Lannon in Waukesha County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Pioneer St. James Catholic Church
of Menomonee Falls
Photographed By Paul F, June 29, 2010
1. St. James Catholic Church Marker
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: Churches & Religion • Notable Buildings • 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. Marker 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.
Other nearby markers.
this page online
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 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
Photographed By Paul F, June 29, 2010
2. St. James Catholic Church Marker
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, by Linda Hansen of Waukesha, Wisconsin.
Photographed By Paul F, June 29, 2010
3. St. James Catholic Church Marker
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 Germantown, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,365 times since then and 30 times this year. Last updated on June 20, 2011, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 30, 2010, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.
