St. Augustine Catholic Church

Designed and built in 1844 in the Greco-Gothic style, St. Augustine Catholic Church stands today as a testament to Father Mazzuchelli’s ingenuity and architectural prowess.   
 
Unable to build the church of stone, Father Samuel built it with wood planking made to simulate stone. The three rooms behind the altar served as living quarters for the pioneer priest whenever he stayed in New Diggings. In 1847, Father Mazzuchelli opened a school in those rooms and summoned Dominican Sisters from Sinsinawa Mound to serve as its teachers. 
 
The weather-beaten church remains today much as it did during the time in which it was built—simple and unassuming. A memorial mass is held in the church annually on the last Sunday in September.  
 
St. Augustine Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Restoration and preservation of the 1844 church are currently underway, with funds being raised by the Assembly of the Knights of Columbus and partially matched by the Jeffris Family Foundation.