November 3, 1929 was a big day for members of the Church of Latter Day Saints. The big event was the dedication of their new church in Susanville. According church officials, before it could be dedicated that it had to be paid for in full and the cost of the local church as $19,975.50.
Numerous church dignitaries were on hand including the President of the church, Heber J. Grant who made the journey from Salt Lake City. In addition, non-members from Susanville and Westwood were invited.
Established in 1917, Sacred Heart Church’s St. Patrick’s Dinner is the longest continuous event in Lassen County. Of course, anything that has staying power for over a century has undergone changes. A case point is that a number of different church organizations that has sponsored it over the years. In 1955, it was the Catholic Ladies Altar Society who were in charge. That year, it was held on Sunday March 13 at the Lassen County Fairgrounds. The menu was a Italian style dinner, as in previous years, that included appetizers, salami, Italian peppers, olives—a dinner of spaghetti, roast beef, tossed salad, cake and ice cream.
The primary reason for the church bell was to call the faithful to worship. The quality of the bell was superb and when wrung could be heard two miles away. Susanville in the late 1800s was a mere village of some 300 souls. It should be noted, that in this era, the town was plagued by fires, and in no time the bell was used as a fire alarm system. In rare instances the bell was used if something of major importance needed to be relayed and thus prompting individuals to congregate at the church to be informed of the impending news.
In 1895, the Lassen County Board of Supervisors approved Ordinance No. 33 pertaining to curfew in village of Susanville (the town was still unincorporated). From September 1, to April 1, anyone under the age 18 after 7 p.m. had to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. During the summer months, it was extended to 8 p.m. The fine for said violation was one dollar. It was the town’s night watchman who had duty at the appointed hour to ring the Methodist Church bell to signal it was curfew time.
The Methodist Church at Johnstonville has been a challenge to research. Recently, I came across a transcribed letter dated January 19, 1961 that Ada Hart wrote to Gladys Bass that primarily focused on the history of the Baptist Church at Johnstonville. Thankfully, Ada briefly wrote about the nearby Methodist Church. She wrote that it was built in 1889, along the Susan River, east of the bridge on property owned by Peter Scholl. Ada recalled attending the church there, and that the Susanville pastor was in charge of the services that were held at three in the afternoon. How long it remained in operation and what became of the church, I do not know.
It should be duly noted, that my perspective at times tend to be off the beaten path. Anyhow, prior to 1915, Susanville had a substantial Jewish population. They had a major influence on the community, since prior to 1900, nearly seventy percent of Susanville’s businesses were owned by members of the Jewish faith. A number of their homes and business buildings still exist. While this might one of the shorter strolls, it is nevertheless an interesting one. One of the stops will be the residence of Morris Asher on North Lassen Street that was built in 1885 (some may know this as the former home of Finn and Edith Barry). Morris Asher’s only child, Ephraim was born there in 1887. “Ephie” and his descendants have had a major influence in Hollywood. Ephie’s son, William Asher, as movie producer and television director, too, is an interesting case study. If you have a spare moment, you might want to do an internet search.
It should be noted, that William Greehn was a pioneer Jewish merchant who came to Susanville in 1864. His daughter, Fannie, married Morris Asher.
On 10:00 a.m. Sunday, November 15, 1936 at Sacred Heart Church, Rose Agnes Sergi and James Sacco were married. The bridesmaids were Louise Saffores, Concha Larrea and Camilla Alosi. The best man was Marion Larrea. After the ceremony a wedding breakfast was held at the Veteran’s Memorial Hall, with 500 guests. The centerpiece at the bride’s table was a magnificent five-foot tall wedding cake, weighing 250 pounds.
In 1892, when the local Catholics deemed it was time to build a house of worship, they selected a site on Richmond Road. The town’s two newspapers were critical of the location, since just across the river was the area’s Chinatown. Thus, the local press chastised the Catholics choice to associate with the “heathen Chinese.” In 1909, the church was moved to Nevada and Union Streets, the current site of Sacred Heart. It should be noted that was Susanville’s Chinatown district of the 1860s.
One hundred twenty years ago today was a red letter day in the annals of the history of Susanville’s Sacred Heart Church. The occassion was the arrival of Bishop Thomas Grace. The first order of business was the concencration of the church as the Church of the Sacred Heart. It should be noted that the construction of the church began in 1892, and was not completed until 1894. At the same time Bishop Grace administered First Communion and Confirmation.
On Friday afternoon, September 3, 1948 with little fanfare, a simple groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new Sacred Heart Church. Father P.J. Moran had the distinct honor of turning the first shovel of soil. T&M Carpenter Shop had the contract to build the Spanish architecture style church, that would seat 300. The old church could only handle 100. The building contract had a clause the church would be completed in 120 days. So much for good intentions, as the first Mass in the new church was not held until July 9, 1949.
In 1941, Father P.J. Moran of Susanville’s Sacred Heart Church announced plans to build a new church to replace the wooden one constructed in 1894. The raising of funds would take longer than Father Moran expected. In the spring of 1948, all systems were go so to speak. The first order of business was the disposal of the old church. In June 1948, it was advertised for sale, no specific price, just to the highest bidder. Alas, there were no bidders. Off to Plan B. Taylor & Roberts were awarded the bid to dismantled it, which the intended goal was the middle to July. It took a little bit longer, but in August, the old church was part of history.