed in the steeple along with a chime of four bells. The total cost of the church was about $115,000 and was finished in 1915.

Street address: 110 3rd Ave. N.E. Freeport, MN USA County / Borough / Parish: Stearns Year listed: 1991 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event Periods of significance: 1900-1924 Historic function: Religion Current function: Religion/Church Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   08/05/2010 msrubble visited it

View all visits/logs