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 Franklin Street in downtown Port Washington has several buildings with
interesting features, but the highlight of this street scene is St. Mary's Catholic
Church, which is located on a bluff that is high above the entire downtown area.
The original St. Mary's church was a small frame church built in 1849.
It was replaced with a stone church in. 1860. This limestone edifice was erected in 1882.
Slatted windows on the four sides of the bell tower, which houses three
church bells, are what makes them sound unusually rich and full as they are heard for
miles around. In appreciation, the people of Port Washington, in 1885, donated a four dial
clock that is also housed in the bell tower. The square tower changes to an eight sided
spire and a simple cross is mounted at the tip of the spire. This cross, which is seven
feet, eight inches tall, can be seen for miles out into Lake Michigan and has long been a
guide for sailors.
The church was completed at a cost of about $70,000 and was dedicated on
Thursday, October 9, 1884.
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