St. Joseph's Chapel (Rhinecliff, New York)
| The Chapel of St. Joseph | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Town or city | Rhinecliff, New York |
| Country | United States of America |
| Client | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York |
The Chapel of St. Joseph is a former Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located in Rhinecliff, Dutchess County, New York. The parish was established in 1862 but around 1975 became a mission church of Good Shepherd Church (Rhinebeck, New York) and remains active.
History
Prior to 1862, Catholics is the area near Rhinecliff attended services in Rondout.[1] St.Joseph's was established in 1862 by Rev. Michael J. Skully to serve Irish Catholic families who settled in Rhinecliff to work on the railroad. Services were held at the Starr Institute. The parish included all the area between Poughkeepsie and Hudson, NY. and served as the mother church for the mission churches of Regina Coeli in Hyde Park, St. Paul's Staatsburgh, Sacred Heart Barrytown, and St Sylvia's in Tivoli.[2]
Originally the intent was to build on the northwest corner of Livingston and Mulberry Streets in Rhinebeck, but the lot was sold when the residents of Rhinecliff objected. In 1863 George Rogers of Tivoli bought six acres in Rhincliff from Charles H. Russell and deeded them to Father Skully for a church and cemetery. The church, built in 1864, [3] was designed by local architect George Veitch, with John Bird as master mason.[4]
In 1888 priests from St. Joseph's Rhinecliff also tended to a mission church, St. Joseph's in Clinton Corners,[5] St Paul's in Staatsburg later became a mission church of Regina Coeli in Hyde Park, and remains so.
Pastors
- Rev. Michael J. Skully (1862–1872)
- Rev. James Fitzsimmons (1872–1886)
- Rev. William A. O'Neill (1886–1887)
- Rev. Terrence Kelly (1887–1890)
- Rev. Michael J. Murray (1890–1892)
- Rev James B. Curry (1892–1895)
- Rev. James F. Felton (1895–1900)
- Rev. James D. Lennon (1900–1903)
- Rev. Michael V. Aylward (1903–1910)
Buildings
The double-height painted timber church is designed in the native timber Gothic Revival style. The symmetrical five-bay double-height church has a three-stage tower fronting its forward gable, supporting a shingled needle spire. The tower and nave are flanked to both sides by five-bay lean-to aisles, which terminates distinguishing the final nave bay as the chancel. Windows are pointed stained-glass casements at aisle, and stepped to second stage tower. Rose window to third stage tower. Lozenge-shaped to clerestory.
References
- ↑ Hasbrouck, Frank, ed. The History of Dutchess County New York, p645, S.A. Mathieu, Poughkeepsie, NY 1909
- ↑ Frazier, Michael. Rhinebeck, Arcadia Publishing, 2012, p. 27, ISBN 9780738592510
- ↑ Lafort, Remigius. The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X. Volume 3: The Province of Baltimore and the Province of New York, Section 1: Comprising the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn, Buffalo and Ogdensburg Together with some Supplementary Articles on Religious Communities (New York City: The Catholic Editing Company, 1914), p.428.
- ↑ Smith, James Hadden. History of Duchess County, New York, D. Mason & Company, 1882 - Dutchess County (N.Y.), p. 279
- ↑ Sadliers' catholic directory, D.&J. Sadlier & Co., New York, 1888, p. 102
