Boston Catholic Church

[W. Gray]

From the Kansas Democrat (Independence), March 4, 1872.

In a story concerning the town of Boston:

"Lumber is plenty on hand to build a Catholic Church. A Union Protestant Church is also talked of; the town proprietors donating liberally of their lots to each organization."

There were five churches in Boston at its height; most all used the school house to congregate.

However, Irish Catholic town leaders in 1872 almost immediately shelved their new building project believing a Catholic church would seriously hurt the town's chances of being elected county seat. They made the lumber available to other builders in the booming town.

Sometime after losing the Boston War,  a Catholic church was built in Boston. However, as the town began to disappear, the church building was moved to Moline--along with a number of bodies from the Boston cemetery to Mt. Olivet.

The Catholic congregation in Moline eventually replaced the church with another wood church. That church burned in the forties and was replaced with the current brick structure.

The church building moved in from Boston was used for other purposes after being replaced. It was still standing as late as 1981 and a picture of it that year is on hand in the Moline museum.

Sometime since 1981, the old building was torn town.

The building was at one time reportedly used as a brothel, probably for railroad workers.