The Park Street Baptist Church is housed in the building that was originally the McKinley School, which closed in 1985. The first McKinley School was built in 1903 and destroyed by fire in 1919. Unlike most other schools destroyed or affected by fire, the McKinley was not immediately replaced due to lack of funds. For the next several years students were transferred to other schools in the area including Lincoln, Washington, and Garfield. Younger students were sent to area churches which offered rooms.

In 1926, the original stone foundation and first floor walls, which remained standing after the fire, were used to rebuild the structure, reopening for the 1928-1929 school year.

In 1969, when the Catholic elementary schools closed, many of the students affected by the closure went to McKinley and Lincoln schools and McKinley was considered one of the larger schools in the district. However, over the next 20 years the school’s population declined due to the opening of the junior high schools (East Junior High in 1957, and West Junior High in 1969), leading to its eventual closure.

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Although many tried to find a place in the already established churches in Butte, Black citizens were often shunned and told to “worship in their own churches.” As a result, Butte’s first African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church was founded July 10, 1892, at the Butte Silver City Colored Masonic Lodge No. 9.

Bethel Baptist Church was the first all-Black Baptist church in Butte, founded in 1901. It was located on the northeast corner of Idaho and Mercury. Reverend D. A. Jefferson was the pastor in 1907. The church helped African American residents by hosting literacy and improvement societies which advanced the intellectual environment of the community.

Shaffer Chapel was founded as the second AME church in Butte, built in 1902 at 602 South Idaho. It is the only remaining church building in Butte that once served an all-Black congregation. The chapel was more than just a place of worship. It also served as a community center and relief agency, and provided opportunities to build skills in self-government, finances, and business management through the operations of the church. The 1902 church building stands today and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

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This building was completed in 1908, and the windows are believed to be original to the building. The windows are not signed, but their high quality suggests they may have been manufactured by one of the primary eastern glass firms. By the same token, there are elements (such as bubbles in the glass) that may reflect local design and construction.

Of all the houses of worship in Butte, St. Mark’s best displays the art of opalescent glass, a hallmark of the Art Nouveau movement of 1880-1915. Opalescent glass is distinguished by its opaqueness, meaning that you cannot see through it, and has a milky, iridescent appearance, similar to opals. Opalescent glass can be one solid color, but is generally a mixture of two or more colors with streaks and swirls. Few manufacturers produce traditional opalescent glass today because the complex process is demanding and the required chemicals are toxic.

In the side window on the right, nearest the altar, there is an image of a sheaf of wheat. The opalescent glass of the wheat is either two panes or is painted on both sides, another approach to giving a sense of depth to the glass.

Behind the altar on the right side is the Ascension Window, dedicated to the memory of a parishioner’s son who died of influenza at age 23. About 1,200 people died in Silver Bow County during the 1918 epidemic – more than 1% of the population, with more than 3,500 cases recorded in Butte.

The four largest windows, on either side of the church, represent the Evangelists with symbols reflected in their Gospels. The backgrounds of blue sky are magnificent examples of opalescent glass. St. Mark is represented by a lion symbolizing the royal dignity of Christ. St. Luke is represented by an ox, a symbol of sacrifice. St. John is represented by an eagle, the symbol of highest inspiration. St. Matthew is represented by a man, in reference to his detailed account of the Incarnation of Christ.

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Only the second Serbian Orthodox Church built in North America, the original structure was damaged by the 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake, centered about 150 miles southeast of Butte and the strongest ever measured in the northern Rocky Mountains. Subsidence in shallow mining tunnels beneath it also took its toll on the original structure, and the current church was built as a replacement in 1965.

Most of the windows are inscribed with the names of both the donor and honoree, together in most cases with the name of the saint pictured. All manufactured in San Francisco, many are signed by the John Lucas Stained Glass Company, which is still in business. The windows are original to the church.

