Description of Historic Place

St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church is a Municipal Heritage Property comprising two municipal lots at 507 Shaw Street in the Town of Herbert. The property features a 1912 one-storey wood-frame church with bell tower.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church resides in its association with the Roman Catholic Faith in a predominantly Mennonite community. The first European settlers, many of whom came from the British Isles, arrived in the Herbert area by 1903. A group of Mennonites from southern Manitoba and the United States arrived the following year. The arrival of Irish settlers by 1905, many of whom came from Ontario or Wisconsin, eventually led to the establishment of a Catholic Church named after the Irish saint. St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church was completed in 1912.

The heritage value of St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church also resides in its Gothic Revival architectural influences. This style is reflected in the single-pitched roof, vaulted ceiling, pointed-arch windows and main entrance, louvered bell tower, and steeple with lucarne windows.

The heritage value of the property also resides in its association with Edward “Doc” Evenson. Evenson was an early pioneer craftsman of Norwegian background who homesteaded south of Herbert in 1906. As one of Herbert’s earliest contractors, he designed and constructed St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, as well as many other buildings and elegant homes in the Herbert district.

Source:

Town of Herbert Bylaw No. 97-3.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church resides in the following character-defining elements:
-elements which reflect the Gothic Revival style of architecture, such as pointed-arch windows and main entrance, single-pitched roof, bell tower and steeple with lucarne windows;
-elements which speak to the building’s use as a place of worship, such as bell tower and steeple with attached cross, and its position on its original site.