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If you have any pictures of Jessenland, we'd love to see them! Please send them to [email protected]
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Jessenland History and Culture Center
The parish of St. Thomas the Apostle was established in 1855 as the focal point of Jessenland Township, Minnesota's oldest Irish farming community. The current building, built in 1870, is on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1852, Thomas, Walter, and Dennis Doheny staked claims in this area about five miles northeast of Henderson, MN. Within a few years they were joined by scores of other families.
As early as 1854 visiting priests served the Irish Catholics of Jessenland Township. By 1855 the parish of St. Thomas was formed, becoming one of the oldest parishes in the state and the oldest parish in the Diocese of New Ulm. Fr. Thomas McMannus, the first priest to serve the area, may have inspired the parish's name.
In May of 1870, the cornerstone of current building was placed under the supervision of Fr. Theodore Venn. The new building, inspired by the design of The Church of St. Louis in St. Paul, MN, measures 36’x85’, and is built in the style reminiscent of Greek Revival, with a pediment gable roof and Georgian stylistic overtones found in the slender round tower and spire that rise above the structure. Construction almost shut down completely due to damage from a severe storm late in the summer of 1870. But with the help of over 300 local residents, the building was completed in time to hold an All Saints Day Mass that same year and counted about 100 families as members of the parish. The adjacent 8-room rectory, first inhabited by Fr. John W. Nealis, was completed in 1878. By 1881 parish membership had grown to 130 families.
The Jessenland Township name may have been inspired by Bishop Joseph Cretin’s comparison of the church land to the biblical land of Gessen. Just north of Henderson, Minnesota, Jessenland Township embraces all of township 113, range 26 west, excepting a fraction cut off by the Minnesota river. The surface is quite irregular. High bluffs along the river, intersected by deep ravines. Back from the bluffs are found numerous marshes, and in the northwestern portion is Silver Lake, a large body of water well stocked with fish. High Island Creek runs through the township a little below the center, emptying into the Minnesota river. Originally the surface was covered with a thick growth of heavy timber, a large portion of which has been out for wood and to make room for agricultural pursuits.
Portions of this history were taken from "HISTORY OF THE MINNESOTA VALLEY, INCLUDING THE EXPLORERS AND PIONEERS of MINNESOTA", By Rev. Edward D. Neill and accounts from the Sibley County Independent (later known as the Henderson Independent)
In 1852, Thomas, Walter, and Dennis Doheny staked claims in this area about five miles northeast of Henderson, MN. Within a few years they were joined by scores of other families.
As early as 1854 visiting priests served the Irish Catholics of Jessenland Township. By 1855 the parish of St. Thomas was formed, becoming one of the oldest parishes in the state and the oldest parish in the Diocese of New Ulm. Fr. Thomas McMannus, the first priest to serve the area, may have inspired the parish's name.
In May of 1870, the cornerstone of current building was placed under the supervision of Fr. Theodore Venn. The new building, inspired by the design of The Church of St. Louis in St. Paul, MN, measures 36’x85’, and is built in the style reminiscent of Greek Revival, with a pediment gable roof and Georgian stylistic overtones found in the slender round tower and spire that rise above the structure. Construction almost shut down completely due to damage from a severe storm late in the summer of 1870. But with the help of over 300 local residents, the building was completed in time to hold an All Saints Day Mass that same year and counted about 100 families as members of the parish. The adjacent 8-room rectory, first inhabited by Fr. John W. Nealis, was completed in 1878. By 1881 parish membership had grown to 130 families.
The Jessenland Township name may have been inspired by Bishop Joseph Cretin’s comparison of the church land to the biblical land of Gessen. Just north of Henderson, Minnesota, Jessenland Township embraces all of township 113, range 26 west, excepting a fraction cut off by the Minnesota river. The surface is quite irregular. High bluffs along the river, intersected by deep ravines. Back from the bluffs are found numerous marshes, and in the northwestern portion is Silver Lake, a large body of water well stocked with fish. High Island Creek runs through the township a little below the center, emptying into the Minnesota river. Originally the surface was covered with a thick growth of heavy timber, a large portion of which has been out for wood and to make room for agricultural pursuits.
Portions of this history were taken from "HISTORY OF THE MINNESOTA VALLEY, INCLUDING THE EXPLORERS AND PIONEERS of MINNESOTA", By Rev. Edward D. Neill and accounts from the Sibley County Independent (later known as the Henderson Independent)
Links
Jessenland Township Planning & Zoning
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Sibley County Historical Society
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Jessenland Township on Wikipedia
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Township land plat map, circa 1955
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If you would like to aid in the maintenance and preservation of the church building and grounds, we would be grateful for your donation. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Please send check or money order to: Friends of Jessenland P.O. Box 234 Henderson, MN 56044 |
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