On March 16, 1965, the day before St. Patrick’s Day, the church bell from the steeple of St. Patrick’s Church was removed and shipped to the Moila Shrine in St. Joseph. The space was to be used for Carson’s Apartments.
The caption for the top photo says
Fred Foster is showing Dr. Roy Canon the inscription on the bell, while Virgil Nelson stands behind Foster. and Charles Riley, right, look on.
The images in this are from the online Forum and have been colorized and enhanced using AI.
St. Patrick’s Church Bell To Shriners – Maryville Forum – March 17, 1965
The bell that called parishioners of St. Patrick’s Church to Mass for about 64 years will soon be seen riding on a 2-wheeled truck, heralding the activities of the Moila Shrine of St. Joseph.
A dragline and boom operated by Virgil Nelson, right, lowered the 1,500-pound bell from the open belfry of the former St. Patrick’s Church. Tuesday to a truck for haulage to the Carson Mfg. Co. loading lock.
Nelson can be seen in the cab of his machine as he starts dropping the bell to the ground. The bell is 34 inches across, and its yoke is about 48 inches high. It stood in the belfry about 60 feet from the ground. The old church, which was dedicated in 1899, is being razed for an apartment building to be constructed on the site by Jack Carson, Sr.
In the picture at the top, Fred Foster is showing Dr. Roy Canon the inscription on the bell as Nelson, behind Foster. and Charles Riley, right, look on. The bell was made in St. Louis and is inscribed “Donated in Honor of St. Patrick by Young Men of the Church…A. D. 1899.” Orval Heywood of the Heywood Studio made the photographs
The caption for above says: A dragline and boom operated by Virgil Nelson, right, lowered the 1,500-pound bell from the open belfry of the former St. Patrick’s Church.
