Saint Boniface Catholic, Bigelow

Looking like some kind of fairy tale church,
St. Boniface was built in 1906.
I took this picture in early spring...

...and this one last winter.

There's more photos of this church over at Arkansas Ties.

St. Norbert's Catholic, Marked Tree

Merry Christmas

AR Catholic story

Saint Mary of the Springs, Hot Springs

Established in 1869, the church bears two cornerstones. One from a previous structure dated 1886, and a second from the present church built in 1923.

The photos were taken on Good Friday morning.

Saint Mary

Holy Rosary Catholic, Stuttgart

The stained glass in this church is most unusual. The glass itself is beautiful blown Blenko glass, but instead of lead binding the pieces, it's held together with epoxy resin, much like dalle-de-verre, or faceted glass. Dalle is 3/4" thick, but Blenko sheet glass at its thickest is about 1/4" thick and at its thinnest is 1/16" thick. My visits to the church to repair some of the broken pieces proved to be a challenge, but after 39 years, it's nice to be able to learn something new.

church info

St. Anthony Catholic, Weiner

A solid church.
Built in 1936.

Why am I always racing the sun to take these pictures?

Mary on a winter's day.

St. James Catholic, Searcy

This church is only two years old. Next door is the St. James built in 1966, and the parish occupied two previous church buildings in Searcy dating back to 1928.

I had some pictures of the unique interior, but my computer seems to have devoured them. Take my word for it, it's beautiful inside.

church web site

St. Joseph Catholic, Pine Bluff

The building dates to the 1920s.
The parish was founded in 1858.

church web site

St. Peter Catholic, Wynne

Assumption Catholic, Atkins

Classic church design.
Quite a pitch on that roof.

St. Bartholomew's Catholic, Little Rock

The members of this Little Rock church will celebrate their church's centennial this Friday and Saturday.

The first chapel was a converted store and doctor's office at 8th and Gaines, and in the beginning the congregation was but one man, Pleasant Smith. Word spread among African-American Catholics and the parish grew quickly. St. Batholomew Elementary / High School was built at 16th and Marshall streets, and in 1931 the present church and its neighboring rectory was dedicated. (Today the old parochial school houses the Helping Hand food pantry.)

Read more about the history of St. Bartholomew's as well as their plans for the centennial celebration in this article in the current Arkansas Catholic.

former St. Elizabeth’s Catholic, DeValls Bluff

Back in April I was driving Highway 70 through DeValls Bluff when I spotted a church I wanted to photograph. So I hung a right in order to circle around, and came upon this little bit of history instead.

I didn't have time that day to ask around about it, so I figured I'd do some digging later on. Well, I never did.

Fast forward to last week when I read in the e-mailed newsletter from the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program that their State Review Board had nominated one St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church in DeValls Bluff to the National Register of Historic Places. I shot this picture off to Arkansas Heritage and asked if this was the church, and they quickly verified that it was.

I still don't know much about it other than it's in the Carpenter Gothic style and was built in 1912. It's official listing is still pending. Hopefully, once it makes the list, it will receive some badly needed attention.

Update Oct. 6 - Arkansas Historic Preservation just announced the listing with this description:

St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church at DeValls Bluff in Prairie County, built in 1912 in a vernacular interpretation of the Carpenter Gothic style of architecture. “The simple one-room structure with simple Gothic Revival elements on Sycamore Street speaks of a part of DeValls Bluff history now twenty-three years gone,” the National Register nomination says. “The Catholic church served a community, albeit small, of farmers and businessmen who played integral parts of the history of DeValls Bluff and Prairie County, Arkansas. With the history of this small building is the history of European immigrants who helped build railroads, clear forests, and farm the fields that were and are firmly part of the state’s landscape.”

More info: here

Update May 23, 2011 - The state's Historic Preservation Alliance has added St. Elizabeth's to its list of Arkansas’s Most Endangered Historic Places. The sites on the list reflect threats such as deterioration, neglect, insufficient funds, insensitive public policy and inappropriate development. The following additional information was presented regarding this church:

Following the death of the last remaining parishioner, St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church was abandoned by the Church in 1986 and was unused by the community. In 1992, Mary Sharp purchased the structure and has actively sought to preserve it as an important piece of DeValls Bluff history. The building is in need of structural work and maintenance and is in danger due to lack of funds and lack of knowledge of its existence by many. In addition, St. Elizabeth’s Church sustained wind and water damage during the storms that swept across the South in late April 2011.

St. Andrew's Catholic, Little Rock

I've been asked to post a picture of the oldest church in Little Rock. I believe that would be St. Andrews, at 7th and Louisiana. It's the oldest existing church structure, anyway, having been built in 1881.

The problem is, in order to get the bulk of the church in a photograph, you have to shoot it from half a block away. It's that big. The steeple starts a mile up and goes on for another mile after that.

So, I thought I'd take several shots and hope for the best.


St. Andrew's seems always to be in some phase of restoration. Lately, the stained glass windows have been getting a lot of attention. I'll try to get some interior pictures sometime in the near future.







The front doors show a carved relief sculpture of the twelve Apostles. When the afternoon sun hits them, they're a sight to behold.








Click on the picture for a close view of the fine slate roof on the east side.

church web site

St. Mary's Catholic, North Little Rock

Marylake Carmelite Monastery, Saline County

A familiar and always welcomed sight alongside Arch Street Pike near East End is that of Marylake Monastery. It was built as a country club by the Shriners back in the 1920s, but it had a short life as such. Another use that didn't take was as a hospital set up by the noted quack, John Richard Brinkley.

In 1952 it became a novitiate for friars and nuns entering the Discalced Carmelite order and that it has been ever since. I'm sure I'm not alone in absorbing a feeling of peace that borders on reverence whenever I drive by.

(To be sure, Marylake is not, strictly speaking a church. Nor is there an official web site. But I would point in the direction of Father John Michael Payne's blog to give you a glimpse into life at Marylake.)

St. Anne Catholic, North Little Rock

A pretty little church with a convenient covered walkway that would seem to invite parishioners to congregate on rainy days before the dash to the car. The decorative iron supports are a nice touch as well.

The color variation of the shingles matches that of the stonework. These photos were taken before the trees leafed out. Bet it's prettier now.

The parish web site tells how the building was a honky-tonk before it became a church. Now that's what I call a transition.

St. Mary's Catholic Church, Helena

St. Mary's steeple, shot from the west.

The steeple from the east.

The church was designed by Charles Eames, the famous furniture designer. Read more about the history of the church and its architecture on the church web site.

St. Patrick Catholic Church, North Little Rock

A castle keep 'steeple' and crenelated battlements makes this church look like it's here for the duration.

A drawbridge style entry...

...two spectacular doors with impressive iron hardware...

...and a gorgeous Madonna.

church info