Belle Plaine in Scott County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration
Photographed By K. Linzmeier, May 16, 2013
1. The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration Marker
In 1867 a New York architect sent the plans for a new church in Belle Plaine to Bishop Whipple. The church was built in 1868 on land contributed by Territorial Judge Andrew G. Chatfield, founder of Belle Plaine. The congregation organized in 1858 and peaked in 1871, when the Parochial Report to the Diocese showed 16 families with a total of 70 members.
In the 1860s and 1870s immigrants were coming to the Minnesota River Valley in large numbers from Germany, Ireland and Czechoslovakia. These Lutherans and Roman Catholics brought their own clergy and formed ethnic churches having no need for an English - speaking Episcopal Church. For some, the Episcopal Church had an aristocratic image that made it seem incompatible with frontier life. The congregation slowly dwindled and disbanded in the 1950s.
The architecture of the church is Prairie Gothic. Pointed arches, a steeply gabled roof, and functional buttresses made out of wood characterized this architectural style. The Episcopal Church's employment of Gothic architecture, popular at the time, symbolized tradition and history in the newly settled Minnesota River Valley.
Scott County Historical Society
Erected 1999 by the Scott County Historical Society.
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Churches & Religion • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1867.
Location. 44° 37.473′ N, 93° 45.815′ W. Marker is in Belle Plaine, Minnesota, in Scott County. Marker is on North Walnut Street (State Highway 25) north of East Church Street, on the right when traveling north. Marker is at Founders Memorial Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 201 North Walnut Street, Belle Plaine MN 56011, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Veterans Memorial (approx. half a mile away); a different marker also named Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.6 miles away); Nachbar Donated Site (approx. 7.2 miles away); Service Roll (approx. 8.4 miles away); Exiled from Their Homeland (approx. 9.6 miles away); The U.S.–Dakota War of 1862 (approx. 9.6 miles away); Joseph R. Brown Minnesota River Center (approx. 9.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Belle Plaine.
Also see . . . Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration (Belle Plaine, Minnesota). Wikipedia entry. (Submitted on June 11, 2013.)
Photographed By K. Linzmeier, May 16, 2013
2. The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration Marker
Photographed By K. Linzmeier, May 16, 2013
3. The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration Marker
Photographed By K. Linzmeier, May 16, 2013
4. Marker and Church
Photographed By K. Linzmeier, May 16, 2013
5. Marker and Church
Photographed By K. Linzmeier, May 16, 2013
6. The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration
Photographed By K. Linzmeier, May 16, 2013
7. The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration
Photographed By K. Linzmeier, May 16, 2013
8. The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration
Photographed By K. Linzmeier, May 16, 2013
9. The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration Sign
The Scott County Historical Society · Founded 1854 · Organized 1858 · Constructed 1868 · Consecrated 1870
Photographed By K. Linzmeier, May 16, 2013
10. Founders Memorial Park
Credits. This page was last revised on December 15, 2020. It was originally submitted on June 11, 2013, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 659 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 11, 2013, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. 5. submitted on June 12, 2013, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. submitted on June 11, 2013, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.
