Pioneer Square in Seattle in King County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)

Our Lady of Good Help

Site of Seattle’s First Catholic Church

— 1870 — 1904 —

Our Lady of Good Help Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, February 21, 2026

1. Our Lady of Good Help Marker

Inscription.
Designed and built by Seattle’s pioneer priest, Father Francis X. Prefontaine (1838-1909), the church was completed in 1870 and was the spiritual home of Princess Angeline, daughter of Chief Si’ahl (Seattle), and other outstanding figures in the early history of Seattle.

In 1904, the church was moved from this site to the corner of 5th Avenue and Jefferson Street. It was demolished after the 1949 earthquake.

Erected 2016 by St. James Cathedral, Seattle.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1870.

Location. 47° 36.06′ N, 122° 19.809′ W. Marker is in Seattle, Washington, in King County. It is in Pioneer Square. It is at the intersection of South Washington Street and 3rd Avenue South, on the left when traveling east on South Washington Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 S Washington St, Seattle WA 98104, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Washington’s Puget Sound Region.

It is also on

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the American Pacific Coast,

in the Pacific Northwest,

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

Globally, it is in North America,

in the Cascade Range,

in the Inside Passage,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The White Chapel District (within shouting distance of this marker); Lou Graham’s Sporting House (within shouting distance of this marker); Who built Seattle? (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Starting Over After the War (about 400 feet away); Wartime Incarceration (about 400 feet away); Great Northern Tunnel (about 400 feet away); A Thriving Nihonmachi (about 400 feet away); Japanese Farmers and Alien Land Laws (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Seattle.

More about this marker. The marker hangs on the SW corner of the Trustee Company building facing 3rd Avenue.

Also see . . . Seattle's first Roman Catholic Church is built in 1869.

In 1869, Seattle's first Roman Catholic Church is built. It
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, February 21, 2026

2. Our Lady of Good Help Marker
The marker can bee seen between the lightpost and a fire hydrant in the photo.
is called Our Lady of Good Help and guided by Fr. Francis Xavier Prefontaine (1838-1908) until its demolition in 1904. It is the third church in the village.

Fr. Louis Rossi purchased property for the church on the corner of 3rd Avenue S and S Washington Street during a brief visit to Seattle in 1858. Fr. Prefontaine arrived in 1867 and completed the church two years later. It was enlarged several times, and torn down in 1904.

(Submitted on March 5, 2026, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)

Our Lady of Good Help Catholic Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed by University of Washington Digital Libraries, 1902

3. Our Lady of Good Help Catholic Church

Credits. This page was last revised on March 6, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 5, 2026, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. This page has been viewed 39 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 5, 2026, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.