The prominent side windows represent the eight feast days of Jesus Christ, and the windows in the dome represent eight saints. Other saints are represented in the loft windows and semi-circular windows above the doors.

Remarkable though the stained glass windows are, expect to be awed by the magnificent Byzantine-style frescoes on the walls and ceiling. Most of this work was accomplished in 2004-2005 in connection with the church’s centennial. Fresco artists came from Belgrade, Serbia, to create the paintings.

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The bright white façade of this stunning church, prominently located beneath Big Butte, serves as a beacon proclaiming the heart of Butte’s west side Catholic community. The Immaculate Conception Parish was created from the overflowing St. Patrick and St. Lawrence O’Toole parishes in 1906. The original church building across the street also served as convent and school. The cornerstone of the present church was laid on December 10, 1939. It indicates that the church, dedicated to the Immaculate Mother of God, is also designated a shrine to Our Lady of Victory and St. Therese. Noted architect John G. Link designed this Butte landmark, completed in 1940 at a cost of almost $200,000, which features an unusual blend of the Mission Revival and Art Deco styles.

An article written for the parish history provides this description of the building’s stained glass:

“The beauty of the windows adorning the church truly defies description. They are entirely unique in the catalog of ecclesiastical art in the country. The glass is the imported Norman slab of rich live coloring, graduated from deepest blues, reds, and golden ambers through all the lighter tones … The shading is brought about entirely by the varying thickness of the glass and the outlines by the heavy irregular leading.”

The façade (front) window shows the Cross Triumphant with side panels depicting the Tree of Life. A close view of this window (which can be obtained by climbing the stairs to the rear choir loft) reveals that the glass technique in the cross is very different from that in the other windows. The center cross was originally made of clear glass brick to provide a vivid contrast to the deep colors surrounding it. But the light from it could be blinding to the priest facing that direction in the morning sun, so the original glass was later replaced by colored glass done in a style called dalle de verre. In this technique, slabs of glass are broken or sawn into small pieces, then assembled to form the window. The resulting effect is similar to a mosaic, with richer and deeper color than typical stained glass because thicker glass is used.

A bronze plaque located on the south side wall identifies which saints are portrayed in the clerestory (high) windows of the nave (long aisle) of the church. Items of note are:

· Saint Anne, the mother of Mary, was also the patron saint of miners. The emblem of the School of Mines in Butte (now called Montana Tech) is portrayed in her window.

· The Saint Bernadette Soubirous window includes a BVM emblem that represents the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the religious order that established and taught at Immaculate Conception School.

· The Saint Kateri Tekakwitha window depicts the first Native American ever proposed for canonization. Of Mohawk and Algonquin descent, Kateri was venerated in 1943 and beatified in 1980. The coat of arms with the date 1884 represents the establishment of the Diocese of Helena. The seal of the State of Montana is depicted, as well as the first mission church in Montana, St. Mary Mission built in 1841 in present-day Stevensville, Montana.

The smaller windows in the side aisles show the coats of arms of the recent popes, alternating with the emblems of the bishops of Montana.

The triple panel windows in the two transepts (short aisles) are dedicated to the two special patrons of Immaculate Conception parish. The south window honors our Lady of Victory, and in one side panel can be seen the distinctive white tower of the church itself with the Big M in the background.

The north transept window honors St. Therese of Lisieux. The triple panel window at the rear of the sanctuary portrays the Holy Spirit and the seven sacraments.

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Bishop John Brondel founded St. Joseph’s Parish in 1902 to serve the varied ethnic groups settling on Butte’s south side. Father P. A. Quesnel celebrated the parish’s first Mass in a makeshift public hall. In 1907, a combination parish church and school was built on Delaware Street, which served until it was destroyed by fire in 1911. Once again, services were held in a public hall while the present church was under construction. On Christmas Day of 1911, the first Mass was offered in the grand new church, which was dedicated by Bishop John Carroll, the following April. Albert O. Von Verbulis, the Austrian-born architect who designed Helena’s famed St. Helena Cathedral, drew the plans for this impressive Greek Revival style building. Ionic columns supporting a full-height entry porch, denticulated cornice, and beautiful stained glass enhance the tall windows and light-colored brick.

