"Cottleville, five miles south of St. Peters and ten miles west of St. Charles, on the Boone's Lick Road, was established by Lorenzo Cottle in 1839 and has a population of 500. It contains eleven stores; two hotels; two carpenter shops; two public schools, 1 white and 1 colored; two churches, Evangelical and Methodist; and a Catholic church in the course of construction." This description appeared in Campbell's Gazette of Missouri in 1876.

St. Joseph was a part of the then-booming town of Cottleville, hut the history of the Parish goes hack to humble beginnings in 1864. There were thirty-five Catholic families nearby. Most of them went to All Saints Parish in St. Peters, but some had to attend church in St. Charles, because the Dardenne Stream, which they had to cross twice to get to St. Peters, was often impassable.

At times, Fr. Wapelhorst, pastor at St. Peter's Church in St. Charles, would journey to Cottleville to say Mass and minister to the other spiritual needs of the people. A farm house, owned by Thomas Croft, was used as living quarters tor the priest and as a place for the celebration of Mass. For a better glimpse of those early days, we rely on John Buse, Jr.'s memoirs: "My first recollection of the house was in 1872. Then it served as a Catholic church, school and priest's living room. There was not room ordinarily in good weather for all members to attend services inside. Those that could not get inside did their worshiping on the porch, looking through the windows. The altar, communion railing and pews were not so commonly constructed but rather artistically made, probably by a Mr. Wallbeck who conducted a furniture and carpenter shop near the church, being a member of the congregation. The priest took his meals somewhere in town for he had no housekeeper and no kitchen provided. The writer of this attended church here with his parents and also attended school here for a few months."

1863-The First Attempt to start a new parish 1873-Organizing a Parish 1874-The First Church is Built 1876-The First Resident Pastor Appointed 1914-The Second Church is Built 1926-Rectory Built 1942-Father Pezold , Pastor for 25 years 1938-New School Erected 1950-The Third Church is Built 1970-Father Maguire 1970-New School 1976-Father Griesedieck 2000-Recent History

During 1863 and 1864, Fr. Wapelhorst encouraged the people of Cottleville to start a parish of their own. John Seymour and John Fitz were appointed trustees and authorized to take subscriptions to found the parish.

A plot of land, about an acre in size, was purchased from David K. Pitman for $250.00. It was situated across from Camp Krekel, a famous recruiting grounds of Civil War days. Plans were made for a brick church, with a foundation of native limestone. After windows and doors were purchased from the old St. Lawrence O'Toole Church in St. Louis, work began on the foundation.

With the transfer of Fr. Wapelhorst in 1865, a reverse came for the Church at Cottleville. The new pastor at St. Peter's felt that he was unable to devote his attention to anything but the problems in his own parish. For lack of leadership, dissension arose among the members of the young congregation and work on the building was abandoned. John Buse, Jr., again writes: "When the foundation for the new church was completed some difficulty came up among the members of the congregation, concerning the building of the church. I am of the opinion that the church was too elaborately planned for the size of the Parish to finance. I recall a parish meeting of men was called, for the purpose of straightening out the dispute among the members concerning the completion of the new church. The result was that they came to no compromise. The men came up the line and I recall hearing them say: 'Well, Cottleville Church is done with.' And so it was for some time. I do not recall if occasional services were held thereafter, up to the time of the new re-organization in March, 1873."

During the next nine years, several attempts were made to get going. Rev. Theodore Krainhardt, Fr. Wapelhorst's successor, was able to become involved before too long, but his efforts were in vain. The windows and doors for the church were sold to the local Evangelical church (the present St. John's in Cottleville) to satisfy creditors. Even the plot of ground was sold at public auction for non-payment of taxes, but it was re-purchased by Archbishop Kenrick. These were hard times for the Catholics of Cottleville, many of whom were well-meaning and willing to make sacrifices. Discouraged by setbacks and difficulties and without a leader, some of the families drifted away and lost their Faith.

