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| St. Mary Church, 1939 | Interior of church, 1939 | Second St. Mary Church, 2002 |
St. Mary, Daisytown
The origin of St. Mary is not well documented. The beginning of the parish can be traced to the arrival of immigrants, including a number of Slovaks, to the area around the turn of the century. Around the year 1913, the pastor of the Slovak St. Mary Church in Brownsville began visiting Daisytown periodically to celebrate Mass. By 1919, the Slovak community in Daisytown was being served by the pastor of St. Clement in Ellsworth.
Construction of a church in Daisytown began in 1922. The church opened in April of 1923. In 1929, the parish became a mission of Ss. Mary and Ann in Marianna. In 1956-1957 the church was renovated. Unfortunately, fire destroyed the church on January 20, 1960. While the church was being rebuilt, Mass was moved to St. Agnes Church in Richeyville. Shortly afterwards, on August 17, 1960, responsibility for the mission of St. Mary was transferred from Ss. Mary and Ann to St. Agnes. The first Mass in the new church was celebrated on November 11, 1962, and the building was formally dedicated on June 16, 1963.
As part of the diocese's reorganization and revitalization project, the mission parish of St. Mary was merged with St. Agnes, Ritcheyville on February 11, 1994. At first St. Mary Church remained open and continued to serve St. Agnes parish. By the turn of the century it became obvious that the new parish could no longer support two church buildings. On September 8, 2007, St. Mary Church closed.
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| St. Mary Church, 1939 | Interior of church, 1939 | Second St. Mary Church, 2002 |
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