The stained glass windows were created by Munich Studios of Chicago, and are beautiful examples of the best of their work. The company specialized in memorial stained glass windows in the style of world-famed Mayer and Zettler of Munich, Germany. Like the windows they emulated, the Munich Studio style is characterized by heavy painting, attention to detail, and elaborate figure placement.

The church vestibule contains four windows depicting John the Baptist and Jesus in a baptistry window; Mary as Our Lady of Victory; Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music; and Saint Joseph,

the patron saint of the parish. This latter window is partially obscured by stairs to a choir loft that was added in a 1960s renovation.

The large side windows in the nave primarily depict joyful occasions of the New Testament. Only one of these windows does not represent a New Testament story, and that is the window representing St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, who received visions of Christ from the age of twenty. She was canonized a saint in 1920.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart was very strong at the time. One of the two rose windows located in the transept bears the inscription “Donated by the Sacred Heart League in honor of Rev. Father McCormick.” Many of the symbols in this rose window refer to Mary: the “Star of the Sea,” the rose without thorns, the tower of David, and the Immaculate Heart. The north rose window was donated by the Butte division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, an Irish Catholic fraternal organization.

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Rev. Hugh Duncan, a circuit-riding minister, led Butte's first Methodist Episcopal services in 1873. A dance hall, and later a school, served the early congregation. The first church built on this prominent corner in 1883 soon became overcrowded. Rev. W. W. Van Orsdel ("Brother Van"), along with church trustee copper king W. A. Clark, helped lay the cornerstone for this grand church in 1899. William L. Donovan and John G. Link were the architects. Link rose to prominence and later helped design the wings of Montana's state capitol. The church, completed in 1900, features a regal central tower with two arched entries. Magnificent stained glass richly embellishes the triple-arched windows on the south, north, and east. The sanctuary's semicircular arrangement and slanted floor, reminiscent of period opera houses, hosted some memorable community events. Famous speakers included social reformer Jacob Riis in 1906 and saloon-smasher Carrie Nation in 1910.

At the peak of Butte’s population in 1917, Methodists mustered eight congregations and 1,000 members, second only to the 15,000 members of nine Roman Catholic parishes. Mountain View Methodist was known as the “mine owners’ church,” while Trinity up the hill in Centerville was the “miners’ church.”

Most of the windows show complex geometrical and floral designs reminiscent of fancy stained glass in some of Butte’s private homes, suggesting that they may have been manufactured locally by the Butte Art Glass Works, which flourished at the time this church was built. However, with the exception of the two windows flanking the altar and pipe organ, these windows are not signed. All the glass was reconditioned in 1932.

The two windows at the front, stylistically different from most of the glass in the church, are products of J. & R. Lamb Studios of New York. These two windows portray the Good Shepherd and the Garden of Gethsemane.

The other windows hold panels of opalescent and solid-color glass. Much of this glass is textured on one side with a technique called rough rolling to give depth and to increase the scattering of light through both reflection and refraction. Most of these windows bear little, if any, paint – their effect is generated through the color and texture of the glass itself.

A central window in the south wall of the church, although beautiful, is a replacement necessary after vandalism and theft in the 1990s. The centerpiece of the large arched window on the east side in the loft was also stolen. The replacement window was built in Twin Bridges, Montana.

Along with its sister church up the hill, Mountain View Methodist Church held its last service in July 2016, leaving Butte with one remaining Methodist Church.

Today the Mountain View Methodist Church building is privately owned.

