St. Joseph Catholic Church is a parish of the Catholic Church located in Tontitown, Arkansas, in the Diocese of Little Rock. The parish and the town were established by a group of Italian Americans led by Father Pietro Bandini, who settled in the area as miners and tenant farmers in the late 19th century. According to local tradition, a picture of Saint Joseph hanging in the schoolhouse was untouched by an arson fire, and the parish was therefore dedicated to him.[1]
The historic parish church is located at 110 E. Henri de Tonti Boulevard. It is a large Late Gothic structure, built in 1939–44 from rusticated concrete blocks that were fashioned on site. Its architecture is characterized by buttresses, lancet-arched windows, and a square tower with open belfry projecting at one corner. The main entrance, on the south gable end, has a projecting arched surround finished in stucco. The church has been a major cultural civic center for the local Italian community,[2] and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.[3] It was delisted in 2024.
The high school Ozark Catholic Academy is on the church property.[4]
References
- 1.Young, Susan, "Tontitown (Washington County)", Encyclopedia of Arkansas, retrieved November 17, 2017
- 2."NRHP nomination for St. Joseph Catholic Church". Arkansas Preservation. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- 3."National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- 4."Who We Are". Ozark Catholic Academy. Retrieved September 20, 2022.