Schnellville, Indiana
Encyclopedia
Schnellville is an unincorporated town in Jefferson Township
, Dubois County
, Indiana
.
, Germany
to Henry and Marie Schnell. At the age of 25, he set off to find a new place that he would call home. After reaching the United States
, he found work on a steamboat, the railroad, and the Erie Canal
. He then returned to Germany to find that his wife and son had died. After hearing this news, he returned to the United States and settled in Dubois County after purchasing 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of land. He then sold the land a few years later and moved to Louisville, Kentucky
. After three years there, he returned to Dubois County and bought a farm and kept a country store. He then sold the farm one year later and bought another, two years after, to return to farming. Henry’s dream came true after he found a plot of land that he could see would develop into a town. On November 27, 1865, the town of Schnellville was platted. Henry built a saw and flour mill in 1876 along with the purchase of 500-600 acres of farmland. On May 25, 1900, Henry was laid to rest in the Schnellville cemetery.
In the year of 1873, a group of men went to visit Bishop St. Palais while he was confirming children in Dubois County. They went to see him about a petition for starting a new parish in their own town of Schnellville. On November 10, 1873, Sacred Heart Parish was formed after the Bishop had granted permission. The church had a frame of 40 feet (12.2 m) by 60 feet (18.3 m) with a 20 feet (6.1 m) ceiling. The cupola in the front of the church was built to a height of 65 feet (19.8 m) above the ground. The total cost would be $1,600 and would be completed on November 1, 1874. On April 24, 1898, all the records and personal property was completely destroyed by fire. The current priest, Father John Schueth, visited all the families of the parish to get to know them and ask for donations to build a new church. He petitioned the request for a new church to the Bishop and received a quick reply granting permission. The members of the community volunteered in the construction of the new church. The church was completed on October 24, 1916. It took a total of 25 months to complete the project.
Schnellville also built a school in 1903 to replace the old two room school building. Most of the teachers there were the Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand, Indiana
. In 1947, the school set up a cafeteria in the basement of the church to feed the 50-60 students for $0.25 per meal.
Jefferson Township, Dubois County, Indiana
Jefferson Township is one of twelve townships in Dubois County, Indiana. As of the 2000 census, its population was 1,638.-Geography:Jefferson Township covers an area of ; of this is water.-Adjacent townships:* Hall Township...
, Dubois County
Dubois County, Indiana
Dubois County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. The county seat is Jasper. As of 2010, the population was 41,889.Dubois County is part of the Jasper Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
.
History
Schnellville was founded by a German named Henry Schnell. Henry Schnell was born October 22, 1821 in HesseHesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to Henry and Marie Schnell. At the age of 25, he set off to find a new place that he would call home. After reaching the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, he found work on a steamboat, the railroad, and the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
. He then returned to Germany to find that his wife and son had died. After hearing this news, he returned to the United States and settled in Dubois County after purchasing 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of land. He then sold the land a few years later and moved to Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. After three years there, he returned to Dubois County and bought a farm and kept a country store. He then sold the farm one year later and bought another, two years after, to return to farming. Henry’s dream came true after he found a plot of land that he could see would develop into a town. On November 27, 1865, the town of Schnellville was platted. Henry built a saw and flour mill in 1876 along with the purchase of 500-600 acres of farmland. On May 25, 1900, Henry was laid to rest in the Schnellville cemetery.
In the year of 1873, a group of men went to visit Bishop St. Palais while he was confirming children in Dubois County. They went to see him about a petition for starting a new parish in their own town of Schnellville. On November 10, 1873, Sacred Heart Parish was formed after the Bishop had granted permission. The church had a frame of 40 feet (12.2 m) by 60 feet (18.3 m) with a 20 feet (6.1 m) ceiling. The cupola in the front of the church was built to a height of 65 feet (19.8 m) above the ground. The total cost would be $1,600 and would be completed on November 1, 1874. On April 24, 1898, all the records and personal property was completely destroyed by fire. The current priest, Father John Schueth, visited all the families of the parish to get to know them and ask for donations to build a new church. He petitioned the request for a new church to the Bishop and received a quick reply granting permission. The members of the community volunteered in the construction of the new church. The church was completed on October 24, 1916. It took a total of 25 months to complete the project.
Schnellville also built a school in 1903 to replace the old two room school building. Most of the teachers there were the Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand, Indiana
Ferdinand, Indiana
Ferdinand is a town in Ferdinand Township, Dubois County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,157 at the 2010 census. It was founded in 1840 by Joseph Kundek and named after Ferdinand I of Austria....
. In 1947, the school set up a cafeteria in the basement of the church to feed the 50-60 students for $0.25 per meal.