View of Marystown. ca. 1970-1980. SCHS Collection.
Marystown began as a collection of mostly German immigrants in the southeastern corner of Louisville Township. As Father Klein, a famously verbose priest, wrote in the 1930s, Marystown was founded “by intrepid settlers and their wives who hewed out of the primeval forest homes in what is now one of the fairest and most productive regions of this smiling land.”
St. Mary’s Church
By 1850 there were “around 700 Germans” in the area but no church. Instead, traveling priests would hold services in local homes, announcing their presence by ringing a bell as they rode through farmsteads. To remedy this, community members built St. Mary’s Church. It is generally agreed that St. Mary’s is the first organized Catholic parish in Scott County and likely one of the oldest in the entire region.
According to legend, the church was named St. Mary’s due to a passing conversation during its construction. One day, two men were cutting wood for the building. One asked the other what day it was. He replied, “Maria Lichtmess - the Feast of St. Mary’s of the Purification.” The name stuck and was given to the completed church.
The original building for St. Mary’s Church was completed in 1855, though it burned during a brushfire before it was even completed. It was rebuilt in 1856. Subsequent rebuildings took place in 1870 and 1882.
In 1917, St. Mary’s Church was once again destroyed by fire. The parish chronicles described the fire thus:
“Father Ziskovksy gave the alarm. The flames were shooting high up into the sky. The people, aroused by the telephone, gathered around the scene. Human power could not stay the demon of fire. The church bells crashed down from the belfry and were shattered to fragments. The flames licked up all except the heavy stone walls. Pastor and people were in tears and sorrow. . . . The disastrous fire stirred the spirit of sacrifice in pastor and people, and they set to work at once to rebuild the church on improved architectural style...The old stone walls were inspected by competent authority and declared in good condition. Architect and contractor were engaged and the constructed progressed so rapidly that by the end of the year the church was completely rebuilt at a cost of $23,183.43 and all paid for.””
St. Mary’s church was also home to a great deal of celebration. In addition to the usual weddings, services, and community events, the people of Marystown came together to commemorate the history of the church itself. Below is a sampling of celebrations at St. Mary’s Church:
July 1882
The cornerstone was laid for the newly rebuilt St. Mary’s Church. Celebrations happened on July 14, and according to the Shakopee Courier, were attended by nearly all community members. Vierling’s Shakopee Band accompanied “the formation of a long procession of societies and people escorting [Bishop Grace of Saint Paul] into town.” The reporter concluded that “the day was fine and all seemed to enjoy the occasion very much.”
October 1980
St. Mary’s held a gala to honor the church’s 125th anniversary. The day began with a Mass held by Archbishop John Roach, in which he stated, “I have long been aware of the depth of faith, vitality of community, and the long history of this church in Marystown.” Afterward, visitors and church members were taken on tours of the church and grounds, where a display was set up showcasing photographs and memories from past parishioners. At noon, a turkey dinner for several hundred was served, followed by turkey and cake throughout the afternoon.
“Pig-Kissing, games, quilt raffle highlight Marystown Church festival.” Shakopee Valley News, August 14, 1997.
Marystown School
In 1864, a priest known as Father Benedict organized a school society for St. Mary’s Church. According to Father Klein’s 1930 history of the parish, “There was no schoolhouse. The first children, few in number, came to Mr. John Thies who operated a saloon, and received from him a few hours’ instruction daily at certain periods of the year.” Klein also recounted an often-told story that resulted from holding school at a saloon: “A humorous (or tragic) incident occurred one day. One of the boys, Louis-‘played naughty.’ Not resorting to the rod as teachers were wont to do in those days, Mr. Thies opened the cellar door and sent Louis down below. It is not told how bright Louis was over his books and figures; but in the dusk of the cellar he got the bright idea to pull the stopper of a barrel and test the strength of the “spirits” contained in the cask. Mr. Thies inflicted no more punishments of that nature.”
Not long after that, St. Mary’s school moved out of the saloon and into the original parish house, a 16 x 22-foot cabin. During this time, school was taught by the Catholic Sisters of Charity and consisted of 5 months of academic education and 5 months of religious instruction each year.
In 1893, a new brick building was constructed. The actual teaching in the school flipped back and forth between Catholic sisters and “lay teachers.” Finally, in 1921 a system was put in place whereby Grades 1 and 2 were public school with a hired teacher, and the rest of the grades were run as a Catholic school and taught by sisters. This system continued until the school closed.
Regina Mechtel remembered going to school in Marystown in the early 1900s and shared her recollections with a reporter from the Prior Lake American in 1987. She said there were only three or four teachers for the whole school, and “the teachers also moved students up as their skills improved. Age wasn’t such a big thing. You went into the next class when you were ready.” She also noted that some students missed a great deal of the school year due to farm work, spending years in the same grade. Students would also miss school in the winter because of bad weather. Regina lived only a short distance from the schoolhouse and was usually able to make it in. She noted that “there would be some days when there would be just a few of us in class because the rest couldn’t get here. Those days were kinda nice because those of us who were there got a lot of help from our teacher.”
The Marystown School closed its doors in 1970, with students joining other, larger districts.
“98-Year-Old Marystown School Torn Down to Make Room for Parish Center.” Shakopee Valley News, October 4, 1990.
Business in Marystown
One of the first notable Marystown businesses was the Marystown Creamery, organized in 1918. Like several other early creameries in Scott County, the establishment was cooperatively owned. Farmers pooled their available milk and sold butter collectively at the highest price.
During Prohibition (1920-1933), there were burglaries at several creameries in Scott County. Stories accused bootleggers of stealing butter in order to trade it for illicit alcohol. The Marystown Creamery was stolen from three times in 1922. Each time the theft was of a relatively small supply of butter. For example, 96 pounds were stolen in December. Each of the incidents was conducted on a Sunday night, leading locals to believe that the same person was responsible for all of the thefts. The culprit was never apprehended, and Marystown Creamery stayed in business until 1927.
Another farmers’ cooperative was the Louisville Mutual Insurance Company, established around 1886 by a group of Marystown farmers. In 1936, the company celebrated its golden jubilee. A speaker praised the fact that it had “1205 policies in force with no unpaid claims.” This organization merged with other community insurance groups several times and it still exists today.
Wagner General Store supplied the area residents until the late 1960s. Wagner claimed, “We had this sign hanging above the door that read ‘if we don’t have it, you don’t need it,’ and that’s how it was.” He went on to describe, “You know it was one of those community affairs. For example we had 1400 lbs of bolts so if any of the farmers had something break on their machines they could come to our place and get something to fix it. . . . During the time they did harvest or filled silo, we never took any time off. We worked around their needs.” Since people did a lot of canning, the store kept a supply of vinegar in 50 gallon jugs.
Wagner’s store stayed open until the 1960s. Later, a bar opened in the old store building. By 1987, this bar was the only business remaining in Marystown and a gathering place for the local community. Local resident Brad Luce described it as “someplace to go after your chores. Otherwise you’d never see your friends.”
In 1987, the Prior Lake American published an article profiling Marystown. The piece noted that the community’s business district never really blossomed due to proximity to the larger communities of Shakopee and Jordan. In spite of this, Marystown was home at various points to “two general stores, a blacksmith shop, a saloon, a creamery, a garage and a gas pump.”
Further Reading:
Most resources for this article on Marystown are from local newspapers. To dig into this topic further, come visit our Research Library and we can help you find the articles you’re looking for! We are located at 235 South Fuller St, Shakopee, MN and are open Monday-Friday 9am-4pm.