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St. Boniface of New Vienna Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
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Location	7401 Columbus St. New Vienna, Iowa
Coordinates	42°33′3″N 91°6′54″W / 42.55083°N 91.11500°W / 42.55083; -91.11500
Area	10 acres (4.0 ha)
Architect	Schnell Architects Byrne & Soul
Architectural style	Queen Anne
NRHP reference No.	99001207
Added to NRHP	September 29, 1999

Saint Boniface Church is the Catholic parish church for the city of New Vienna, Iowa and the surrounding area. It is a Gothic-style church, with stained glass windows, a handcarved main altar, and a striking 200-foot (61 m) spire The parish, part of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, is partnered with Ss. Peter and Paul Parish, Petersburg, Iowa - the two parishes share a pastor.

History

The history of the parish can be traced back to the 1840s when a number of German American families came to the area from Ohio in search of farmland. On January 6, 1846, Bishop Mathias Loras of Dubuque celebrated Mass at the home of Hermann Wiechmann, the first Mass celebrated in the New Vienna area. For the next two years, Mass was celebrated at the Wiechmann home.

In 1848, the first permanent structure was built. This wood building measured 24 feet (7.3 m) by 30 feet (9.1 m) and had walls that were 10 feet (3.0 m) high.

By 1853, the population had increased to the point that a new structure was needed. Construction of this new church was completed in 1855. The church was 64 by 100 feet (30 m) with 22-foot (6.7 m)-high walls. A local resident, William Steffen Sr., was sent with two teams of horses to get three bells for the church. He arrived back in New Vienna just before Easter; the bells were raised in time to chime for the first time on Easter Sunday. This second structure was used until 1887.

In 1887, the third and present building was completed. This building is 172 feet (52 m) long by 62 feet (19 m) wide. The walls are 35 feet (11 m) high. The stained glass windows are 14 feet (4.3 m) wide by 30 feet (9.1 m) high. The steeple is 200 feet (61 m) high.

The church has five altars made of carved wood which are still present in the church today. The old high altar was built by E. Hackner of La Crosse, Wisconsin. This altar cost $5,000.

The organ was built in 1891 by the Schuelke Organ Company. The organ at St. Boniface is one of the few intact Schuelke organs that still exist today. Aside from regular maintenance, the organ has remained basically unaltered over the years. One of the few alterations made to the organ was the addition of an electric blower in the 20th century.

In 2010 workers began constructing a new entryway on the north side of the church when a sinkhole that was 12 feet wide and 8 feet deep was discovered in the basement. It is not known when the sinkhole formed, but if it had taken out a nearby pillar it could have caused the church building to collapse.

School

Saint Boniface previously had its own parish school, Saint Boniface School, which started operations in 1847. Classes were initially held in private residences before being held inside the church facility. It received a permanent school building in 1870. The school moved into the church in 1922, and a new school building opened in 1924.

In 1987 it consolidated into Archbishop Hennessy Catholic School, which had two locations: grades K-3 in New Vienna, and preschool and 4-6 in Petersburg. It served as the joint parish school for Saint Boniface as well as Saints Peter and Paul Church in Petersburg. Enrollment was over 100 at that time. The school had a relationship with Beckman Catholic High School in Dyersville. In 2013 the school consolidated all grades into its Petersburg location. Its enrollment at that time was 60. Enrollments consistently decreased prior to 2017: by 2017 the school only had 45 students. Archbishop Hennessy closed in 2018.

The remaining Catholic grade school in the "Spires of Faith" Catholic church network is St. Francis Xavier Catholic School in Dyersville.

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. Nevans-Pederson, Mary (September 18, 2010). "The 'hole' story: Ground under St. Boniface Catholic Church gives way, but the 1884 edifice does not collapse". Dubuque Telegraph Herald. Dubuque, Iowa: Woodward Communications. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
3. "Archbishop Hennessy Catholic School New Vienna & Petersburg." Archbishop Hennessy Catholic School. March 6, 2000. Retrieved on July 25, 2018.
4. ^ Muilenburg, Matt (February 27, 2013). "Hennessy School consolidation underway". Dyersville Commercial. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
5. "school.html". Hennessy School. June 6, 2001. Archived from the original on June 6, 2001. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
6. Kruse-Domeyer, Jill (October 13, 2017). "Archbishop Hennessy to close at end of the school year". The Witness. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
7. ^ Wong, Allison (September 21, 2017). "Hennessy Catholic School to close at the end of the school year". KCRG-TV. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
8. "School". Hennessy Catholic School. June 6, 2001. Archived from the original on June 6, 2001. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
9. "Hennessy School in Petersburg Will Close". KMCH. September 20, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
10. "Home". St. Francis Xavier Catholic School. Retrieved April 18, 2020. - linked from the Spires of Faith homepage (as of 2020/04/18)-->

