Sundance Square in Fort Worth in Tarrant County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Site of Saint Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church

Photographed By Denise Boose, May 21, 2010

1. Site of Saint Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church Marker

Inscription. Catholics in Fort Worth began meeting together for regular worship services by 1875. They met in private homes, and were served by traveling priests. In 1876 Bishop Claude Dubuis of the Diocese of Galveston assigned a young Irish priest, Farther Thomas Loughrey, to establish a parish in Fort Worth.

In July 1876 the Diocese purchased two lots at this site for a church to be named for Polish Jesuit Saint Stanislaus Kostka. Within three months, on October 29, 1876, Father Laughry said the first High Mass in the frame structure. He continued to serve the church until 1884, when Father Jean Marie Guyot was assigned as Pastor.

The church opened a Catholic School in the parish. Classes initially were taught by Father Loughrey and the Sisters of Mercy. After 1885 the school was operated by the Sisters of St. Mary.

By 1885 plans were underway for a new church structure. Completed in 1892, it was named for Saint Patrick. The original Saint Stanislaus building became part of the school. After serving the parish for over three decades, it was removed between 1908 and 1909 to make way for a new parish rectory.
Site of first Catholic church in Tarrant County

Erected 1990 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 4881.)

Topics. This historical

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marker is listed in this topic list: Churches & Religion. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1876.

Location. 32° 44.942′ N, 97° 19.776′ W. Marker is in Fort Worth, Texas, in Tarrant County. It is in Sundance Square. Marker is at the intersection of Throckmorton Street and 12th Street, on the left when traveling north on Throckmorton Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1206 Throckmorton St, Fort Worth TX 76102, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. St. Patrick's Cathedral (within shouting distance of this marker); St. Ignatius Academy Building (within shouting distance of this marker); John Peter Smith (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Hell's Half Acre (about 600 feet away); Flatiron Building (about 700 feet away); Fort Worth Library (about 700 feet away); Ephraim Merrill Daggett (about 800 feet away); Black Medical District (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Worth.

Also see . . . St. Patrick Cathedral, Fort Worth. The Handbook of Texas Online, Texas State Historical Association (Submitted on February 12, 2012, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)

Saint Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Denise Boose, May 21, 2010

2. Saint Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 11, 2012, by Denise Boose of Tehachapi, California. This page has been viewed 924 times since then and 51 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 11, 2012, by Denise Boose of Tehachapi, California. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.