Happenings & Celebrations
1892
On Monday, December 19th a Catholic Fair was held at the Church. There was a good crowd despite the cold weather and the bad roads.
A drawing was held for a saddle made by Charles Deppe and donated to the church by J.H. Bentley and Mr. McGargill. There were 1,753 votes costing 10 cents a vote of which Mr. Bentley received 971 votes which cost his friends $97.10.
The contestants for the doll were Maggie Laughlin, Louisa Cross, Carrie Nelson, and Mary Rogers, Maggie Laughlin received 1,400 votes and won the doll.
The sewing machine was won by Ed Ford and John Mahoney, Miss Maggie Young, sister of Mrs. Gunther, drew the road wagon, Charles Hayes got the sofa, and Professor Humphreys got the lamp while C.V. Mount of Shenandoah received the watch.
The Fair closed on Tuesday night with a dance in the church and another good crowd.
1893
May 17 – A troupe from Council Bluffs performed a play at the Church. A large crowd attended the dance that followed afterwards.
June – Father Cook, Hamburg, was in town soliciting funds for the enlargement of the Shenandoah church.
November 1 – Father Hayes returned from his trip to the Chicago World’s Fair.
1894
January 10 – A dance was held in the old church building now used as a hall.
November – A mission was held for a week with services each morning and each evening.
1895
July 4 – A church picnic was held on the church grounds starting at 11am. The American flag was raised followed by an artillery salutation, the Star Spangled Banner and the reading of the Declaration of Independence. An oration was given by Father Lambert of Omaha, NE. Dinner followed with ball games, supper and fireworks.
1896
April – Lectures were given in the church on three evenings; they were instructive and entertaining.
June 6 – A hard windstorm struck Imogene doing considerable damage to fruit and shade trees. The storm played pranks on businesses and houses. The golden cross on the Catholic Church was dashed to the ground and broken to pieces.
July – The church cross blown down in the June storm was placed in its former position.
August 15 – Twenty-one boys and girls made their First Communion.
September 14 – Father Smith of Council Bluffs conducted 40 hours services. Ceremonies began at 9:30am with Father Bulger of Shenandoah, Father Dallard of Walnut, Father Sheridan of Corning and Father Pembrake of Maryville, MO assisting.
December 25 – Father Hayes returned from Hawaii where he spent two weeks in close observation of men and things, its natural beauties and wonders. He also visited the leper colony of Molakai where 1,300 human beings were isolated. It is a 12-hour boat trip from Honolulu. He brought back a box of cigars that cost 20 cents.
1898
March 17 – Father Hayes delivered the St. Patrick’s Day address in Keokuk.
May 25 – Closing Forty Hours services began at 10am. Priests present were Father Smith of Council Bluffs, Father Dallard of Walnut, Father Mullen of Missouri Valley, Father Sheridan of Chariton, a Benedictine missionary, Father Hayes and Father Bulger.
July – The ladies of the church gave a social and dance at the hall. The proceeds went towards the purchase of a new organ.
September 25 – The non-Catholic mission conducted by Rev. E.H. Younans of the Paulist order from New York closed this evening. Father organized a Young Men’s Sodality of 100 members. At this meeting, seven candidates applied for membership in the Church.
Father Hayes attended a congress of the religious in Omaha, NE and took notes on remarks made by many religious leaders.
December 11 – Father Hayes could not deliver his sermon because of tonsilitis.
1899
The local newspaper columnist received from Father Hayes a dictionary of Catholic terms, rites, ceremonies and doctrines.
February 19 – Anthony Printy, son of Mike Printy, met with a serious accident that came near to causing his untimely death. He was one of the altar boys attending to his duties at evening services when he slipped into a darkened vestry room and fell thru a trap door hitting his head on a sharp edge and cutting a gash several inches long behind his ear. He was unconscious when discovered and bleeding profusely. The wound was sewed up and he is doing well but might have bled to death if not discovered sooner.
May – Father Hayes was in Chariton attending a 40-Hours devotion where he delivered a course of lectures.
May 25 – A good crowd attended a social dance given by the catholic Society in the church hall. The proceeds will go to pay for a new church organ.
June 28 – Forty-Hours devotion began with Father Bulger of Shenandoah and Father Mullin of Missouri Valley assisting.
1900
January – The Young Ladies Sodality gave a social in the opera house. They served a supper after which a literary and musical program was given. The proceeds went to establish a library.
June 1 – Father Hayes left on an European trip.
August 10 – Father Hayes returned from his European trip. He visited scenes of interest along the St. Lawrence Valley, the Exposition at Paris, and a sister who is in a convent at Bruger, Belgium. father is quite the globetrotter. He has crossed the water to Europe several times and a few years ago he visited the Hawaiian Islands.
Father Hayes owned 1,500 acres in Fremont and Page Counties.