External links

• Saint Boniface Church - In the Spires of Faith Church Network, Official Website
• Archbishop Hennessy Catholic School at the Wayback Machine (archive index)

v t e Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque
Ordinaries	Bishops Mathias Loras Clement Smyth Archbishops John Hennessy John Keane James Keane Francis Beckman Henry Rohlman Leo Binz James Byrne Daniel Kucera Jerome Hanus Michael Jackels Thomas Robert Zinkula
Auxiliary bishops	Edward Aloysius Fitzgerald Loras Thomas Lane George Biskup Loras Joseph Watters Francis John Dunn William Edwin Franklin
Churches	Cathedral St. Raphael's Cathedral, Dubuque Parishes Basilica of St. Francis Xavier, Dyersville St. John XXIII, Cedar Rapids Holy Ghost, Dubuque Holy Trinity, Luxemburg Sacred Heart, Dubuque Sacred Heart, Fillmore St. Boniface, New Vienna St. Donatus, St. Donatus St. Joseph, Elkader St. Joseph, Key West Saint Joseph the Worker, Dubuque St. Martin, Cascade St. Mary, Guttenberg St. Patrick, Dubuque St. Patrick, Garryowen St. Lawrence, Otter Creek St. Paul, Worthington Saints Peter and Paul, Petersburg Former parishes Saint Joseph's Prairie Church St. Mary, Dubuque St. Joseph, Stone City
Education	Higher education Clarke University Divine Word College Loras College Mount Mercy University St. Pius X Seminary, Dubuque High schools Beckman High School, Dyersville Columbus High School, Waterloo Don Bosco High School, Gilbertville Marquette High School, Bellevue Newman Catholic High School, Mason City Wahlert High School, Dubuque Xavier High School, Cedar Rapids Primary schools Mazzuchelli Middle School, Dubuque Holy Family Catholic Schools, Dubuque St. Mary's School, Guttenberg Former schools Sacred Heart School, Dubuque St. Luke's School, St. Lucas
Religious orders	New Melleray Abbey Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Priests	John George Alleman John Patrick Carroll James Vincent Casey Joseph Crétin Justin Albert Driscoll Thomas William Drumm Raymond Philip Etteldorf Daniel Mary Gorman Edward Howard William Michael Joensen Louis Benedict Kucera Mathias Clement Lenihan Thomas Mathias Lenihan William Menster J. A. M. Pelamourgues Aloysius Schmitt Joseph Clement Willging Thomas Zinkula
Miscellany	Mount Saint Bernard Seminary and Barn Our Mother of Sorrows Grotto Historic District
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v t e National Register of Historic Places in Dubuque County, Iowa outside of Dubuque
Bernard	Washington Mill Bridge
Cascade	Sauser-Lane House
Dubuque vicinity	Dubuque Trading Post-Village of Kettle Chief Archeological District Four Mounds Site Mines of Spain Area Rural Community Archeological District Mines of Spain Lead Mining Community Archeological District Mines of Spain Prehistoric District Mount Saint Bernard Seminary and Barn Round Barn, Dubuque Township John and Marie (Palen) Schrup Farmstead Historic District
Durango	Concord Congregational Cemetery Cottage Hill Methodist–Episcopal Cemetery
Dyersville	Allen House Basilica of St. Francis Xavier, Church and Rectory Memorial Building
Epworth	Epworth School Zephaniah Kidder House
Farley	Lincoln School
Holy Cross	Western Hotel
New Vienna	St. Boniface of New Vienna Historic District
Sherrill	Haberkorn House and Farmstead Sherrill Mount House
National Register of Historic Places listings in Dubuque County, Iowa List of National Historic Landmarks in Iowa

• Churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque
• National Register of Historic Places in Dubuque County, Iowa
• Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa
• Religious organizations established in 1846
• 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States
• Queen Anne architecture in Iowa
• Churches in Dubuque County, Iowa
• Clock towers in Iowa
• German-American culture in Iowa
• 1846 establishments in Iowa Territory
• Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa
• Historic districts in Dubuque County, Iowa