St. Patrick's Irish Settlement & Catholic Church

The Irish Settlement at St. Patrick’s is one of the earliest settlements in our county, and represents the Irish immigrant and Catholic culture here. St. Patrick’s Parish (40 acres of land located donated by Thomas Finan, and described as the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of Section 36 in Lee Township) was established in 1852 by Father Timothy Mullen. In a letter Father Mullen wrote in June 1853, he reported that “The Irish Colony I established in this vicinity is in a flourishing state. There is still excellent prairie and timber vacant, we expect an increase of twenty families in September.”

A log church was added in the summer of 1856 but by the year 1868, the original log church had been outgrown and a larger frame church that exists today was built. The parish cemetery suffered from a fire in 1857, which destroyed many of its earliest graves and markers. The remaining headstones offer a glimpse of the names of some of our earliest settlers and the tragedies that sometimes befell them. St. Patrick’s Church was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It was honored in 1979 by a visit from Pope John Paul II on October 4.

The church is still active. Visitors are welcome to tour the grounds of the church and cemetery year-round. 

Category: Historical

Contact

3396 155th St
Cumming, IA 50061
(515) 462-1026