Lebanon/ Apple Valley, Rosemount Minnesota
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Southport airport 1963Southport Airport, Cedar Avenue and County Road 42 near site of todays Target Store.
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Southport airport 1963Southport Airport, Cedar Avenue and today's County Road 42, site of Target Store.
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Southport Airport Lebanon articleLocated on County Road 42 of what is now Apple Valley, near the corner of Cedar Avenue.
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Eaton's Ranch.Eaton's Ranch, 1970s, photo by Del Stelling when editor of Burnsville Sun. It was located on Cedar Avenue, just outside of Eagan entering Apple Valley.
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Street named for Gene CorriganFebruary 21, 1979 - Burnsville Sun
The Apple Valley City Council has voted to name a future street Corrigan Court, in honor of former Apple Valley police chief Gene Corrigan...
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Antiques, artifacts, sprawl 11 acres of land 1974Walt Strese of Rosemount created his own Antique Town in the valley behind his home on County Road 33 in Rosemount. Included was the Gibson Barbershop or Rosemount and Dally Store from Crystal Lake. The antique village no longer exists.
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St. Joseph Rosemount celebrating 150 yearsSeptember 6, 2018 various Sun/Thisweek News publications contained this story.
After 150 years, it’s time to celebrate.
The Church of St. Joseph has been providing a place of worship in the Rosemount area since pioneers first settled in Dakota County.
“The first church was in the middle of nowhere,” said John Loch, member of the church’s 150th anniversary committee. “There are stories where people had trouble getting to church. If you lived in town, you didn’t necessarily have transportation. This was before there were cars. There was a story about a woman who rode to a baptism on the beer wagon.”
Ann Loch, who is also a member of the committee, said families would walk several miles to get to church.
“Children would carry their shoes so when they got to church they had clean shoes and looked their Sunday best,” Ann Loch said.
It was a time when families purchased space in the pews. People would pay upward of $6.75 for a family, Ann Loch said.
“That was a lot of money in 1868,” she said. “That was for the first five rows. It was $4 for the others. The rent was lowered in 1869. It was like that until the 1940s. That was a big part of the way they made their money.”
It was a different time for the church as well.
“Typically the priest would offer Mass with his back to the people,” said Rev. Paul Kammen. “The altar servant would recite the responses in Latin. People would follow along with cards.”
Ann Loch said Kammen is the church’s 16th pastor in 150 years.
The location at 13900 Biscayne Avenue is technically the fourth church that has been home to the Church of St. Joseph.
“We also used a temperance hall in between buildings at one point,” Ann Loch said.
The first church was opened in 1868 after operating for years as a mission. It was just a few years after Rosemount was recognized as a township.
“It was called the little brown church, but we don’t know if it was actually brown,” John Loch said. “We don’t have a picture of it.”
The first church was built near the intersection of Pilot Knob Road and 160th Street near the Highland Cemetery.
It was destroyed in 1880 by a cyclone.
A new church was built in 1881 roughly where the South Robert Trail Library is now, and stood there for about 43 years. Citing a growing congregation, they built a larger church just north in 1924 in what is now known as the Steeple Center.
The town grew around the church.
St. Joseph’s Parish School was built in 1953, the convent was built in 1965 and a new rectory was built in 1969.
Generations of families have attended the church. It served employees of Gopher Ordnance Works, a gunpowder factory, and a polio hospital in the area.
Ann Loch said the church was host to six masses during the weekend at one point.
About 17 years ago, the parish purchased the land off Biscayne Avenue and Connemara Trail, the site of the new campus. The new school and meeting space was finished in 2009.
The city eventually purchased the old church to turn it into a community center.
“One of the reasons why the city wanted to buy the property is because they didn’t want to lose that iconic building,” Ann Loch said. “It’s a signature part of downtown. That and the elevator.”
Organizers brought several aspects of the old church to its new location.
“They did a nice job of incorporating the history of the church when they built this one,” Kammen said.
When designing the new church, the starting point was installing stained glass windows.
The congregation continues to grow. It has about 2,000 families and 182 children in its elementary school. That includes a recently opened preschool that already has a long waiting list.
“The list is staggering of what’s going on around here,” Kammen said.
What started as a small church in farm country has become a booming community.
“It’s a healthy community,” Kammen said. “You could have a dysfunctional environment from the old guard, the Germans and the Irish have to share a parish, but there’s no turf wars. People are willing to say ‘what can I do?’ They’re willing to take the attitude of Christ washing the feet of the Apostles. ... It’s a group of people happy to help. They don’t need their name on a plaque. People have an attitude of selflessness.”
To celebrate 150 years, the weekly bulletin has included a historical article covering a specific time period in the church over the past several months.
There will also be a 120-page book commemorating the anniversary along with a DVD featuring interviews with longtime members of the parish.
In recent years the community has brought back the traditions such as card parties, ice cream socials and the Harvest Festival.
“The Harvest Festival is a throwback,” John Loch said. “The parish used to have huge harvest festivals.”
The Harvest Festival this year will double as a 150-year anniversary party.
Festivities are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Sept. 14.
The party will have an Oktoberfest feel complete with brats, hot dogs, pretzels, beer and polka from the Jolly Zuks Band.
There will be a craft fair, raffles, bingo, punch wall, wine toss, and children’s games.
There’s also a 5K fun run the morning of Sept. 15 and craft fair 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
The Knights of Columbus will offer pork chop on a stick for lunch.
The 5 p.m. Sept. 15 service will be its 150th Anniversary Polka Mass with Archbishop Bernard Hebda presiding.
Following Mass, parishioners are welcome to a chicken dinner, something the church has served up for more than 100 years.
The dinner is $12 for adults, $6 for children or $42 for a family pack.
There will also be bingo, a raffle, polka music by the Chimielewski Band, and children’s entertainment the evening of Sept. 15 followed by a fireworks display.
Following the Sept. 16 morning masses, there will be a continental breakfast featuring the Irish duo Sister Tree.
Admission and parking are free with a moderate charge for food, bingo, raffles, games and children’s activities.
The Church of St. Joseph is located at 13900 Biscayne Ave. in Rosemount. For more information about the festival, call 651-423-1658 or visit stjfestival.org.
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St. Joseph Cemetery, RosemountSt. Joseph Cemetery, Rosemount.
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St. Joseph Catholic Church RosemountA permanent photo display created for the 150th anniversary of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Rosemount.
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St. Joseph Catholic Church 150th anniversary.St. Joseph Catholic Church Rosemount was first located off Pilot Knob Road and then built in Rosemount. Early Burnsville Catholics living near Crystal Lake likely attended this parish.
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St. Joseph Catholic Church1940s view of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Rosemount.
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Ken Wagner - Grandpa Ken tv showApril 30, 1963 Mpls Star Tribune - Ken Wagner of KMSP TV and his wife lived in the mobile homes at the Eaton's Park area of Apple Valley.
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Thomas Scott homePictured during the late 1860's, was torn down in 1939 and replaced by a new structure on County Road 42 between Cedar And Galaxie. Family members are from left to right Thomas and Mary Scott, daughter Mary, son James and on the porch - Ellen, Lloyd and David. This photo appeared in the 1976 Apple Valley History Book.
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Builder Orrin Thompson 1966June 16, 1966 Dakota County Tribune
Interview with developer Orrin Thompson.
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Cornerstone for St. Joseph's Church Rosemount.When the most recent church was built in 2003, a cornerstone was created to acknowledge each of the structures.
August 30, 1868
November 13, 1881
December 24, 1924
October 5, 2003
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