A Great Historical Loss in Freeport, Minnesota

(Photo Source)

As I was scrolling through my regular glut of news items in Google Reader today, I noticed something about the Swany Flour Mill in Freeport, Minnesota. Freeport is about 15 miles down the road, west of Collegeville. Since I began school, I've traveled regularly to Freeport to have my truck serviced.

As I looked closer at the news story, I learned with great dismay that that the Swany Four Mill had burned to the ground yesterday. I was just in Freeport about a week ago, and I found myself looking at the mill building and thinking to myself "I should photograph this place come spring." I really should have gotten around to it sooner.

I'm not a Freeport resident, nor even a Minnesota native, but I realize how significant this landmark was, architecturally, historically, and as a thriving business in a rural community. I'm not sure what there is to do now - the building is gone, nothing is salvageable, and it will not reopen. I suppose for both the lifelong local and the casual passerby, there's nothing to do but remember and reminisce.

(Photo Source)

Below are a compilation of news articles relating to the mill and the fire:

Swany White Mill: A history
SLIDESHOW: Historic Freeport Flour Mill
Fire destroys iconic Freeport flour mill (with video)
Fire destroys flour mill in Freeport (with video)
Fire Devastates Historic Freeport Flour Company (with video)
Century-Old Mill Destroyed by Fire in Freeport (with video)
Freeport flour mill fire probe begins
Flour mill fire probe begins in Freeport (with video)
Investigation begins into cause of Swany White flour mill in Freeport
Flour mill fire was one of biggest for small fire departments
Freeport mourns loss of landmark flour mill
Old mill won't be rising again

The Age of Main Street Banking

In the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, nearly all Nebraska communities had at least one bank. It was a necessity in an era much less mobile than our own. In order to convince the public of their stability and trustworthiness, these financial institutions turned to architecture to convey this notion. The result: substantial, well-built, ornate structures. While the Depression and rural demographic shifts brought an end to many of these banks, the buildings themselves often remain a downtown fixture; a reminder of the age of main street banking.

Elm Creek, Nebraska
FirsTier Bank

St. Patrick Catholic Church, Battle Creek, NE

(Image Source)

The first sacraments were celebrated regularly in Battle Creek, Nebraska in the fall of 1872, when Bishop O'Gorman of Omaha asked Father J. M. Ryan of Columbus to care for area Catholics. In 1873, Father Bedard of Ewing began to frequently visit the area. Under his supervision, a wood frame church was constructed in 1875 at the location of the current parish cemetery.

In 1885, a new wood frame church was constructed in the town of Battle Creek. The current brick church was built in 1903 and a resident priest assigned in 1907 after a rectory was built. For a more detailed history of St. Patrick's parish, visit this site.

The design of the current church is an example of highly restrained Romanesque Revival architecture. Judging by the historic photo above and the variation in the brick types, it appears that the church's tower was rebuilt at some point. I would assume that the bell was also removed at the same time. The inscription on the bell reads:

Henry Stuckstede
Bell Fdy Co
St. Louis MO
1909
Saint Anne
Pray for Us
Fr. Thomas Walsh, Pastor

The interior of the church is very simple and plain, much like the exterior. It appears that a number of modifications have taken place over the years - an acoustical tile ceiling (popular in the 1950s) and a sanctuary renovation, probably from the late 1970s.

While the overall feel of the space is utterly simple, it is quite pleasant. The large crucifix and altar visually emphasize the importance of the Eucharist as celebrated in this space.

The church windows are executed in two distinct styles, both bearing various ecclesiastical symbols near the top. Half of the windows, like the one above reflect a more flowing, Victorian-style sensibility...

... while the other half of the windows feature a more simple, Gothic-influenced design.

Change & Transition

I must apologize for the severe lack of posts as of late. My life has undergone quite the transition in the past few months!


I've always wondered if I could potentially direct my interests in ecclesiastical architecture, art, and history toward a more professional route. In early June, I began to investigate what educational qualifications it might take to become a liturgical design consultant. I never expected much to come of this research. I was mainly interested in seeing what was involved, if I ever wanted to make such a jump. I was happy with my work at KTIC and I loved the community of West Point. God had other plans.


After exchanges with several professionals within the liturgical consulting field, it became apparent that I would need an advanced degree in liturgy and/or design. One of the liturgy schools recommended to me was St. John's School of Theology in Collegeville, Minnesota. Oddly enough, I've had a relationship with Collegeville for about the past ten years. My first experience with the campus was in high school as a member of the National Catholic Youth Choir, and I returned every year thereafter to celebrate the feast of St. Benedict with the monastic community. I later became an Oblate candidate of the monastery in 2006.


I would be making my annual retreat at Collegeville in July and I figured that I might as well look at the liturgy program while I was there. Long story short, things fell into place in a way that I never could have imagined. It became apparent that I was meant to study liturgy at St. John's right now! I made the decision to enroll in the program and was accepted about a month before classes were to start!