Finally, in 1873, the efforts of the people began to bear fruit. Archbishop Kenrick sent an energetic young priest, Rev. Henry Deimel, to organize the Parish. He began the records on March 15 of that year. St. Joseph was officially established on that date! As one of his first projects, Fr. Deimel had the Thomas Croft farm house repaired and renovated.

Unfortunately the difficult times had not ended. Fr. Deimel left to accept another appointment in June and was succeeded by Rev. Eberhardt Gahr, OSB. On October 4, 1873, Fr. Gahr wrote to Archbishop Kenrick, to report on his efforts to resume construction of the church building, abandoned in 1866.

"Very Reverend Sir:

"For some time now, I have had the intention of making you acquainted with the conditions that prevail in Cottleville, but have been prevented from doing so on account of sickness. I will attempt to do so as accurately as I am able.

"During the month of August, I took up a subscription for the building of a new church, after deeming it inadvisable of buying the property of Thomas Croft. The greater portion of this amount was subscribed by outsiders.

"Only 17 families of Cottleville were willing to sign to support the priest. These families would probably constitute the future parish.

"However, one must take into consideration that most of these families are not well-off. Only four of them are without debt. Most of the families complain if they are asked to donate $25.00 annually for the support of the church. The case seems to be near hopeless.

"In spite of this unfavorable picture, I went ahead and placed an order for 30,000 bricks, having given as security the church property and also after having consulted the church trustees.

"Following this, I became very ill and could do nothing for almost a whole month. On the advice of my doctor, I moved out of the house in which I was living, because as it is generally known the climate of Cottleville is most unhealthy.

"At this time of year, it is hardly advisable to begin building and besides I do not intend to move back into the old house, in which I have been living, because of past experience. Furthermore, part of the house would probably be used as a winter chapel.

"Among the people here, there seems to be very little interest in having a church in Cottleville, except among two or three families. Two of the trustees stated that they were indifferent whether a church would be built or not. One of them even suggested that I write to the authorities in St. Louis and request that the project be abandoned.

"Not one of the parishioners was willing to pledge a hundred dollars towards the new church; so I felt obliged to cancel the order for the bricks and then decided to move to St. Peters, Missouri. On the advice of Dr. McElhenny, I moved out of the old house and hope that I will remain free of the fever. I was also told to be very careful on account of my weakened condition, which has made me susceptible to contagious diseases.

"One can judge of the lack of good will on the part of the people from this fact, that I have spent ten weeks here and so far have not received one cent. Surely the people ought to understand that a priest has many expenses, especially when he tries to get started.

"There are also some other things which I will relate to you when I visit you next week. In the mean- time, I remain with expressions of Highest Esteem,

Your Reverend's Very Humble Servant, In Christ,
Fr. Eberhardt Gahr. OSB

Parish Founders

Success came at last in the spring of 1874, after five leading men of Cottleville parish - John Buse, Sr., Frank Menne, Bernard Menne, George Pfaft and Anton Hoester - went to St. Louis and made an agreement with Archbishop Kenrick to build a church and suitable residence for a priest. Upon their return home, they took the first steps to make the project a reality.

In a short time more than $2,000 was pledged for the new church and construction began at once. The rock of the original foundation was taken up and used for the foundation of a smaller and less pretentious building. The church was to be upstairs, with the living quarters for the priest on the ground floor, in the combination building. Henry Kister of St. Charles was to be the general contractor.

We can admire the determination and hard work of the small congregation, for in less than six months the building was completed. The effect of one of the parishioners, John Buse, Sr., are described by his son: "I recall that on many occasions, when my father was hauling material for the new church, that he left home with his team about two or three o'clock in the morning, so as to be in St. Charles by the time business opened up, then load up brick, lumber or other material, and get an early start for Cottleville with his load, then unload same and be back home by about one o'clock in the afternoon, take his dinner, and then put in the balance of the day doing his farm work. I suppose others did likewise, no doubt it was a hardship on man and sacrifice for the cause.

We can imagine the joy and happiness in the hearts of the parishioners on August 23, 1874, when Rev. Ferdinand Borgmeier, OSB, dedicated the new Church for divine services and celebrated the first Mass there.

