St. Stephen's

St. Stephens in the Early Days

Indian Creek

It is thought that this building was built sometime between 1890 and 1895. The church today is on the same foundation as this early one. This early building had a fence around it and a stile block on which the women and children are standing.

ST. STEPHENS CATHOLIC CHURCH

History research in Monroe City would not be complete without a search into the files of Indian Creek and community. The first recorded entry for St. Stephen’s parish was made as early as 1833. The late Thomas Yates, grandfather of Norvin Yates and Mrs. Myrtle Hagan of Monroe City, told his family that he came to Missouri in 1818 at the age of seven years. They settled in St. Louis and Callaway counties for a time, but the exact time they arrived in Monroe County is not determined.

Evidence of settlers in the territory before 1831 was proved by the fact that the Rev. Father Hennessey, a Catholic mis­sionary from St. Louis, visited the com­munity and conducted mission services before the parish was actually organized.

Indian Creek, named after the first inhabitants of the land, has been called Elizabethtown, and later Swinkey. In the early days the town was notable as a trading post and mail center of a frontier community, as well as a social and sports center for all sorts of amusements that ranged from horse-shoe pitching to horse racing on a straight-away which was a country road. Later, there was instituted what is called the Swinkey picnic, which is still observed every year during July. During war years the picnics were not held, but upon the return of peace, the Swinkey picnic again became a yearly event.

The town was first named Elizabethtown in honor of Elizabeth Hardesty who later married Mr. Swinkey, who operated a store and blacksmith shop. Later the town was called Swinkey in honor of Mr. Swinkey, and the name of the town was not changed until a post office was established and the government changed the name to Indian Creek. 

St. Stephen’s Parish

St. Stephen’s parish was one of the earliest Catholic parishes founded in this entire section of Missouri. A number of the first settlers traced their ancestry ‘back to members of the ‘band of Catholics who had settled on the eastern shores of this new land of America with Lord Baltimore over 225 years ago. The first band of Irish Catholics hewing out their new homes along the banks of Indian Creek had among their names, Buckman, Hagan, Yates, Pierceall, Carrico, Hardesty, Miles, Green, Wimsatt. Within a short time other families came in adding such names as Mudd, Hays, Montgomery, Spalding, McLeod and many others. Today, after many years, the community has maintained its racial and religious solidarity to such an extent the church rolls are largely made up of the original names. 

The name, St. Stephen’s, was chosen in commemoration of the martyred St. Stephen. The first church was built of logs and was located on a site which is now part of the old cemetery. Five acres of ground were given for this church by Stephen A. Yates. The log structure was destroyed by fire and a frame building was constructed. This was also destroyed by fire and the parish then erected a brick church, 100 feet by 50 feet, with a tower that reared its head 100 feet in the air.

Swinkey Cyclone

Friday, March 10, 1878 proved to be a bleak day for the inhabitants of Indian Creek, and has long ‘been a source of argument for citizens since that time. To describe the actual events it was neces­sary to obtain the March 16, 1876 issue of ‘the Monroe City News to get a correct description, in part:

“It is almost impossible to describe the appearance of the cloud as nearly every­one who saw it has a different idea of it. It seemed to us ‘to resemble an immense balloon, swaying in the air, with the neck dragging the ground, while immediately under it the dust and other articles it carried along resembled the smoke from a huge fire, being so dense and black that it could not be seen through.

“Before the rain which fell had ceased, and while our people were yet discussing the probable effects of the storm, a messenger came from Elizabeth.town, stating that the place was in ruins and nearly all the inhabitants killed or wound­ed, and calling for physicians to go to their relief. Doctors responding to the call included: Drs. Knox, McNutt, Norman and Mays.

“At Elizabethtown the scene baffles all attempts at description — houses, stores, mechanic’s tools, beds, bedding, dry goods and groceries being scattered about in the wildest confusion, while scarcely a citizen of the place can be found who is not scratched or bruised or injured in some manner. It was a small piece, containing only fifteen or twenty houses, of which but five are left standing, and some of those are so badly racked by the storm as to be almost uninhabitable.

“The residences of Elijah J. Durbin, P. H. Ryan, James Skees, Mss. Eick, Stephen Champion, Misses Higgins, and the stores of Christian & Carrico, N. Bick, P. H. Ryan, together with Yates’ wagers shop, a small store house owned by Dr. Knox, and Higgins’ Blacksmith shop were broken into fragments and scattered over the country for several hundred yards east of the town site. St. Stephen’s church, a substantial brick edifice, and the finest church building in the county, Wes crush­ed like an eggshell, nothing remaining but a confused heap of brick and rubbish to mark the spot. The ‘building was probably worth $12,000 or $15,000." 

Mrs. H. L. Jarman, the former Jennie Campbell, went through the Swinkey cy­clone at the age of two years.

On March 19, 1876, to prove the fortitude of the parish members a circular was issued for the purpose of rebuilding the church. The Rev. Fr. E. J. Shea, pastor, was in charge of the plan and was assisted by James E. McLeod, James Spalding, Henry Dooley, Henry Pollard, George Hagan, Patrick Cusack, J. B. Carrico, W. J. Pike, T. L. Hagan, Robert P. Buckman, Jonathan Beal, G. B. Lawrence, William Sullivan, J. P. Mudd, Bernard Finnigan, Benedict Carrico and many others.

The church was immediately rebuilt of brick, smaller in structure but heated by a steam furnace. Once again the hand of destruction visited the parish. On March 11, 1907, 31 years and one day later the new church was struck by lightning and partially destroyed. Previous to this, the high ‘steeple had been struck twice by lightning. Cyclones, fires and lightning did not discourage the worshippers at St. Stephen’s, for they immediately engaged

W. L. Bond of Monroe City to rebuild the church, with the exception of the high steeple. The church was dedicated in October 1907 and still stands at the present time.

