Troy's Community Newsletter

Tidbits of Troy History: St. Joseph's Church - 416 3^rd St.

By Rebecca Rector

St. Joseph's Church is the third oldest Catholic Church in Troy. It was founded in 1847 by Rev. Peter Havermans, when he purchased the land at Jackson & 3^rd. St. In 1848, it was conveyed to the Society of Jesus.

The Parish boundary lines were from the Poestenkill Creek to the city line. These lines existed until St. Michael's was built in 1873. The burial grounds are on the hill between the Poestenkill and Wynantskill Creeks. During these early days, the Parishioners were mostly Irish. The church registers are full of names such as: Cahill, Delaney, Duffy, Fogarty, Hayes, Landrigan, Looby, Maguire, Mahoney, Maloney, McTamany, McNamara, McGrath, Murnane, , O'Brien, Ryan, Shaughnessy, & Slattery.

There is also a good mixture of French names, especially during the 1850's. Rev. Havermans had started services in French in the basement of St. Mary's Church, also on 3^rd St., in 1850. In 1852 the congregation purchased the Universalist Church building between 1^st and 2^nd Streets. However, the building burned and they worshipped at St. Joseph's until 1855 when they were incorporated under St. Jean Baptiste Church. A church was finally built on 2^nd St., between Adams & Jefferson in 1868. Some of the French names found in the records of St. Joseph's include: Charpentier, De la Riviere, Mailloux, Monplaisir, LaFleur, Laviolette, Perrault, Pinsonneault, Rousseau, Robillard, Tetreau, and Trudeau.

Even later, in the 1880's, there begin to appear Polish names such as Groovaski, Starzewski, Staschesky, Stronski, and Witskoski, reflecting the recent influx of immigrants from Poland and other Eastern European countries. Many of the Polish immigrants eventually became members of Trinity Church.

St. Joseph's features beautiful Tiffany of Farrile windows, which are taken from the paintings of Titian, Rubens, Bouguereau, Hoffman, Plockhorst and Landill. The main altar is made of pure marble and onyx. DeVinci's Last Supper is carved of Italian Carrara marble. Chimes were installed in 1924 with the clavier mechanism by the Meneely Bell Foundry of Troy

In 1970, St. Joseph's became a Carmelite Community.

Sources: Art-Architecture-History of St. Joseph's Church (brochure at Church); Troy's 100 Years

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