Interior of First Church

For two years after the building of the Church, the Catholics of Cottleville were served by Franciscan priests who traveled by train from St. Louis to St. Peters or O'Fallon and then by horse and wagon to Cottleville. John Bose again helps us to remember: "I recall on one occasion when an elderly priest made this trip in the heat of the summer from St. Louis to O'Fallon, then by wagon to Dardenne to say Mass there, then again by wagon to Cottleville. The dust on the roads was terrific. He looked like a man of clay, arriving at Cottleville. While saying his Mass, he nearly collapsed at the altar.

"At times he halted in the ceremony and rested his arms on the altar to gain strength to proceed. The people in church expected him to drop from exhaustion. He excused himself that he was unable to preach a sermon. After the services he said to my father and others: 'This was a hard trip for me in this heat and dust. If I could have taken a cool drink of water, it would not have affected me so hard.'

Shortly after this, Padre Johannes, also a Franciscan, resided at Cottleville for a time. John Buse, Jr, gives us a good insight into the life of the parishioners of the time, when he recounts an incident that occurred before a First Holy Communion during Padre Johannes' stay.

"His class of first communicants consisted of only two young ladies, probably 16 years of age. They were Miss Mary Kapeller and Miss Frances Wallbeck. These two young ladies were the first to make a solemn First Holy Communion in the Parish.

"This ceremony marked an event in Cottleville, and was largely attended by people of the Faith in the community but who rarely attended to their religious duties. Also, many Protestants came to see the ceremony, for curiosity's sake.

"A great disappointment was the lot of one of the communicants, Miss Mary Kapeller. This event took place in May, 1875 or 1876. Before this occasion a tremendous downpour of rain fell, which sent the Dardenne Creek far over its banks. The Kapellers lived on the other side of the creek and were unable to cross over. Miss Kapeller, the communicant, had stayed in Cottleville with relatives that night. Her parents and other members of the family were to come to Cottleville early the next morning (Sunday) for the services and bring the communicant's wearing apparel. They were to be dressed as brides, with white dress, veil and wreath. It was impossible for her parents to get the wearing apparel for their daughter to her, nor could any of the other people living on the other side of the Dardenne Creek attend services that day. The hour set for the services was changed to an hour later, thinking that the water in the creek might drop enough to cross over. But it did not.

"This indeed was a great disappointment to the communicant and all who knew of the situation. A canvas was made in the town to borrow a white dress, but none could be found anywhere to fit her. Thoughts now acted quickly. Some of the ladies went to the store and got some white muslin. It was too late to make it into a dress. They then hung the sheet of muslin around her, pinning it here and there to give it the semblance of a dress. A wreath and veil were borrowed which had served at a wedding. She wore her old shoes. They polished them up as best they could. In this attire Miss Mary Kapeller made her first Holy Communion."

About the middle of November, 1876, Rev. Joseph Reisdorff was appointed by Archbishop Kenrick to be the first resident pastor. His knowledge of the German language was a great asset to Father, since many of the parishioners spoke German, rather than English.

After serving the people of Cottleville for more than ten years, Fr. Reisdorff asked to be relieved of his duties, because he felt his services were no longer fruitful. When a scandal occurred among his parishioners, although he tried to remain impartial, both sides accused him of being unfair. Also, the non-Catholics of the community objected to his taking part in family gatherings on Sunday afternoons, where it was the custom to play cards and indulge in drinking beer.

For the next six years, Cottleville became a mission of Dardenne, called Plantersburg at the time and located six miles west on the Boonslick Road. Rev. William Schmidt took care of the congregation until 1893, when the people here once again found themselves at odds with their priest. When they accused him of being interested in them just to get their help in raising funds for his new church in Dardenne, he resigned.

No services were held for almost three years, until Rev. Francis Hundhausen, an elderly priest living in retirement in St. Peters, consented to become pastor. After serving for five years, he had to retire because of a serious injury, sustained on a sick call at Weldon Spring. His horse became frightened and he was thrown from his buggy.