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Butte’s early Catholic community built its first parish church, a temporary wooden structure, west of this site in 1879. Father John Dols, the first pastor, arrived in the spring of 1881. The following year the cornerstone for a new church was laid, and formal dedication of St. Patrick’s took place in 1884. Two one-story wings were added to the original central portion in 1896, shaping the structure to its present appearance. Although exterior remodeling has somewhat altered St. Patrick’s original façade, the graceful spire and elegant Gothic arches reflect its original design.

St. Patrick’s Church is often referred to as the “Mother Church” of Butte’s Catholic community, because it was first established as a mission in 1866. In Butte’s pioneer camp days, St. Patrick’s was not only the sole Catholic church in the Butte area, but the only church edifice of any denomination. The cornerstone of Butte’s early Irish community, St. Patrick’s had 2,500 parishioners in 1885, representing almost two-thirds of Butte’s registered church members. Membership had almost tripled by 1889 and stood at 10,000 in 1901. By 1917, Butte’s nine Catholic churches had a combined membership of 15,000, by far the largest in the area.

Only one of the original stained glass windows from St. Patrick’s earlier days remains, however. It is the window depicting St. Patrick, and it is on display in the rear choir loft of the church. In the late 1940s, an ambitious renovation of the church was undertaken. Exterior brickwork was re-done, the front entrance stairs of the church were re-designed for better access, and new stained glass windows and bronze doors were installed. The manufacturer of the windows in St. Patrick’s is unknown.

The windows on the south wall (front façade) depict the seven sacraments. A high round window above the front door portrays Baptism, while six lancet-shaped windows depict Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. These windows are partially obscured due to an interior renovation of the church, which was completed in 1965, creating a vestibule with a choir loft above it. The round baptism window is only visible on the inside by peering down from the loft.

The saints depicted in the side windows include beloved Irish saints Patrick, Brigid, and Brendan. Also represented are the figures of Christ the King, Our Lady of Fatima, St. Joseph, St. John the Evangelist, and St. Francis Xavier. Windows above the side bronze doors portray the Nativity and Pentecost. Lastly, in the sacristy is a window depicting St. Michael, likely chosen because he was the name saint of a priest who served the parish over a 25-year-span.

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Thousands of skilled miners from Cornwall, England, immigrated to the United States in the mid-nineteenth century as English tin and copper mines played out. Many settled in Butte’s working-class communities. Centerville was home to equal numbers of Cornish, who were mostly Methodists, and Catholics from Ireland. There were two sets of businesses and two churches—one serving each group.

By 1884, Centerville’s Cornish residents had formed a Methodist congregation. During the pastorate of Rev. Joel Vigus, the Butte and Boston Mining Company donated the land and this church was built in 1889. In the 1890s, U.S. Senator and former Butte mayor Lee Mantle donated electric lights. Workers added brick veneer, a vestibule, a choir room, and dug a basement to accommodate a fellowship hall.

An enduring Cornish tradition is the pasty, a meat pie in a pastry envelope. Carried underground in dinner pails, miners lovingly called it a “letter from ’ome.” Trinity’s fellowship hall hosted many pasty dinners. The simple Gothic style “miner’s church” with its sturdy central tower recalls the Cornish miners and their families, far from home, who worshipped here.

The brick structure displays the simple architectural lines common in small church construction at the time. The windows are also simple in nature, representative of the working class that worshipped in the church. The windows were presented by M. J. Connell, a prominent Butte merchant whose imposing home stands at 301 W. Granite Street.

All of the stained glass windows in Trinity Church’s walls are dedicated, with honorees named in the glass itself, such as Trinity’s women’s H.U. Club, or Higher-Ups Club. In some cases the dedications were added at later dates, as recently as 1955. Most of the glass in the church is of the opalescent variety.

Centerville, home to comparable numbers of Cornish and Irish residents, had two of each kind of business, from barber shops to clothing stores, to serve the two ethnic communities. Trinity Methodist Church was erected by and for the Cornish residents.

