St. Bernard's Church

The library has recently obtained a postcard of one of Crawfordsville's historic structures: St. Bernard's Catholic Church. This church, which sat on the corner of Washington and Pike Streets (where Chase Bank is now) was dedicated with much fanfare in 1876. The date written on the postcard -- 1874 -- is not the date of the picture, however, but rather the beginning of the construction. If you take a closer look at the postcard, you can see tracks running down the middle of Washington Street, and wires overhead. These tracks and wires were for the interurban trains that began servicing Crawfordsville in the early years of the 20th century. This view is one of the rare clear images that remain of the now demolished church.