Reverend Charles F.X. Goldsmith

Reverend Charles F.X. Goldsmith (HMQPJ)

Location: Chippewa Falls, WI 54729 Chippewa County
Buy Wisconsin State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 44° 56.157', W 91° 23.219'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 583 views
Inscription

December 22, 1845 - November 24, 1890

Charles was born in Rochester, New York. At the early age of thirteen he entered the provincial seminary of St. Francis near Milwaukee. He graduated in 1864 and then entered the American College at Louvain, Belgium. There he earned two divinity degrees and was ordained a priest on July 25, 1868. After returning to the United States, he spent the winter as assistant to St. Mary's in Milwaukee.

The "Boy Priest" as he was called, arrived in Chippewa Falls on May 25, 1869 and two days later said mass at the old St. Mary's of the Falls Church.

His first big work was the construction of Notre Dame Church. He began collecting money by visiting lumber camps and pioneer farms throughout the Chippewa Valley. Construction of the church began in the spring of 1870 and was completed in August of 1872.

In 1884 he helped build St. Charles Church and plan a permanent hospital, which was staffed by the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis. In 1886 he helped build Holy Ghost Church. He also established a newspaper called "The Catholic Sentinal".

According to his doctors, Father Goldsmith died in 1890 at the age of 44 due to a stomach hemorrhage. He was buried near Notre Dame Church. After this, Goldsmith Chapel was built in his honor in 1894; later his body was exhumed and placed in a crypt under the altar. The four smaller stained glass windows, each represent one of the four local Catholic organizations he founded: Saint Jean Baptiste Society, the Catholic Knights - now called the Knights of Columbus, the Rosary Society, and the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Goldsmith Street on the northside of the city is named after him.

Chippewa County Historical Society
Marker Sign #29
Details
HM NumberHMQPJ
Tags
Marker Number29
Placed ByThe Chippewa County Historical Society
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, September 26th, 2014 at 11:36pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)15T E 627272 N 4977100
Decimal Degrees44.93595000, -91.38698333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 44° 56.157', W 91° 23.219'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds44° 56' 9.42" N, 91° 23' 13.14" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)715
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 117 Allen St, Chippewa Falls WI 54729, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. What year was the marker erected?
  8. This marker needs at least one picture.
  9. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  10. Is the marker in the median?