In the fall of 1900, the next pastor, Rev. Julius Schultz, began a stay of nine years. During his pastorate, in 1908, a son of the Parish, Rev. Joachim Menne, OSB, was ordained to the priesthood. After Fr. Schultz' departure, the Parish was closed for about a year.

Interior of Second Church

The Church was re-opened in November, 1910, when Rev. Herman Striewe became pastor. Shortly there-after, with some money available from the estate of John Toelle, plans were made to build a new Church. The old two story church-rectory combination of 1874 was no longer adequate.

The men of the Parish worked hard on the new building. They kept their horses busy hauling gravel from the creek branches and brick and building materials from the railroad stations at Weldon Spring and St. Peters.

The dream of 1866 of a brick Church was finally realized! The cornerstone was laid on April 13, 1914, and the building dedicated on December 1 of the same year. This Church served the needs of the Parish for 47 years, until it was torn down to make way for the next structure in July of 1961.

Father Striewe served about 15 years as pastor, with two separate appointments. He was replaced for seven months, from February to October of 1923, by Rev. Charles Emig.

Rev. Adolph Range was appointed pastor in October, 1925, and remained until January, 1932. In 1926, a six-room rectory was built and paid for. Although it has been enlarged, this building is our present convent. It was the priests' residence until 1970, when it was renovated for its present use.

Nearly seventy years after its beginning, in a farm house, St. Joseph Parish entered its longest period of pastoral stability. In January, 1932, our beloved Pastor Emeritus, Rev. William Pezold succeeded Fr. Range. For 38 years, Fr. Pezold served the spiritual needs of both Catholics and non-Catholics in the Cottleville area as their pastor. To this day, he remains with us, an example of hard work and spiritual piety.

William G. Pezold, after completing theological training at Kenrick Seminary, was ordained on June 13, 1918. Before coming to Cottleville in 1932, he spent fourteen years as assistant pastor of St. Peter's Church in St. Charles, where he became acquainted with many of the people with whom he was to work in later years.

In the early days of his pastorate, Fr. Pezold worked hard to inspire the cooperation that he received from his people. He rose early, stoked the furnace and then went off in the old Chevrolet bus to pick up the children for school. Many are the stories that are told of Fr. Pezold and that famous bus. Many people were pulled out of ditches and mud holes, or offered a ride, as they walked along the country roads. Upon his return home each day, Father was a priest, sacristan, janitor, and cook.

Over the years, Fr. Pezold was interested in Community affairs. He was instrumental in bringing about the construction of the new section of Highway N, leading out of Cottleville - thus literally pulling that road out of the mud. Eight years after his coming, the hardships of World War II reached into St. Joseph Parish. When the Government built the TNT plant at Weldon Spring, Fr. Pezold's heart and energies went out to the families who were to be displaced. With the help of the Bank of O'Fallon and donations from his friends, Fr. Pezold was the inspiration behind All Saints Village. Thirty-five acres of farmland became attractive home sites for families, Catholic and non-Catholic alike.

Beginning in 1942, as a result of Father's leadership, Cottleville became the site of the first labors of the Rural Parish Workers of Christ the King. Misses Alice Widmer and LaDonna Herrmann began doing social work among the members of the Community. After seven years, the group moved to its present location in Cadet, Missouri.

In that same year, Fr. Pezold helped put new life into the priesthood of Rev. Wenceslaus Svehla. At the age of seventy, Father Svehla agreed to come out of retirement at the Carmelite Home in St. Charles and return to the active ministry as Fr. Pezold's assistant. He served the people of St. Joseph Parish faithfully for twenty-five years, until his death on September 16, 1967. Fr. Svehla is buried in our Parish Cemetery.

With help from the estate of Msgr. Aloys Wilmes and the Catholic Rural Life Conference, Fr. Pezold purchased land and founded the Parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in New Melle. Archbishop Glennon laid the cornerstone of the Church on August 26, 1945, and the building was dedicated on December 9. Fathers Pezold and Svehla took care of Immaculate Heart of Mary as a mission of St. Joseph's until Rev. Arthur Bromschwig became the resident pastor in 1956.
I

Among the wonderful accomplishments of Fr. Pezold is our parochial school. With the assistance of Msgr. Wilmes, he obtained the services of three Sisters of the Most Precious Blood from O'Fallon, very shortly after his arrival. The Church of 1874 was renovated, with the upper floor serving as the living quarters for the nuns and two classrooms were constructed on the ground floor.

