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Quickfacts: - Telephone exchange: 883-xxxx
- Zip code: 63670 (Ste. Genevieve)
- Township: Ste. Genevieve
- Population: 883
- Namesake: Weingarten is German for exactly what it sounds like: Wine Garden
Quicklinks:
History of Weingarten
According to an "unknown source"
Some of the early Germans settled in Ste. Genevieve by the 1830's and 1840's. More emigrants made their way up the Mississippi and started their way west, including many German farmers who settled at Zell. As land kept filling up, they slowly moved West. By 1840, they had settled New Offenburg and Weingarten. Some of the first farmers were granted large tracts of land from the government. Records show the names of John Grither, David Vaeth (1844), Andrew Muessig (1849), and more.
By 1850, right-of-way was being bought as plans were made to build a plank road from the lead mines to Ste. Genevieve, which would bring adequate roads to bring crops and supplies to shipping points west. The farmers were given deeds to use the road free for carrying farm products to and from Ste. Genevieve.
Some of the earliest land owners in the Weingarten area were: Nickolas Munch, Felix Hogenmiller, Philip Staab, Seraphin Donze, Jacob Joerger, Ludwig Isenman, Jacob Garter, Valentine Rottler, and Michael, Joseph, and Thomas Seitz. These three brothers opened a brewery and winery just east of Weingarten with Mr. Annhauser as chief brewmaster. In about 1860, they sold out to Wendolin Rottler, and moved west to Middlebrook, where they opened a brewery and winery.
Some of the old brewery foundations still remain, grown up in trees and weeds. This brewery burned down, and Mr. Rottler moved to Ste. Genevieve, where he build a new brewery, some of which still remains at LaHay and Third Streets.
In 1900, a railroad was to be built parallel to the Plank Road. By 1903, this road completed, giving all the towns along the road a boost, as stores and houses sprang up. All these towns, Zell, Weingarten, New Offenburg, Sprott, Miller's Switch, and Murphy's landing, had new depots, along this road, picking up travelers at these stops, when passenger cars were added, and delivering mail at the stations.
Yearly excursions on the old passenger cars remain a fond memory. These trips were usually on Sunday, and the train would pick up people along the way, Weingarten, etc. The fare was $1 a person. At Bismarck, the train would get on the main line of the Missouri Pacific Railroad to St. Louis. The day was spent at the zoo, etc. Several trips were also made to Poplar Bluff. Everyone would take lunches along, and we always had a good time.
Many of the first settlers were granted large tracts of land, thousands of acres, which were then divided into small acreages as the families grew up. We are celebrating our 100th anniversary of the school that was built and had the first classes in September 1887.
Church, Our Lady Help of Christians, since 1872 
  
Ste. Genevieve Herald; February 5, 2003
122 Years with the Ste. Genevieve Herald
100 Years Ago - 1903
Weingarten Church has received a beautiful, life-size statue of the Blessed Virgin, valued at $90, which will be placed in the spire niche over the entrance. Ste. Genevieve Herald; December 3, 2002
122 Years with the Ste. Genevieve Herald
75 Years Ago - 1927
So pronounced was the success of the performance given by the pupils of the Parochial School at Weingarten on Monday, December 26, that the dreams entitled "One Minute to Twelve," will upon numerous requests be given a return performance on Sunday. Our Lady Parish Meets to Discuss Its Futureby Jean Feld Rissover
The Ste. Genevieve Herald
March 14, 2003 Members of Our Lady Help of Christians Parish in Weingarten gathered last Sunday evening, to discuss the future of the century-and-a-quarter-old church, which may have to close its doors.
According to an unofficial spokesman for the parish, the St. Louis Archdiocese has advised the local deanery (which includes Ste. Genevieve, Perry, and St. Francois Counties) that it will lose five priests.
The most likely result will be the combining of some parishes, and the closing of some churches.
The parish has about 300 members. The ratio mandated by the archdiocese is one priest to about 1,700 members.
The church's pastor, Father John Suren, has been in his post for almost 10 years, but is scheduled to leave his post in Weingarten in June of this year.
His leaving and the archdiocese's decision to reduce the number of priests in this deanery is expected to mean that the church will be without a full-time priest. Church officials called the meeting so parishoners could discuss the matter.
The spokesman said the meeting was designed to determine whether the parish wants to make the effort to stay open, perhaps with a "visiting" priest offering one weekly mass. A number of issues need to be addressed, he said.
"One thing we need to find out is, if there is a desire to try to keep the church open, are there people who want to take on the tasks of taking care of the church and rectory, answering the phones, and handling the church's business," the spokesman said. "Running the church on a day-to-day basis is not an inconsiderable job, and there may not be enough people who have enough time to do it."
In addition, the change in the availability of a priest to say mass must be considered. Should the parish remain open, it is highly likely that only one mass will be celebrated each week.
"I suspect that there are many people who will find the timing of the mass here inconvenient, because it will have to be worked into another priest's schedule," the spokesman said. "But even if that's not the case, we have a space problem. The total membership of the parish simply won't fit into the building all at one time. Some members of the parish will have to go elsewhere, just because of that."
Should the 150 families in the parish want to make a commitment to keep the church open, administer the business of the parish, and find solutions to the problems that will arise, it may not be allowed to do so.
"The meeting is just an expression of what our people want," the spokesman said. "But the final determination will not be made by us."
That final decision will lie in the hands of archdiocese officials. And the facts of the situation suggest that the archdiocese may be reluctant to accept the proposition of keeping the parish open without a priest.
"As far as we know, there is not a single parish in the diocese that is administered by lay people," the spokesman said. "And someone has told us that church law says there has to be a priest. I do not know whether the archdiocese would be willing to look at the situation differently."
If the church does close, decisions will also have to be made by the archdiocese with regard to the church's property, which includes the church building, the cemetery, the rectory, several out buildings, and the old school. Presently, the school is home to the Ste. Genevieve County Head Start Program.
Asked what might happen to the property - especially the building housing Head Start - the spokesman said there is the possibility that another parish could take over maintenance of the church cemetery. The rest of the property issues have not yet been addressed locally, but, in any case, the archdiocese would be making those decisions.
The spokesman said the possible closing of the church will be hard to face, but the parish won't be alone in facing it.
"This is sad and difficult for everyone," the spokesman said. "But it's happening all over the diocese. There are individual parishes elsewhere where there are 2,000 to 3,000 families that need to be served. We can't afford the luxury of serving just 3,000 people in the whole deanery. Keeping all our churches open is not practical in the times in which we live."
The spokesman was not aware of meetings of this kind held at the Weingarten church last Sunday being scheduled in other small parishes in the county. But similar discussions could be taking place elsewhere in the future if the archdiocese intends to cull its flock of priests in this deanery by five.
One priest from a parish in Biehle has already retired and will not be replaced. Suren's reassignment will take care of a second slot. That leaves three to go.
In a contact by the Herald with Father John Suren on Monday morning, Suren said he did not feel that he could officially discuss the matter. He referred the Herald to Monsignor James Hanson, who could speak officially about what happened at the session. Monday was Hanson's day off and efforts to reach him were unsuccessful.
Suren was willing to say that the parish had made one decision. The uncertain future of Our Lady had cast some doubt on the future of one of Ste. Genevieve County's unique social attractions, the annual Weingarten Picnic, hosted by the church each July.
"I can say that there will be a Weingarten picnic this year," Suren said. "But Monsignor Hanson will have to comment on the rest."
Our Lady Help of Christians Church was founded in 1872.
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