St. Mary's Cathloic Church on Lake Shore Dr.  

From One Township yesterdays - Corwin:

In the year 1897, the first Catholic Church in the township was built in the village of Culver. The edifice stood on a lot at the northeast corner of Lakeview Street and Lake Shore Drive, where Carl Adams now lives. In September, 1905, during a severe storm and midst a downpour of rain, the building was struck by lightning and burned to the ground.

The church was a frame building and had a rather small tower, above which rose a little steeple. There was a cross at the top of the steeple. The tower was provided with square, slatted ventilators at the sides. Birds had built their nests inside, and when the lightning struck, these nests were immediately set afire.

It was during a heavy storm on Friday evening, September 1, 1905, that the edifice was destroyed. The fire started in the very top of the steeple and was noticed by several persons from the start, but, from the lack of fire fighting equipment, they were powerless to do anything towards saving the church, and lent all their energies to saving nearby buildings. Since there was a heavy rain falling and no wind to speak of, it was easy to keep the fire from spreading. The fire company was out and did all that could be expected of any company with no more fire­fighting facilities at hand than they had.

When the storm came up, S. C. Shilling was out driving. As he was putting his team into the stable toward the center of town, Mr. Shilling thought it was his own home that was burning for it was right in line with the church when he drew up at the stable. Mr. Shilling says that the light­ning struck the church tower. t was a spectacular fire.

Culver was then a mission of the Catholic Church, connected with Monterey. It was in that parish, in St. Ann's Parish. After the church in Culver burned, the mission in this community was abandoned, and the church was not rebuilt.

Ed Bergman, now of Plymouth, bought the laud after the church was burned, and in August, 1912, erected a dwelling house thereon.

Charles Hayes remembers the church distinctly. He says at that time there were plank walks all over town and Lake presented a much different appearance from what it does now, thirty years since the church was destroyed.

Seasonal services were held at the church, and the last service for the summer of 1905 was held there on Sunday, August 26th, by Rev. Joseph Bilstein, of Monterey. Father Bilstein, as was customary, would come up from Monterey on Sundays to celebrate high mass at the church in Culver . The destruction of the edifice was a blow to him.

There were two priests associated with the Culver church:
Father Joseph Bilstein, now of Tipton, Ind., and
Father Charles Thiele, still living and now at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Fort Wayne.


Peter Keller, of south of Culver , who was one of the parishioners, says he does not know whether both were here while the church was standing. It is possible that Father Thiele built the church. One reads in the Culver Citizen of June 29, 1905, that Father Thiele, formerly pastor of St. Ann's Church, Monterey, was changed from Whiting to Fort Wayne about that time.

The Sheerins of Indianapolis were also among the sponsors of the church at Culver .

Of special interest are the conditions appertaining to the establishment of the Catholic Church in Culver.

The church was built on lot number 12 in the Vandalia Addition to the town of Uniontown. The property was conveyed, by warranty deed, by Anton Mayer and Sophie Mayer, his wife, of Vigo County, Indiana, to Right Reverend Joseph Rademacher, Bishop of the diocese of Fort Wayne, May 39, 1897. The Bishop willed all his property to Right Reverend Henry Joseph Richter, Bishop of Grand Rapids, Mich., to the Rt. Rev. Ignatius Frederick Horstmann, Bishop of Cleveland, Ohio, and the Very Rev. Joseph H. Brammer, Fort Wayne, Ind., "to have and to hold in trust for the benefit of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne."

Of these three trustees, Father Brammer later died. The Right Rev. Herman J. Alerding succeeded Father Rademacher as Bishop (Fort Wayne), who transferred the lot to Edwar J. Bergman, of Marshall County, on January 23, 1912

1897 - feb 11 - A Catholic church is soon to be built at Lake Maxenkuckee. Quite a number of Indianapolis Catholic ladies and gentlemen speud the sum mer there. It is for their convenience that the house of worship is to be built and maintained.— Valparaiso Messenger.

1897 - Jun 28 - The new Catholic church which is to be dedicated at Lake Maxinkuckee next Sunday, receives a benefit from each ticket sold to that point for the 7:30 a. m. train. This will be applied on the church debt. Let the train be filled at Logansport ... Hundreds of people from South Bend, Mishawaka, Plymouth and Logansport are expected to assist by their presence in the dedication services of the new Catholic church at Lake Maxinkuckee Sunday, July 4th. Fare for the round trip $1.00. Train leaves Vandalia station at 7:30 a. m.... Church Dedication at Lake Maximkuckee. In order to accommodate all who desire to attend the dedication- services of the Catholic church at Lake Maxinkuckee, Sunday,, July 4th, the a. m. train will be held at the Vandalia station until 7:30 a. m. Fare for the round trip, II. J, C. EDGEWORTH, Agent - Logansport Pharos Tribune

1897 - St. Mary of the Lake Catholic church was first built in Culver in the spring of 1897 and on July 4th was dedidcated services were at 11 o'clock a.m. during the summer season and C. H. Thiele was Pastor. It was located on the northeast corner

1897 - June 25 - The corner stone for the Catholic church to be laid on July 3, will be a fine mottled granite block. It will be from the granite quarries in Wiscousin, the most compact grained,hardest, and most durable granite in the United States. It has already been ordered

1897 - July 23 - The new Catholic church in this city is now completed, and is one of the finest of its kind in northern Indiana. Buswell & Jones of this city did the plastering and no more, creditable job was ever accomplished in tlie state and the boys received the highest praise from the contractor;...


Culver Citizen.
During the heavy storm last Friday evening, the Catholic church was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. The fire started in the very top of the steeple and was noticed by several persons from the start, but, from the lack of fire fighting equipment, they were powerless to do anything towards saving the church - [Rochester Sentinel, Friday, September 8, 1905]

The Diocese of Fort Wayne, 1857--September 22--1907, A Book of Historical Reference, 1669-1907. By the Rt. Rev. H. J. Alerding. Fort Wayne: The Archer Printing Co. 1907.

Culver . Marshall County.
St. Mary's of the Lake Church.
1897.

Culver is a town situated near Lake Maxinkuckee, a poplar summer resort of great beauty. It takes its name from the Culver Military Academy. Before the establishment of the institution it was known as Marmont. A neat little church was erected in the spring of 1897, and was dedicated on July 4, of the same year. It cost about $800, and was built under the superintendence of Rev. Charles Thiele, pastor of Monterey, of which place Culver is a mission. During the summer months services are held here on three Sundays of the month.

In 1906 the building was totally destroyed by fire, and will likely be rebuilt in the near future.

This ended St. Mary’s as an active parish with a church as it's base. It met in various locations from the time of the fire in 1905 until 1948 when a new building at a different location was construted 51 years later under the directon of Father Joseph A. Lenk arrived

St Mary's - college Avenue