Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Lott, Falls County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In the early twentieth century, the Rev. B.C. Pfiffner came from Marlin (12 mi. NE) once a month to hold Mass for seven local German Catholic families. In May 1905, the parish acquired land at this site for the locaion of Lott's first Catholic church. The following year, members formally dedicated the new sanctuary and began worshipping here as Sacred Heart Catholic Church, with the Rev. Pfiffner as the first pastor. The parish had a rectory and a school by 1907; J.H. Pels served as the first schoolteacher. That same year, the congregation also established a cemetery northeast of town. Mary Niering, who died in October 1908, was the first to be buried there. The church continued to grow with the addition of new families, and the first Communion and Confirmation service, led by Pfiffner in April 1909, included 29 children. In 1951, the congregation dedicated a larger sanctuary, which was built at the same place as the original building. The new structure incorporated materials from the earlier sanctuary and school, which had been discontinued in 1928. Parishioners and friends donated furnishings for the new house of worship. Between 1906 and 1967, the congregation supported a full-time priest. In 1969, Sacred Heart church became a mission out of nearby Westphalia. In 1982, it became a mission out of Marlin. Throughout the congregation's history, parishioners have been active in Lott through community programs and civic involvement. Over a century after the founding families first gathered to worship, Sacred Heart church continues to serve its members and community through worship and faith, and through an appreciation of its rich heritage. (2005)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
At the turn of the twentieth century, a traveling priest rode from Marlin once a month to say Mass for just seven German Catholic families near Lott. The parish bought land here in 1905, dedicated Sacred Heart Catholic Church the next year, and by 1907 had added a rectory, a school, and its own cemetery. The congregation grew steadily through the century, rebuilding a larger sanctuary in 1951 with materials salvaged from the original church and school.
Why it matters
Sacred Heart shows how immigrant Catholic families knit themselves into rural Central Texas, building church, school, and cemetery as the institutions that carried their faith and heritage across generations.
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Related people
- · B.C. Pfiffner
- · Mary Niering
- · J.H. Pels
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Westphalia Little School
Westphalia, TX
Soon after German Catholic settlers reached this Falls County community in 1879, they set about founding a school that would serve both parochial and public needs. The Westphalia Little School opened in 1884 in a remodeled former church building, staffed by a succession of early teachers and, from 1899, by the Sisters of Divine Providence from San Antonio. Though the parochial program ended in 1935, the sisters continued teaching in the public school for decades.
St. Mary's Cemetery
Westphalia, TX
German families who named their new home "Westphalia" after their old province founded St. Mary's Cemetery in 1883, pooling money to buy 100 acres for a school, church, and burial ground. The oldest grave is that of five-year-old Heinrich Bernard Lenz, and many early stones are inscribed in German, a testament to a community that carried its language and faith across the Atlantic. Veterans of every American war from the Civil War through the Persian Gulf rest here, and the cemetery still serves the Church of the Visitation's parishioners.
Church of the Visitation
Westphalia, TX
German Catholic families who had first settled in Colorado County came here in 1879 seeking better farmland and immediately bought 100 acres for a church and school, naming the settlement Westphalia after their homeland province. An early church was destroyed by a storm in 1884 and rebuilt within months; the present building, completed in 1895 of stone hauled by wagon from the railhead, is one of the largest wooden church buildings in Texas. Its Latin-cross plan, storm-braced bell towers, and rare original stained glass reflect the ambition of a thriving immigrant congregation.
Frank and Julia Bockholt Home
Westphalia, TX
This house stands in the Falls County community of Westphalia, where the Bockholt family had put down roots by 1881. Frank Bockholt, who inherited part of the family estate and served 52 years as organist at the Church of the Visitation, and his wife Julia enlarged an existing two-room dwelling in 1912 and raised a large family here. Its American Foursquare form, blending Craftsman and late Victorian details, still carries its original character.