Our Lady of Belltower Catholic Church

Belltower is a white outcropping of rock in southeastern Carter County Montana. The formation used to look like a bell tower, but because of many years of erosion, it has worn down to almost a pointed rock. When my grandparents homesteaded near this landmark in June of 1910, it was visible for many miles in all directions. Many homesteaders chose a location near Belltower so they could "find their way home."

Many of these homesteaders were Catholic Luxembourg immigrants. At that time, there was no church in the area. My grandparents, Peter and Marguerite Goeders, volunteered to have Mass celebrated in their homestead shack (as they called their home. which we still spend summer months in today). Our homestead home is about four miles north and west of Belltower.

Father Moscop came from Plevna in a horse drawn buggy (a distance of about 100 miles) to offer Mass three or four times during the summer months. The kitchen stove was moved out to the yard, and planks and barrels were brought in for seating. The mirror on the dresser was covered with a bed sheet and served as an altar. The enclosed stairway served as the confessional. Following the Mass, there would be a pot luck dinner.

Homestead families grew in size, and the need for a church grew. Three Eixenberger brothers married three Gergen sisters. Each of these families had several children. In 1915, Frank and Marion Eixenberger contacted the Catholic dioceses of Great Falls, and donated two acres of their homestead land to the dioceses for the purpose of building a Catholic Church. This land is still the property of the Catholic dioceses now Great Falls- Billings

Many of the homesteaders worked together to build Our Lady of Belltower. Some of the names of those who helped with the building of the church were, Goeders, Eixenbergers, Bloes, Gergen, Linehan, and Rudloph. (I am sure there were others.)

The church was built of hand hewn logs. The pews were made from log stumps with a log split in half for the seats. What a labor of love for Christ!

My grandparents ordered statuary for the church which was completed in 1916. The statuary was taken to St. Joan of Arc in Ekalaka, when Our Lady of Belltower closed in 1949. I was given the "old statuary" when St. Joan of Arc was remodeled. I still have two pieces of the statuary in our home,

The priest came from Plevna in the summer months to deliver Mass at Our Lady of Belltower. Some of the priest’s names I recall my grandparents speaking of were Father Moscop and Fr. Hennesy. Fr. Hennesy and his twin brother came from Ireland. Monsigner Hennesy stayed in Miles City his entire life, but his twin, who came to Our Lady of Belltower returned to Ireland after only a few years in the United States. The last two priests to offer Mass here were Father Cibitonni and Father Jensen.

Father Jensen was the parish priest in Ekalaka for many years. My grandmother and Aunt volunteered to clean the church on the Saturday before the Sunday Mass. They took a horse and buggy, mop and rags, and a cream can of water a distance of about four miles for this task. My grandmother also volunteered to teach catechism after Mass. She was given a guide book to use. I still have the book. It was very different from the traditional catechism. It is a truly amazing book with stories to help explain the Gospels and Parables.

The Eixenberger family had so much musical talent, so I am sure they provided music for Our Lady of Belltower congregation.

There were a number of infant baptisms in the church. There were no records of any marriages. My grandparents said that all the marriages of parishioners were performed in Belle Fourche, 100 miles distance. However, there was a wedding ceremony performed by Pastor Wally Fox there in 1992. The bride and groom were from Mertztown, PA. They were hunters in the area and apparently fell in love with the beauty of the church and its surroundings. The church was only a log shell at that time, as it was officially closed in 1949.

In 1938, the county health nurse brought the dentist, Dr. Hedges, to the church so the elementary school children in the area could receive dental care. The church was probably used because of its central location in the county. There were a number of funeral Masses there. There are three graves enclosed by a chain link fence in the church yard. Two are graves of infants. One of the infants was a severely deformed infant. I recall my grandmother telling how the child was brought to her for help. She said many times how it was one of the saddest times in her homestead life to see the infant suffer for a few days. The Dr. would have to come from Miles City, but the infant died before the doctor could get there. There were no details given about the other infant, except that it was a sick baby. The young adult, Raymond Gergen, drowned in a dam near his home. My father, John Goeders, was there and witnessed the drowning. This was very traumatic for him, as well as the family. Raymond was probably about 18 years old, close to my father's age.

By 1949, many of the homesteaders who had worked together to build Our Lady of Belltower, had moved away. By this time, my family, the Goeders, were the only Catholic family in the area. Fr. Leo Jensen, the parish Priest in Ekalaka, decided the church needed to be closed. My parents asked for Baptism for me there in 1949, but he suggested that I be baptized in Ekalaka, since all church records would be taken to St. Joan of Arc, so I missed that honor of being baptized in Our Lady of Belltower Catholic Church.

The little log church became a landmark-to describe the location of the area. In the early 50's and 60's, when it rained in spring and summer, people would say “the road by the old church is impassable”, or in winter, "the road by the old church is blocked with snow". Even today, people say, "it's up by the old church".

In the 1970's the Lee Lewis children would put the steeple back up, as the church gradually deteriorated. Today, it still has a few logs remaining. This churchyard is a historic place, still the property of the Catholic Dioceses of Great Falls- Billings.

It has been photographed many times, because of its scenic beauty. I saw an oil painting of Our Lady of Belltower at an art show in Portland, Oregon with a price tag of $2,000! I was unable to make any connection with the painter.

Donna Lewis has graciously donated the picture of Our Lady of Belltower. If you drive by this shell of the church, you may even hear beautiful music (provided by the Eixenberger family 100 years ago) coming from Our Lady of Belltower.