The Articles of Incorporation were drawn up and signed for the “Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin” in the summer of 1883. Father Peter DeParadis purchased a parcel of land from Alexander Russelland transferred the property to the church on December 31, 1883, shortly after the unfinished church building and its contents burned to the ground.

Over the next years, another church building was built. Just as that was finished, plans for a school building were undertaken. St. Mary’s School opened its doors to students in 1891. The church was finished, the school was in operation, and the parish was free of debt.

Then on January 24, 1892, a fire starting in the church basement near the furnace left most of the building destroyed. The altar and some pews were among the items salvaged. Work began on a new church, and by Fall 1892 it was completed. This church building would serve Immaculate Conception Parish until 1965.

The church and school buildings would each be replaced one more time to bring the parish into the 21st Century. St. Mary’s School building as we know it today was completed in 1954. The old church could only hold about 500 people if crowded to the walls. It was razed in 1965, and services were held in the school gymnasium until the first Mass was celebrated in the new church on December 8, 1966. The dedication took place on June 11, 1967.

The Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin has built four church buildings, two school buildings, and a cemetery. The challenge of the last several years that takes us into the new millennium is the lack of adequate space to house our programs and ministries. Our journey into the 21st Century, based on our faith and commitment to God, will pave the road for the ministriesas nurture as a parish.