St. Augustine Catholic Church Est 1866
Saint Augustine’s Catholic Church was built during 1866 under the direction of Rev. Edward Kelly, with the help of the mining community. The bricks in the 20-inch thick walls were fired at the Austin Brickyard.
Completion of the church was in time for the midnight Christmas Eve Mass, 1866. Tickets were sold for seating at this service to pay for the church’s roof. For years afterward this church served as the mother church for numerous communities in this area. This is the last remaining structure of the first four Catholic churches built in Nevada, giving it the honor of being the oldest Catholic Church in Nevada.
The nine ranks Henry Kilgen pipe organ was completed in St. Louis, Missouri, in January of 1867. It was shipped down the Mississippi River, around the Horn and up the coast to San Francisco. The remainder of the trip was completed by train and freight wagon. The organ was installed in St. Augustine’s in the spring of 1868. One of the last of it’s kind, it is still in place in the building, and could be restored to original playing condition.
The nine ranks Henry Kilgen pipe organ was completed in St. Louis, Missouri, in January of 1867. It was shipped down the Mississippi River, around the Horn and up the coast to San Francisco. The remainder of the trip was completed by train and freight wagon. The organ was installed in St. Augustine’s in the spring of 1868. One of the last of it’s kind, it is still in place in the building, and could be restored to original playing condition. The murals on the church’s walls were painted by the Jolly Brothers during the mid 1930’s. St. Augustine is featured as a soon-to-be appointed bishop, with an apparition of the Christ Child in one of the paintings.
Restoration has been started numerous times and never finished. The church sits empty, and the statutes and altar appointments have been removed and stored in Reno, Nevada, awaiting the restoration of the building being finished. Services, which had dwindled to Midnight mass, are no longer held here.
This building is now being used as a Cultural Center and is available for weddings and events.
ST Georges Episcopal