The Mountain Con, Butte’s deepest mine at 5,300 feet, lies on the eastern edge of Centerville and many of its residents worked there. When the Con shut down in 1975, stores, bars, and community halls shut down as well. To the great consternation of its dwindling congregation, Trinity Church eventually followed suit in 2016. The building is now privately owned.

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A small stone building erected on this site in 1881 was one of Butte’s first churches. After 1900, the church was remodeled several times, incorporating the original building into a much larger structure. When fire swept through the chancel in 1919, one of Butte’s first preservation projects followed. Though not identical to the original, the restoration completed in 1921 is sympathetic to the original design. Today the crenelated towers and magnificent stained-glass window of St. John’s provide an excellent example of the Norman style as adapted to the Episcopal church in the United States.

Most of the windows in St. John’s were manufactured by J&R Lamb Studios, a prestigious New York firm established in 1857. Lamb Studios is the oldest decorative arts studio in continuous operation in the United States, and has created more than 15,000 art glass works. Most of the windows in St. John’s are signed by Lamb Studios.

The 10-by-20-foot window on the east end of the church depicts St. John in a scene from the Book of Revelation. More than a year of work by the artists at Lamb Studios was required to create this design, almost entirely in glass. Paint is used only on the hands, faces, and feet of the figures.

The first window on the north side is dedicated to a mining engineer who was President of the Montana School of Mines (now Montana Tech). The window shows a miner’s hard hat and carbide lamp in the lower left corner, and a pick and shovel.

The third window on the north side shows the insignia of three armed forces, Army, Navy, and Marines. It was dedicated to the memory of the son of a rector of this parish, a naval aviator who died at sea in World War II.

Two windows that were not made by Lamb Studios were gifts from Copper King W.A. Clark. The window behind the altar represents the Savior as a lamb of sacrifice and the Shepherd gently carrying His lambs to the fold for safety. Clark and his wife Kate commissioned this window in memory of their daughter Jessie, who died at Deer Lodge, Montana, in 1878 just three weeks before her third birthday. Among the wealthiest men in the country at that time, Clark brought artist Pompeo Bertini, known for his work in the Cathedral of Milan, to Butte to design this masterpiece.

A window depicting Christ beside the Sea of Galilee was also donated by the W.A. Clark family. This window is probably the only side window that is not by Lamb Studios.

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In 1882, the Baptists established their first church in Butte. By 1890, membership numbered 65 and steadily grew until, at 450 members in 1905, new quarters were imperative. The following year marked the beginning of an unprecedented commercial building boom, and the Butte Miner reported on June 17, 1906, that the week would “…witness the beginning of several splendid structures not exactly in the business heart of the city.” One of these buildings was the impressive First Baptist Church, designed and built by Charles Passmore & Company at a cost of $25,000. Triple-arched windows with beautiful stained glass highlight the main tower, whose pyramidal roof dignifies the neighborhood. Comparison of this church and the nearby Mountain View Methodist Church reveals distinct similarities, but window placement and architectural detailing make each unique.

The original Baptist Church on this site, a frame structure dating to 1885, was reportedly moved to Butte from Rochester, a mining camp about 50 miles south of Butte. The original structure was torn down and the present church was dedicated April 12, 1908.

The large round window on the east side was fabricated by Ford Brothers Glass Company of Minneapolis, and is an example of the Munich School, a style characterized by heavy painting, attention to detail, and elaborate figure placement.

The large ovals flanking the central anchor and cross in the south window are examples of opalescent glass. The swirls and variegated colors are typical of this technique, patented in 1880 by John LaFarge but popularized by his competitor Louis Tiffany.

The round window on the east side, called the Christ Window, was given by a parishioner in memory of his wife.

The large round unsigned window on the south side was presented by the Sunday School. The anchor in the large south window and a smaller window on the east side is the Christian symbol for hope and steadfastness.

The windows in this church were repaired and restored in 1980 thanks to a gift by a longtime member of the church.

After 133 years of worship, Butte’s First Baptist Church closed in 2019 and the building is now privately owned.

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