Lannon in Waukesha County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Pioneer St. James Catholic Church

of Menomonee Falls

St. James Catholic Church Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Paul F, June 29, 2010

1. St. James Catholic Church Marker

Inscription. Congregation began in Irish settlement between old Lannon Springs and Templeton about 1841. First mass was said in James Brogan’s log cabin.

Original church built of local stone and dedicated, 1848, by parishioners and Fr. James Colton, first resident pastor. Church enlarged and tower built in 1886. From 1907 to 1933 most parish groups organized. Church steeple destroyed by lightning fire Aug. 1921 and not restored.

Centennial of church celebrated, 1948, with Archbishop Moses E. Kiley.

From 1954 to 1961: new buildings included school, convent, and church to hold 600.

Historical Chapel restored in 1971.

The convent, & barracks were torn down and a new church was built in 1998-‘99

Erected 1972 by Waukesha County Historical Society. (Marker Number 12-02.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Buildings • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical month for this entry is August 1921.

Location. 43° 8.231′ N, 88° 11.054′ W. Marker is in Lannon, Wisconsin, in Waukesha County. It is on State Highway 74 ¼ mile south of County Route V, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: W220 N6570 Town Line Road (Hwy 74), Lannon WI 53046, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Wisconsin and in Greater Milwaukee.

It is also in the American Midwest,

on the Great Lakes,

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers.

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At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Mammoth Spring Hotel - Saloon (approx. 1.3 miles away); Lannon Stone (approx. 1.4 miles away); Lannon Lists itself as “Amateur Baseball Capital of Waukesha County” (approx. 1.6 miles away); Zion Evangelical Cemetery (approx. 2 miles away); First Woman in Town of Lisbon (approx. 2 miles away); Sussex Mills and Bug Line RR (approx. 2.1 miles away); George Washington Burr Oak (approx. 2.3 miles away); Hon. Thomas Weaver Home (approx. 2.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lannon.

Other markers no longer nearby. Sussex (was approx. 1.7 miles away but has been confirmed missing); St. Alban’s Episcopal Church (was approx. 2 miles away but has been permanently removed); Lisbon Plank School (was approx. 2.3 miles away but has been permanently removed); Halquist Quarry (was approx. 2.3 miles away but has been permanently removed).

Additional commentary.
1. Additional History
The first resident priest for St. James Catholic Church was James Colton from Ireland. He came to serve the congregation of Willow Springs, which met in James Brogan's log cabin home. They had been meeting there since 1842.

James Colton was an energetic young man who decided to construct

Photographed by Paul F, June 29, 2010

2. St. James Catholic Church Marker

a church building for the congregation. One acre of land was donated by James Brogan for the church and parsonage and one acre was donated by L. Kinsley for the cemetery. The parishioners quarried stone from a nearby field and erected the first church. St. James parish is located between Willow Springs Elementary School and Whiskey Corners Tavern in Menomonee Falls. It is the second oldest parish in the Milwaukee Archdiocese and a community landmark.

The James Brogan log cabin now resides in the Old Falls Village historical park. The log cabin church was a mission church of St. Dominic's in Marcy.

The church was enlarged and a steeple and bell tower were added in 1885-86. The bell tower was named Santa Maria, weighed one ton and could be heard for miles around. It was destroyed by lightning in 1921. The steeple was never rebuilt. The parish was mostly Irish settlers who had escaped the potato famine in Ireland in the 1840s. St. James was named for the saint's name of the first resident pastor.

A school building was constructed in 1954 along with a convent in 1955, and a ground floor church in 1961. The original church remained unused until 1971 when it was restored as the chapel and used for special services. In 1998 a brand new church was built for $3.4 million dollars.

— Submitted October 5, 2012,
Photographed by Paul F, June 29, 2010

3. St. James Catholic Church Marker
by Linda Hansen of Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Photographed by Paul F, June 29, 2010

4. St. James Catholic Church Marker

Plaque on backside of marker. "This historical marker erected and lighted in memory of Bruce P. Nettesheim Killed in Vietnam 1968"

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on June 30, 2010, by Paul Fehrenbach of Richfield, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,978 times since then and 77 times this year. Last updated on June 20, 2011, by Paul Fehrenbach of Richfield, Wisconsin. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 30, 2010, by Paul Fehrenbach of Richfield, Wisconsin. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.