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Event

Holy Cross rectory bid and groundbreaking, 1963

Also 1963 Holy Cross rectory construction · St. James rectory groundbreaking

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

Locator map: Saint James highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Took place at Saint JamesLocator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
TypeEvent
Dates1963-08 – 1963-10
WithinSaint James
ErasModern era
On this page
Locator map: Saint James highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Took place at Saint JamesLocator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
Event
Dates
1963-08 – 1963-10
Kind
Construction
Where
Saint James
Carried out by
Holy Cross Catholic Church
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
religionconstructioncommunity
Within
Saint James

Summary

The new Holy Cross rectory project progressed from an August 1963 lowest-bid notice to a September 1 groundbreaking reported in the October Beaver Beacon. The planned building was a one-story frame structure between the church and Medical Center, with seven upper-floor rooms and a basement chapel.

Evidence and limits

The October article says construction was underway and expected to finish in late fall. It does not establish the final cost, completion date, deed, or later use of the building.

Open questions

  • Can parish, contractor, permit, or later newspaper records establish completion and occupancy?

Sources

  1. Reports that Walter Wojan submitted the lowest bid and that the rectory would be built between the church and Medical Center on the hill overlooking the harbor.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1963-08_Beaver-Beacon
  2. The held five-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1963-08_Beaver-Beacon
  3. Reports a September 1 groundbreaking, a one-story frame design with seven upper-floor rooms and a basement chapel, Richard Stromberg as designer, Walt Wogan's crew constructing it, and an intended late-fall completion; it does not establish final completion.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1963-10_Beaver-Beacon
  4. The held six-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1963-10_Beaver-Beacon

Added 2 August 2026 · revised 3 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “Holy Cross rectory bid and groundbreaking, 1963”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/events/beaver-island-holy-cross-rectory-groundbreaking-1963/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, August 1963, “Holy Cross Rectory.” (and 3 further sources listed on the page).

Last revised 2026-08-03. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.

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