The first St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Gardiner was built in 1858. It was a wooden structure located on the corner of Lincoln and School Streets. Mass was celebrated in the first St. Joseph's ion October 1858.
The need of a Catholic Church in Gardiner was apparent after 1850 due to the increase in the Catholic population. Opportunities for employment in the local mills and factories besides the lumber and ice industry attracted many new people. In 1856 Fr. Charles Egan, the second resident priest in Augusta was also assigned to the care of the Catholics in Gardiner. At the urging of the Gardiner Catholics, Fr. Egan bought a lot on the corner of Lincoln and School Streets facing the Gardiner Common. Between 1856 and May 1858 when the foundation of the first Catholic Church in Gardiner was laid, drives for funds to build the church were being held. To save costs of construction, the men of the Catholic community helped to build the cellar and the rough carpentry work on the first church building.
On June 16, 1863, Bishop Bacon dedicated the new Catholic Church at Gardiner under the patronage of St. Joseph. 1863 to 1876 St. Joseph's at Gardiner remained a mission church without a resident priest. After 1873 Mass was celebrated twice a month by the priest from St. Mary's in Augusta. During this period, improvements to the interior of the church continued and gas was installed for lighting.
In 1876, St. Joseph's was assigned its first resident pastor, Fr. Raphael Wissel of the Benedictine Order. Besides Gardiner, Fr. Wissel had missions in Richmond, Leeds, Monmouth, Readfield, Winthrop and Togus. He was the first salaried chaplain at the Soldiers Home at Togus, established in 1866 for veterans of the Civil. War.
The second pastor at St. Joseph's was Fr. Jeremiah McCarthy, who arrived on January 12, 1880 and remained until November 2, 1900 when he was reassigned to Houlton. While Fr. McCarthy was at Gardiner it is believed that St. Joseph's was enlarged about 1891 so that it could seat around 500.
Fr. Patrick H. Reardon, the pastor assigned to St. Joseph’s in November 1900, purchased a section of land next to the Oak Grove Cemetery and the end of Deane Street for a Catholic cemetery. The cemetery is still taking care of the needs of the church.
As St. Joseph’s continued to grow, Fr. Reardon started to develop plans for a new church. In order to use the same location for the new church, several houses near the first church were purchased and either moved or torn down. The old church was moved and set on a new foundation at the rear of the church lot facing Lincoln Avenue. Mass was celebrated at this location for almost two years.
The corner stone to the present St. Joseph’s Catholic Church was laid by Bishop Walsh. For several years in order to secure funds to pay for the new stone church, collections, fund drives and church fairs were held. The spirit of this Catholic community was successful for, by 1925, the new church was paid for and the parish was free of debt. The pews, costing $3,000 were a gift from its pastor, Fr. Reardon. During the winter of 1925-1926 a new organ was installed costing more than $5,000.
After completion of the new church, the old church building was used for many years as a hall where where religious education and social events were held. It was torn down around 1933 after Fr. William J. Culbert became pastor. The church basement was then developed into a church hall and is still used as such.
On June 4, 1916, St. Joseph’s Church at Gardiner was dedicated by Bishop Lewis S. Walsh. This church was built of Hallowell granite with a gothic appearance. It is about 78 feet wide and 132 feet long with a seating capacity of around 700. The church windows, pulpit, the station of the cross and many other items were gifts of the parishioners and friends of St. Joseph’s Church and its Pastor.
In 1916, the Church alone, without the expensive windows, was considered to have cost $85,000. With the completion of the interior church and windows, the total cost was estimated at $150,.000.
From History of St. Joseph’s Church and Early Christianity in the Area by Kermit R. True
Our thanks to Rosalind Jellison for lending us her copy