Although a full-time school was never operated for any length of time, there was a long tradition of great interest in Catholic education among the previous pastors of the Parish.

As far back as 1872, John Buse, Jr., recalls: "For a few months a Franciscan monk resided here and taught school. After this, the school was discontinued for several years for want of funds and attendance."

Then, the parishioners wrote to the Archbishop, asking that he send them a priest, who could also teach the children in school. As a result, Padre Johannes was appointed to the parish and taught religion to the children during his stay.

The next teacher was a layman, Mr. Stephans, who lived in the old house that formerly served as the Church. Of him, John Buse writes: "I attended school under Mr. Stephans. He had a rough disposition and was not very well liked. He only stayed one school term."

For a while, one of Frank Menne's daughters was the teacher. Shortly after Fr. Reisdorff came, he hired a Mr. William Gnaden, who lived in the old Croft farmhouse with his family. During the pastorates of Fathers Hundhausen, Schultz and Striewe, school was operated for brief periods of time.

Six years after the opening of the school by Fr. Pezold and the Sisters, the old building was no longer adequate, because of steady growth in enrollment. With the help of the Catholic Rural Life Conference and contributions from parishioners and friends, a new school was erected in 1938.

The St. Charles Cosmos Monitor for October 1 had the following article: "His excellency, Bishop Winkelmann, will bless the new school and hall of St. Joseph Parish at Cottleville, tomorrow afternoon."

"The building contains three classrooms and a spare room, which can be arranged into a classroom should such be necessary. The spare room will be used to give sewing lessons to the young ladies of the parish. A spacious hall, with a seating capacity of 325, completes the main floor arrangement."

"The basement has a large open space where the children take their lunch and also play and exercise in bad weather. In the rear of the basement is located a kitchen and also a garage for school buses, and a room for manual training. The cost of the building is approximately $14,000."

Interior of Third Church

In the late 1950's, as the Catholic population increased, the Archdiocese gave its permission to enlarge the Church built in 1914. After further study, the Building Commission decided that it would be better to erect a new building and Cardinal Ritter said construction could start when half of the estimated cost of construction was on hand. Some of the older parishioners objected to wrecking the old Church, saying that it was a sound building and that its beauty appealed to them. Fortunately, the decision to erect the new building prevailed.

When the fund raising drive, begun in February of 1959, began to lag, a professional firm was hired and the goal of $75,000 was exceeded by $20,000. Sixty-five per cent of the Parish participated.

Before construction could begin, the Building Commission considered a new plan. It would provide for a gymnasium style temporary Church, with several class-rooms attached, to be erected on the ball field. This proposal alarmed the youth of the Parish and the eighth grade boys swung into action. This class, of 1960, wrote a pleading letter to Msgr. Hartnett and the ball field was spared.

To proceed with the construction of the new building, the old Church had to be razed. Many tears were shed during the last Mass on Monday, May 16, 1961. After nearly fifty years, the furnishings that had served so well were about to be removed. For the next year divine services were held in the old school auditorium.

Plans were drawn for the beautiful colonial style Church by A. F. and Arthur Stauder of St. Louis and the Elmer Kolkmeier Company of St. Charles had the general contract, which amounted to $160,000. The cornerstone was laid by Msgr. Anthony Strauss, Dean of the St. Charles Deanery, on October 19, 1961. Eleven months later, on September 16, the solemn dedication took place, with his Eminence, Joseph Cardinal Ritter, officiating.

The history of our Parish continued with the energetic pastorate of Rev. John R. Maguire. He served at St. Joseph from 1970 to 1976, and led the Parish in building a new rectory, remodeling the existing rectory for the sisters, and constructing a modern school building to help continue the fine tradition of Catholic education in the Cottleville area. For some years, the parishioners had been discussing an addition to the school. However, as was the case with the Church, the Archdiocese decided that it would be better to construct a completely new building, to be used along with the old school. At the time of Father Maguire's appointment, this was to be the first order of business.