It was stressful to work through the process of leaving behind dear friends, a job, a community, and a home in less than a month's time. I got through it all somehow, though it wasn't easy to say goodbye to the people and organizations that had so warmly welcomed me as a newcomer four years earlier. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the West Point, Nebraska community, and especially the West Point Community Theatre for welcoming me with such open arms. West Point has fostered a spirit and enthusiasm within me that has allowed me to arrive at where I am now. God willing, I will return there!


I arrived at St. John's on August 30th and classes began September 6th. I'm happy to be here. It's been an adjustment, to be sure. It has taken me a while to get back into the routine of "school," but I'm getting there. The classes are fascinating and it's truly a privilege to worship daily with the monastic community in Marcel Breuer's iconic Abbey Church. I still can't believe how fortunate I am to be studying liturgy here at St. John's, especially at this point in the church's history.


I was also fortunate to secure a graduate assistantship with the Seeing the Word project. Basically, we are working to develop curriculum around the now-complete Saint John's Bible. Primarily, we are focusing on the practice of Visio Divina and how the art of the Saint John's Bible can serve as an aid to prayer and an illumination of the Sacred Scriptures. I'm also in the very early stages of exploring how the notion of Vision Divina can be applied within the context of the historic preservation of religious buildings. Obviously, this assistantship is an excellent fit for me!

So, what's the future of this blog? I intend to keep posting about various churches, hopefully with more frequency than I have in the past. Since I'm living in Minnesota for the time being, I will probably begin posting more on the architecture of this area. However, I have a large photo archive of Nebraska churches that I still want to write about. I anticipate future posts to be an even balance between Nebraska and Minnesota locales. Also look for occasional posts dealing with my current studies, research, and some personal reflections.


If you have any suggestions or comments, you're always welcome to contact me by clicking the "Correspondence" box on the left side of the blog. I greatly appreciate your readership and interest. I hope you'll join me as I begin down this new path. Peace!

First United Methodist Church, North Bend, NE

Methodists in North Bend, Nebraska area held their first service on June 6, 1858. From this time until 1860, services were held in homes during the winter and oftentimes in a local cottonwood grove during the summer. In 1872, the first Methodist church building (pictured above) was constructed on the site of the present church. In 1897, the church was substantially remodelled. Work included repairs to the church exterior and bell tower as well as new paint, papering, and wood burning stoves for the interior. New seating was added to the building in 1901.

In 1912, Lincoln architect J.R. Smith was enlisted to design the present church building. ( It is worth noting that J.R. Smith also designed North Bend's Carnegie Library, which was dedicated in 1913.) The church was constructed by Thomas Eastergaard at a cost of $5,910 and was dedicated on February 2, 1913.

Electricity was later added to the church in 1915 and a new parsonage constructed in 1918. In 1949, the church interior was redecorated. An electric organ was installed, new carpet laid, and a new furnace installed. A addition including a fellowship hall and classrooms was constructed in 1957. In 1965, Purple Cane Methodist Church north of North Bend closed and merged with its sister congregation in town.

In 1969, the front entryway of the church was remodeled. The bell tower was removed and main stairs enclosed and reoriented to the south. The entire church was also faced with brick. The renovations totaled $18,500. The church bell, formerly in the now-removed bell tower was placed in front of the church in 1971.

The interior of the church was extensively remodeled in 1979. At that time, the ceiling was lowered, south room partitioned off, new carpeting, insulation, a large oak cross above the altar was added. The church was rededicated on June 8, 1980.

Though the church interior has been radically altered over the years, it retains a sense of warmth, created largely from the brown tones of the stained glass windows.

In the late 1950s, many memorials and generous gifts helped purchase the blond oak pulpit furniture, baptismal font, and brass candle holders and cross.


The stylized 1950s interpretation of the Gothic style is easily found in the sanctuary furnishings.

While simple in design, the stained glass windows contain some of the most vivid and striking colors I've seen. These windows, original to the church, were created by the Midland Art Glass Company of Omaha for a cost of $240.

The real artistic treasure is the large window at the rear of the church.

The number of congregation members began to steadily decrease and by September of 2010, the congregation voted to disband.

On January 2, 2011, the contents of the church were auctioned off. The final service was held the following Sunday, January 9. The church building, along with its windows are now listed for sale.

Prior to the church's closing, the congregation of about 12 people met in a smaller room south of the main body of the church in order to save on utility costs.

The small chapel room as it was decorated for the Advent season, just before the church was closed.

The small chapel room contains a smaller version of the church's large east window. I would imagine that the meaning of this window has changed over time for congregation members. With the church now closed, this window almost seems to symbolize the church structure that they once loved giving way to an uncertain, but beautiful path to the future.

Newspaper Articles related to the closing of the North Bend United Methodist Church:

Methodists observe 150th
Methodists hope lay minister will help prolong church's life
Methodist church celebrating final year
North Bend Church is Closing
Finals days of Methodist church planned
Methodists hold final service in North Bend

A Guided Tour of the Rural Churches of Adams County

If you're from the general area and would like to learn more about some of Nebraska's rural churches, join me this Saturday afternoon for a guided tour of the rural churches of Adams County, Nebraska. This tour is sponsored by Central Community College and pre-registration is required. All the information you need to know is in the article below that was recently published in the Hastings Tribune. Click on the image to enlarge it. Hope to see you there!