The Most Rev. J. J. Glennon, archbishop of St. Louis, conducted the service in ac­cordance with the time honored requirements of the church. Rev. Fr. Cunningham of Monroe City officiated as the celebrant and Rev. Fr. Thomas E. Cusack was master of ceremonies. The arch­bishop was assisted by Rev. Frs. T. J. Coonoy, Mullin, Collins, P. F. Cooney and Sullivan. Early mass was celebrated ‘by Rev. Fr. Cusack, a bright and devout young priest, who was reared in the In­dian Creek vicinity. F. H. Hagan and Mrs. John Williams, the former Miss An­nie Elizabeth Carrico, were sponsors for the bell. Serving as altar boys at the dedication were Ernest Hagan, Emmet Pierceall, Perry Spalding, Grepory Seward Lco Denuth, Louis Pike, Joseph Muntgolnery and Harold Hagan. The choir was composed of Fannie Wimsatt, Mattie Yagos’, Alice Yates, Maggie Spald­ing, Maud Williams, Grace Osbouine, An­nie Riechoff, James Yager, George Mont­gomery, Leslie Osbourne, Albert Adams, Earl Carrico, Aubrey Spalding, James Wimsatt, Della Wimsatt and Allie Yager, with Stella Carrico as organist.

During the pastorate of the late Rev. Fr. Thomas C. Fox, who served from 1914 until 1919, an addition was constructed enlarging the church and included a study and service room. The Rev. Fr. P. J. Gannon completed an extensive remodeling of the church in 1945.

Since the time the church was organized in 1833, three of the priests who served as pastors have been elevated to the status of bishops, three of the communicants have entered the priesthood and several young women have consecrated their lives in various sisterhoods of the Catholic church. The Very Rev. Thomas E. Cu-sack, H. D., now the Rt. Rev. Msgr. Cu-sack of Quincy, who delivered the cen­tennial anniversary sermon, celebrated his first mass in the church of his boy­hood in 1895. His uncle, the late Rev. Thomas Cusack was ordained in 1842 and served St. Stephen’s parish as pastor from 1842 until 1851. The late Rev. Fr. Hagan was the other communicant from St. Stephen’s who entered priesthood.

5,500 Baptisms

There have been over 5,500 baptisms and over 800 marriages in St. Stephens since the church was founded. The first marriage recorded was in 1835 between Thomas Yates and Elizabeth Pierceall. The first entry in the records of the parish notes the baptism of Mary Ann Green, infant, in 1833. The oldest date recorded on the stones in the cemetery is the birthdate of John G. Nolen, great-grandfather of Miss Berta Lee Nolen and Mrs. H. Milstead Noel of Monroe City. This date is August 6, 1794. His death occurred in 1869. The first death recorded is that of Benedict J. Buckman. in 1837.

Priests who have served the parish and the years of their pastorates were: Rev. Peter P. Lefevere 1833-1840; Rev. H. Tucker 1840; Rev. G. H. Langenberg 1841; Rev. B. Rollands, 1841-1842; Rev. Thomas Cusack 1842-1851; Rev. D. Kennedy 1851-1852; Rev. D. F. Lihlis 1852-1856; Rev. E. Berry 1856-1859; Rev. John Hennessey 1859-1861; Rev. T. Ledwith 1861-1863; Rev. D. S. Phelan 1863-1866; Rev. John Cummnins 1866-1870; Rev. John Quinlan 1870-1871; Rev. Thomas Bonicum 1871-1873; Rev. Thomas Conneys 1873-1874; Rev. John Doherty 1874-1875; Rev. E. J. Shea 1875-1879; Rev. P. Morrisey 1879-1889; Rev. J. J. Mahon 1889-1893; Rev. E. T. Gallaher 1893-1899; Rev. C. E. Kane 1899-1900; Rev. John Lyons 1900-1904; Rev. P. P. Cooney 1904-1914; Rev. T. C. Fox 1914-1919; Rev. J. J. Mienhardt 1919-1926; Rev. E. Mc­Evoy 1926-1930; Rev. S. ‘Carew 1930-1931; Rev. J. Kiernan 1931-1940; R’ev. P. J. Can­non, 1940-1956, and the present pastor, the Rev. Glen Scobee.

St. Stephen’s parochial school was established in 1914 by the late Rev. Fr. T. C. Fox. It is under the guidance of the Sisters of the Benedictine Order, who come from the mother house at Atchison, Kan. On November 20, 1956 the two-story parish house was destroyed by  fire. It is being replaced by a one-story Structure and will be completed this year. The Rev. Fr. Glen Scobee, who served as pastor of the Catholic churches at Kahoka and Wayland for eight years is pastor of the St. Stephen Church at Indian Creek and St. Frances Cabrini church at Paris. He entered upon his duties Sunday. June 24, 1956, replacing the Rev. Fr. P. J. Cannon, who was assigned to St. Patrice. church at St. Joseph. The Rev. Fr. Scobee is a son of the late Chester Scobee and Mrs. Ethel Scobee Kelly of Hannibal. He was born in Stoutsville in 1911, and moved from that community more than 24 years ago. He attended Kenrick Seminary of St. Louis and Conception College and was ordained to the priesthood May 22, 1937. He celebrated his first Mass in St. Joseph church in Palmyra.

The Rev. Scobee’s first appointment was assistant priest at the Moberly Catholic church, later serving seven years as assistant at Immaculate Conception church in Hannibal. For the past eight years he has served as priest of the Kahoka and Wayland churches.