St. Bridget Catholic Church

St. Bridget Catholic Church, Logansport, Indiana

St. Bridget Church on Wheatland Avenue.

Bishop Joseph Dwenger was ordained the Bishop of Fort Wayne Diocese in 1872. He was the first Bishop in Indiana to be born in the United States. It was Bishop Dwenger who saw to the building of St. Bridget Church in Logansport. He realized that many Catholics were living on Logansport's west side.

In 1873 Bishop Dwenger bought a city block from Judge David Dykeman for $5,000. The area was the 700 block of Wheatland and Linden Avenues.

The next event was the arrival of Father Bernard Kroeger, who was sent to Logansport to form that church on the west side - for about 45 Irish families. He saw to it that a church was erected on Wheatland Avenue at a cost of $12,000.

This structure would serve as a church, school, residence for the Sisters of Holy Cross and his own residence. This church was dedicated August 15, 1876.

The early St. Bridget Church building is described: "the building had a church on the top floor. The Priest's residence, sister's residence and two classrooms were on the lower floor."

In 1877 the Rosary and Alter Society was organized at St. Bridget.

In 1878 Fr. Anthony J. H. Kroeger was appointed as assistant to Fr. Bernard Kroeger at St. Bridget.

In 1891 A brick social building was built on Heath Street behind the parsonage.

In 1893 Fr. Kroeger built the St. Bridget parsonage at 700 Wheatland Avenue.

In 1896 the Sisters of St. Francis came to teach at St. Bridget School replacing the Sisters of St. Joseph.

Fr. Peter Quinn began a financial drive to build a new St. Bridget Church. The cornerstone was laid August 15, 1916. By October 21, 1917, the church was completed. Carl Horn was the architect and Frank Medland was the general contractor. The church cost $50,000.

St. Bridget Gets A New School
When the old St. Bridget school had become completely inadequate as a school and structurally unsafe Bishop Carberry instructed that a new school be built on the St. Bridget grounds. This was 1961. A building campaign was begun and funds were donated.

January 19, 1962, Logansport Press, page 1:

Construction of a new school at St. Bridget's parish is slated to begin this spring, according to the Reverend Father Francis Meehan, pastor.

Preliminary approval has been given plans for the building which will be located at Wilkinson and West Linden. Maximum dimensions of the one-story structure, according to Medland and Bowman, architects, are 138 by 163 feet. It will have masonry block walls, with brick and stone facing on the exterior.

The entrance will be on Wilkinson street. Plans call for six classrooms, a meeting room, a multi-purpose room, office, teachers room, library, supply room, shower and locker rooms, kitchen and food storage room and boiler room.

Bids will be received and contracts let in early March. It is anticipated that the new building will be completed by the start of the school year in the fall. The remainder of the ground extending to Heath street will be prepared to be used as a combination major playground and parking lot.

Another playground for smaller Children will be located at the northeast corner of Wheatland

and Wilkinson, site of the present school.

Two existing buildings will be razed. First to go will be the one story brick building facing Linden avenue ,which was used for many decades as a parish hall, for commencement exercises, music recitals and later as a gymnasium. It has not been in use for some years.

Shortly after this term of school closes the present school building at Wheatland and Wilkinson will be torn down. This red brick building was erected in 1875 and housed both the school and church until 1918 when the present church was built.

The upper floor of the two-story structure has been used for meetings and bazaars. These will be held in the multi-purpose room of the new school. Church councilmen, assisting the pastor in the long-range program, include: Joe Moritz, Harry Castaldi, Thomas Medland and Pete Conroy.

In 1985 All Saints Parish was formed in an administrative unit. The school system became known as All Saints Catholic School with Sister Mary Faith as principal. In 1986 ST. Joseph Church was selected as the worship site for the Catholic Community of Logansport. All Saints Church was created.

In April of 2000 a notice under "building permits" in the local paper indicated that the church, 700 Wheatland Avenue, was to be razed.