When he arrived, however, he found that the sisters' residence was in dire need of repair. Closer examination by the Parish Building Committee revealed that no amount of work would put the ninety-six year old building into suitable condition, because of a cracked foundation. To the everlasting credit of the parishioners, the total, long-range needs of the Parish were considered. It was decided that the existing rectory could be remodeled and then would serve as a fine convent. A new rectory was planned for the site of the old sisters' residence. The project was not even discussed until after March 1, but five months later the old convent had been wrecked, the new rectory completed and the former priests' house turned into a comfortable residence for the sisters. St. Joseph Parish was proud of its rectory, which resulted from many hours of work donated by the parishioners, as well as the work of the builder. The contract was for $47,500 but provision was made for the people of the Parish to do as much work on the building as they could. Besides wrecking the old building, they dug the basement and did both the concrete foundation and flat work on the outside. Much of the interior work and all of the utility lines were taken care of, with the only cost coming in the purchase of material. A highly satisfied contractor, Emmenegger Construction Company, was able to complete the building in two months and present his bill of $31,000.

After the contractor left, the job was completed with finish grading, sod, shrubs and paving on the outside and with lovely drapes and a number of pieces of re-finished furniture adding beauty within. The ladies, who were assisted in bringing their plans to fruition by the men, planned the remodeling of the old rectory. New siding, a porch roof and paint gave the outside a fresh look. An additional bath, more closets, carpeting, a new kitchen and two new furnaces for heating and air conditioning added comfort inside. Interior painting, draperies, upholstery fabric for matching chairs and bedspreads, and countless pieces of re-finished furniture turned a functional institution into a lovely home. When both the rectory and convent buildings were open for inspection by the parishioners and their friends, a number of people remarked that the sisters have a much more attractive residence in their old home than the priests have in their new one. To serve the existing buildings and the new school that would be constructed shortly, a new well was dug and a modern and very large sewage treatment plant installed. Again, the people of the Parish worked together to take care of all of the work necessary for the operation of these facilities.

In November of 1970, the long-awaited school building was begun, with G'Sell of St. Louis County as general contractor. The total cost of the project amounted to $290,000, a figure that was between five and ten per cent less than it would have been, if there had not been so many members of the Parish who were willing to give of their time and talents.

In 1970, because of the number of people who had and would be moving into the area, and the uncertainty of the date of the establishment of new parishes, the design of the building tried to provide for as many future educational and religious needs as possible. The lower level, which today still serves as a hall for large dinners, dances, and many other activities, could have been converted into eight more classrooms, if the need arose. The upper level is a single span, so that all of the partitions could be removed and the area completely re-designed. The lower level of the building also included a public address system and an adjoining spacious parking lot so that it could be used for Mass, if and when the Church would no longer accommodate the growing parish.

The Rev. George Griesedieck was appointed pastor of St. Joseph's in 1976. He would serve the parishioners of St. Joseph for twelve years. This was a time of continued growth and activity not only at St. Joseph's, but also in the entire region. Improvements to the many highways and roads in the area led to more subdivisions and more people moving to St. Charles. St. Joseph Parish was in an area that came to be known to developers as the "Golden Triangle". It consisted of the land between the Missouri River on the east, Highway 40 on the south, and Highway 70 on the north.

Because of this continued growth, plans were begun in the late 1980's to expand the school facilities once again. Fr. Griesedieck, in keeping with the parish's strong tradition of Catholic education, led this effort. Unfortunately, Fr. Griesedieck would not live to see this project come to fruition. He passed away in 1988, a very sad time for the parishioners of St. Joseph's.

We are gathering and writing the recent history of St. Joseph Parish. We would be interested in any information or stories that you may have about the last 10 to 15 years. Or if you have any history to add before that, it would be appreciated as well.

You may e-mail your information by using the feedback/registration area on the website or sending it directly to parish@stjoecot.org.

Thank You!