HISTORIC 1791
ST. CHARLES BORROMEO

LOG CHURCH

A small group of volunteers and two local historians are rebuilding the 18th century vertical log Borromeo church on its original site in St. Charles, MO. This is the first time in 200 years that a French-style vertical log building has been constructed in this area – perhaps in all of North America. The reconstruction has been made possible by the private donations of individuals inspired by the early history of this old French village, the parishioners of the Borromeo Church, the City of St Charles, the Office of Mayor Patti York, the in-kind services of a long list of local companies, and the volunteer labor of a small dedicated crew.

The first St. Charles Borromeo Church, dedicated by Spanish Lieutenant Governor Manuel Perez and Father Jean Antoine Le Dru November 7, 1791, was constructed of vertical cedar logs: an architectural style unique to the French in the New World in the 17th and 18th centuries.  Although poteaux en terre (post in ground) buildings were once commonly found in French villages in the Missouri/Mississippi River Valley, only four extant examples remain.

The intention of this project is to provide both an on-going educational demonstration of the construction techniques and architectural style of those early French colonists and, when finished, provide a focal point for continuing cultural education and historical interpretation.

The reconstruction of the church is under the direction of Jesse Francis, a local preservationist with 20 years experience restoring and reconstructing 18th century French architecture in the Mississippi Valley.  The work is being done completely by hand, with period tools in the manner of the 18th century.

The log church is being rebuilt on its original site – the north half of Block 28 between Jackson and Tompkins on the west side of South Main Street- just behind the shop at 401 South Main. Construction materials are rot and termite resistant cedar logs; split cedar shake shingles; oak roofing timbers; hand forged iron hinges and locks; and native limestone flooring.

Architect Jack Luer of the Charles E. Peterson Institute of Philadelphia donated plans for the church, based on an original 1780 vertical log church in the Missouri/Mississippi River Valley.  Mr. Peterson, who passed away August 17, 2004, was best known as the creator of the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), the National Park Service’s nationwide program to document and preserve historic structures.

Several men of the Lewis and Clark Expedition attended mass in the original church on May 20, 1804. William Clark’ s May 20, 1804 journal entry reads, “ Send 20 men to Church today…to hear a Sermon to day delivered by Mr. ___ a romon Carthlick Priest.”  This was the last place of worship for the men leaving on the voyage and perhaps the first place of worship on their return. It is also the place where Americans like Daniel Boone, who moved into this Spanish territory before the Louisiana Purchase, took the oath of loyalty to the Spanish King and the Catholic Church.

The church, both during construction and after completion, will provide a focal point for interpreting the cultural history of St. Charles. In the late 18th century there was no such thing as a public building: The church was the center of community life. After Mass on Sunday there were auctions, announcements, amusements, singing and dancing, and games. The French celebrated twenty-seven official holidays!

Both the public and the city have responded to this project with enthusiasm.  The list of in-kind services is long.  Volunteers have spent long hours hewing, notching, digging, raising beams, chinking, photographing, and explaining this project to the watching public.

The church will be open to the public as part of the on-going historical interpretive program which is based on a re-creation of the daily activities of the French and Métis habitants, their Native American relatives and neighbors, American farmers from Kentucky and Virginia, boatmen and voyagers, and indentured and bound servants who made the village of St. Charles their home.

The Historic 1791 Log Church is a project of JQH Historic Preservation for Education, a non-profit Missouri corporation.

Carolyn Whetzel, Project Coordinator
Jesse Francis, Project Historian
Gene Wood, President, JQH Historic Preservation for Education
Steve Powell & Henry Elmendorf, Advisory Committee