A Building That Never Stopped Serving Others: The Story of Eldon's Original Sacred Heart Church

Originally completed in 1910 as Sacred Heart Catholic Church, the brick sanctuary (left) and adjoining rectory (right) served Eldon's Catholic community for decades before being preserved and converted into the Lee House retirement community during the late 1980s. Few historic buildings in Eldon have served the community continuously in so many different ways. Photo by Jeremy P. Amick.

Nowadays, motorists traveling along North Mill Street in Eldon pass a stately brick building with little thought to the remarkable story contained within its walls. Known for decades as Lee House, the structure has served as a home for senior citizens since the late 1980s. Yet long before it entered that chapter of its history, the building was the spiritual home of generations of Miller County Catholics. For more than a century, it has continued its mission of serving others.

The story of Sacred Heart Church began alongside the birth of Eldon itself. When the Missouri Pacific Bagnell Branch Railroad arrived during the early 1880s, the new town attracted workers and their families, including a growing number of Catholics.

According to the history of Sacred Heart Church compiled by Monsignor John Dreisoerner and preserved by the Miller County Museum and Historical Society, the earliest Catholic families worshipped wherever space could be found. Mass was celebrated in a home at Etterville, in the rented home of the Maccarath family on West Second Street, in the Walter Roash home on Aurora Street, in the Presbyterian (also known as Congregational) Church, and even in the old city hall.

Before they had a church, they had a community. By the opening days of 1910, that community had grown determined to build a permanent house of worship. 

The Eldon Advertiser announced on January 20 that Catholic residents would gather at the home of Mrs. Roach on Saturday evening, January 29, "for the purpose of making plans for the new Catholic church." It was a humble beginning for a project that would soon become one of Eldon's most recognizable landmarks.

Only a few months later, those plans became reality. On June 2, 1910, the Eldon Advertiser reported that excavation had been largely completed and work on the foundation was beginning. The newspaper described the proposed church as "a modern brick building 60x80 feet" equipped with electric lights and steam heat. Such amenities demonstrated the congregation's desire to construct a modern place of worship that would serve the community for generations. 

Meanwhile, another important milestone had quietly taken place. On June 14, 1910, a warranty deed was filed conveying the property to Right Rev. John J. Hogan, Bishop of Kansas City, in trust for the Roman Catholics of Eldon and the surrounding community. The land, located at North and Mill streets, would become the permanent home of Sacred Heart Church.

As construction progressed, preparations began for the cornerstone ceremony. The Eldon Advertiser reported on July 14 that Father Francis J. Kalvelage, a Catholic priest from Mary's Home, traveled to Eldon to arrange the event.

The ceremony itself took place on July 20, 1910. The Eldon Advertiser described it as "another eventful day in the history of Eldon because of the laying of the cornerstone of the first Catholic church in Eldon." During the ceremony, the new parish was formally named The Sacred Heart of Jesus.

A bronze granite cornerstone was placed containing a history of the congregation, the date of the ceremony, and the names of President William Howard Taft, Missouri Governor Herbert S. Hadley, Eldon Mayor R. S. Harvey, and members of the city council. The inclusion of national, state, and local leaders created a time capsule that forever connected the church with the community and nation it served.

Mayor Harvey also addressed the gathering, praising those who had undertaken the ambitious project. His remarks shared the pride many Eldon residents felt in seeing another important institution become part of their rapidly growing town.

Construction advanced at an impressive pace. Only one week after the cornerstone ceremony, the Eldon Advertiser reported that the brick walls had already been completed. Contractor W. W. Whitlock immediately turned his attention to the carpentry work, and the newspaper optimistically predicted the church would be ready for dedication by September.

As often happens with construction projects, however, completion required more time than anticipated. Although the building was substantially complete, finishing work continued through the winter. On March 2, 1911, the Eldon Advertiser announced, "Although the new Catholic church is not yet quite finished, services will be held therein on Sunday morning next at 10 o'clock... Everybody invited."

The notice identified Rev. Thomas F. Prendergast as pastor and welcomed the entire community to attend. Rather than waiting for every detail to be completed, Father Prendergast opened the church so his congregation could begin worshipping in its new home.

According to the parish history preserved by the Miller County Museum and Historical Society, the first recorded baptism in the new church took place on May 8, 1911, when infant Frederick Patke was baptized, marking yet another milestone in the life of the young congregation.

The formal dedication finally occurred several months later. On October 19, 1911, the Eldon Advertiser announced that The Right Reverend Thomas F. Lillis, D.D., Bishop of the Kansas City Diocese, would officiate at the dedicatory services on Sunday, October 29.

Father Prendergast, serving as pastor pro tempore, and members of the congregation extended "a welcome invitation to all, irrespective of creed," demonstrating that the celebration was intended not only for Catholics but for the entire community. At the time, Miller County belonged to the Diocese of Kansas City, making Bishop Lillis the ecclesiastical leader responsible for the new parish.

For decades, Sacred Heart Church stood at the heart of Catholic life in Eldon. Within its brick walls, generations celebrated baptisms, weddings, funerals, and weekly Mass. As the congregation grew, the parish eventually relocated to a newer church, but the original building remained standing as a testament to the craftsmanship and vision of its founders.

Many historic churches disappear once their congregations move away. Sacred Heart was fortunate to receive a second life. On November 27, 1986, the Eldon Advertiser announced that the former church and rectory would become Lee House, a unique residential facility for senior citizens. Owners Irene Lee and Naomi Lee Luttrell emphasized that it would not be a nursing home but rather "an atmosphere of leisure for senior citizens."

The first resident moved into the rectory in May 1987 while renovation of the church continued. The remodeled facility was formally dedicated on August 17, 1989, preserving one of Eldon's oldest religious landmarks while giving it a new purpose. 

The adjoining rectory, visible immediately east of the church, was also preserved. In fact, the first Lee House residents moved into the renovated rectory in May 1987 while work continued on converting the church sanctuary into additional living space. By the summer of 1989, the entire complex had been completed as a residential community for senior citizens.

Few buildings reflect the history of Eldon as completely as the original Sacred Heart Church. Born from the determination of a handful of Catholic families who first gathered in a parishioner's home to plan their future, it became a center of faith for generations before beginning a second career serving the community's senior citizens.

More than a century after the first cornerstone was laid, the old brick church continues to fulfill the same mission that inspired its founders in 1910 by serving the people of Eldon.
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Jeremy P. Ämick is author of the historical compilations “Moments on the Moreau” and “Beyond the Moreau.”       

Bishop John J. Hogan (1829–1913), the first bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City, accepted the June 14, 1910, deed conveying the property on which Sacred Heart Catholic Church was built in Eldon. His leadership helped establish Catholic parishes throughout western and central Missouri during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Public domain. John Joseph Hogan portrait, 1903. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (digitized via the Internet Archive).