September – A very large collection was taken up at the church for the Galveston flood sufferers. Father Hayes duplicated the amount raised by the parish.
October 31 – Father Hayes attended the 100th anniversary exercises of the Society of the Sacred Heart in Omaha, NE.
1901
March 16 – The Young Ladies Sodality gave a banquet in the opera house and afterwards rendered a literary program.
April – Father Hayes received a handsome offer for land he owns in California which is in an area where oil was recently discovered. A well was dug on his property and produced 800 barrels a day. The parties are anxious for a deal as they sent along papers already made out for a trade.
April 21 – The bell for the Catholic Church arrived today.
April 27 – The new bell weighing one ton and costing $500 was raised to the bell tower today. The Bishop of the diocese was present to bless the bell.
July – During the hot weather, Father Hayes resides in Colfax. He returns on Saturday evening to conduct services the next day, and returns to Colfax on Monday morning.
1902
September – A carload of brick is being unloaded for a walk around the church block. When the work is complete it will be quite an improvement in that part of town.
November – The ladies of the Altar Society assisted by the C.Y.L.S.(Catholic Young Ladies Sodality) gave a grand banquet in the opera house on Thanksgiving evening where the substantials as well as the delicacies of the season were served. the menu consisted of roast turkey with cranberry sauce, salad a la varied, roast chicken with currant jelly, Saratoga chips, cold ham with pickles, sour pickles in abundance, celery, cheese jumbles, buns with delicious butter, chocolate cake, layer cakes of all kinds, and hot coffee The tempting supper cost 25 cents per plate. Afterwards the young people presented a very interesting program and various games were played.
1903
January – A Hibernian lodge has come to Imogene. The lodge has had three meetings so far this month and has a current membership of 55 with many more waiting to join. This is an exclusive Catholic society and Imogene is the only town in the county strong enough to maintain such a lodge. John Gilmore is the country President, Mike Printy is President of the local division, George Gilmore is the Recording Secretary, A.C. McGargill is the Financial Secretary, and Ed Laughlin is the Treasurer. At the latest meeting, the members passed a resolution of condolence for Mrs. Thomas Skahill whose husband passed away recently. They will have regular meetings every two weeks in Addy’s Hall.
Father Hayes was on board a steamship in sight of St. Pierre. He was to view Mt. Pelee where 40,000 people lost their lives.
The brother of Father Hayes is in St. Joseph Hospital in Omaha, NE with four talented physicians in attendance.
July 28 – Memorial services for Pope Leo were held at 9am. A high Mass and the ceremony of absolution were rendered. Father Loftus of Council Bluffs gave a scholarly tribute to the Pope. Father Quinn of Red oak and Father Loftus assisted Father Hayes.
August 18-21 – Father Hayes addressed the fifth annual reunion of the Southern Iowa Veteran and Old Settlers at Lovilla. Other prominent orators were J.B. Sullivan and C.A. Windell.
August – William Hayes, brother of Father Hayes, left for New York after six weeks of hospitalization in Omaha, NE. He plans to travel to New Hampton, England to visit his other brothers.
August 22 – The Young Ladies Sodality gave an ice cream and cake social at the AOH Hall. The proceeds of $33.20 went toward the benefit of the library.
September 28 – Father Hayes went to Lenox to assist with Forty Hours devotions.
October – Father Hayes announced plans to build a new pastoral residence in the early spring of the coming year. It will be built west of the church and about 20 feet from it as Father hopes to enlarge the church in the near future. The residence will sit three to four feet back from the front of the church. It will cost about $3,000.
October 28 – Father Hayes left for Missouri Valley to assist with Forty Hours devotions.
December – For Christmas, Father Hayes presented the seven members of the choir with $65.
1904
January – Father Hayes received a cablegram informing him that his sister-in-law, Mrs. Joseph Hayes, had passed away in South Hampton, England. His brother William who had been hospitalized in Omaha, NE a while back is now in South Hampton and is very low with nervous trouble. He has immense interests in gold and silver in Nevada so it maybe necessary for Father Hayes to make trips both to Nevada and England.
February – the Young Ladies Sodality held a Euchre and High Five card party at the Hibernian Hall. Della Cain, Maggie Laughlin and Anna O’Connor were in charge of the arrangements.
March – Father Kempher of St. Bernard’s Hospital in Council Bluffs visited in the area; he had served this part of the area when Indians were roaming wildly.
1912
July 2 – Father Hayes joined 25 other clergy for the dedication of St. Mary Church in David City, NE.
1915
August – During construction of the church, Father Hayes traveled all over the country and overseas to obtain choice materials. After one trip, he returned to find that the north side of the church was being built with inferior bricks. He stopped construction immediately, called for the architect, and made the contractor tear the cheap brick down to the ground and start over.