07/10/2026
THE BELL AND BELL TOWER OF ST. MARY CHURCH CAN BE SEEN ON THE KASKASKIA TO CAHOKIA FLOODPLAIN TRAIL
In 1865, St. Francis of Assisi parish was established in Harrisonville. A church was constructed in 1866, and on June 4, 1867, the wooden church was blessed in honor of St. Francis of Assisi.
A bell was cast in St. Louis in 1877 and shipped by riverboat to Harrisonville that same year.
The bell is inscribed, "In honor of St. Francis of Assisi - Harrisonville, Illinois." the bell was a gift from John McCormick, Edward Meagher and Patrick Murray, all local members of the congregation.
The parish of Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin was established in Valmeyer on March 24, 1921, and it was made a mission of the St. Francis of Assisi - Harrisonville. A frame church was constructed in the Village of Valmeyer and was dedicated in 1923. As attendance increased in 1935, the church was dedicated in honor of St. Mary, under the title of Seven Sorrows (Seven Dolors). In 1940, the St. Mary church was designated as the parish church, and St. Francis of Assisi became a mission.
Flooding in the American Bottoms during the 1940's proved disastrous for the Catholic church families of the area. St. Francis of Assisi was closed in 1950 and dismantled following an auction of the church contents.
RE-DEDICATION OF THE ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI BELL & TOWER IN NOVEMBER 3, 1974.
After the Harrisonville church was closed, the bell from that church was first preserved by the Ben O'Toole family and later by the Myron Roever family. It was later decided to build a bell tower next to St. Mary church in Valmeyer for the historic bell. The Holy Name Society undertook this project to demonstrate the fact that the two churches came together forming one parish unit. Howard Riechmann and Earl (Buck) Roy headed a committee to plan the project. Roy served as the architect, builder, and leader in obtaining donations along with recruiting workers for the project.
The bell and bell tower were dedicated on November 3, 1974 at a ceremony on the north lawn of St. Mary Church, where the new structure was located. It was a family celebration with members of the church societies forming a living rosary. The cross was made by members of the Daughters of Isabella.
Grade School pupils formed the first decade, members of the St. Anne's Altar Society the second, members of the Holy name Society the third, members of the High School classes the fourth and members of the Knights of Columbus the fifth decade.
Howard Riechmann then paid tribute to those who had secured the bell in Harrisonville and to those who had helped erect it in Valmeyer.Riechmann said, "It is fitting to have this dedication shortly after the feast of all saints and of the poor souls since most of the persons who were instrumental in the er****on of the church in Harrisonville and the bell are no longer with us. We recall the memory of those stalwart 36 families who banded together in 1866 to build a church in Harrisonville. Prior to this, they had to make the long trip to St. Francis Xavier (about six miles east of Valmeyer on the road to Waterloo) or to Madonnaville, making it difficult for many people to attend church. We further remember those, who some ten years later, purchased and set in place this bell to remind the people of the church in their midst. Those leaders were John McCormick, Edward Meagher and Patrick Murray. At the time, Rev. Bernadine Weis, O.S.F. was Pastor and the Trustees were W.W. Bamber and Thomas James.”
The service concluded with a benediction and with the blessed sacrament. For all of his hard work and dedication to the project, Earl Roy was called upon to ring the bell for the dedication service. A list of donors and workers was compiled for the parish files.
Following the Flood of 1993, it was decided to move the bell and bell tower to the new church relocation, and it now stands in front of the church as a reminder of the Parish's lost church in the original Village of Valmeyer.
