Stories in Glass: Stained Glass Documentation of the St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Wakonda, South Dakota

Schlenker, Evelyn; Packard, Aaron

Preface: "This book documents the magnificent stained glass windows that are an integral part of the St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Wakonda, South Dakota. The first part of this book describes the story behind the building of the church including the members of the Parish who were responsible for its erection. More detail about these "movers and shakers" in Wakonda at the turn of the 20th century appears in the Centennial Book referenced in the bibliography. The next parts of the book present short biographies of Anton Dohmen, the architect who designed the building and Carl (or Karl) Riemann, the artist who designed the stained art glass windows. What follows is a description of the types of glass found in the windows and specific features that make these windows unique. In almost all windows this includes a plaque denoting who donated the window and/or in whose name the windows were donated. Photos follow depicting views of the church interior first of the sanctuary and then the entrance to the church including the choir loft and Estey pipe organ. Finally, each window is presented along with a brief description of its theme and contents. In many cases parts of the window are highlighted separately to illustrate the exquisite detailed work within the figures and the background paintings. In preparation of this book I would especially like to thank Cathy, Joseph, and Dorothy Logue for their support during the production of the book and education concerning the structure and operation of the church. I would also like to thank Aaron Packard for the photographs of the windows and the church interior. Moreover, the encouragement of my husband George Schlenker, the members of the Clay County Historical Preservation Board, and Paulette Mehrer-Wipf with Pressing Matters were essential in completing this project. I cannot forget to appreciate the love, care, and devotion that the St. Patrick parishioners showed in maintaining and improving this l07 year old church. It truly is a gem on the prairie!" Project funding was provided in part by a 2010 Historic Preservation Fund grant to Clay County (project number SD-10-022) administered by the South Dakota State Historic Preservation Office (grant number 46-10-21948) and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Clay County, South Dakota is a Certified Local Government.

Stories in Glass: Stained Glass Documentation of the St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Wakonda, South Dakota

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