MOUNT HOLLY — A piece of our nation’s history and a place dear to Irish Catholics in western North Carolina has received critical repairs. Over the past nine months, old St. Joseph Church on N.C. Hwy. 273 has had some critical repairs designed to preserve the wooden structure.
Built in 1843 for and by Irish immigrants, who had come to mine for gold along the Catawba River, St. Joseph Church is the oldest Catholic church still standing in the state and is an official state and U.S. historical site.
The church was built in what became Gaston County, named in 1846 for William Gaston, a Catholic politician who served in the state and U.S. Congress. He also served as a North Carolina Supreme Court judge beginning in 1833.
Gaston was instrumental in the construction of the first Catholic church in his hometown of New Bern in 1841, donating much of the funding to erect the building.
Gaston then moved to assist in the completion of St. Joseph Church, the fourth Catholic church built in the state and the first Catholic church building in western North Carolina, also donating funds to complete its construction.
The wooden structure is a vernacular temple-form, Greek Revival style frame church clad in white clapboard. It has a gable roof and its front façade features a tetrastyle portico.
The Diocese of Charlotte Properties Office oversaw the significant repairs made to the 175-year-old church. Repairs were made to the roof, floors and other areas of architectural weakness found in the historic structure.
The altar and sanctuary area were also restored to freshen up renovations that had been done in the 1970s.
The repair project cost $150,000 to address the most critical issues. Additional funds will be needed to finish the restoration. Fundraising efforts in the community will take place later in 2018 to raise these additional funds.
Today St. Joseph Church is used for special occasions such at the feasts of St. Patrick and St. Joseph in March, and tours are available upon request through Queen of the Apostles Church in Belmont.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
More photos of St. Joseph Church
