Filed Under Roundup

St. Benedict's Catholic School

St Benedict’s Catholic School was erected in 1920-1921, just as Roundup’s early prosperity peaked. Father Hennessy (1914-1929) and his flock worked diligently to create the school, with twenty church members loaning $500 each to the Diocese of Great Falls for construction. St. Benedict’s, designed by Roundup architect John H. Grant—who created many commercial and residential buildings here between 1910 and 1922—has a classic early-twentieth-century school design. The school served the community of European Catholic immigrants who came to Roundup after the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad established coal mines here in 1907-1908. From many nations, these immigrants found their ethnic identities melting away in American society, but through the church they preserved an important part of their heritage. When this school opened, Ursuline Sisters were in charge of 123 students in eight grades, housed in four classrooms. The Sisters lived in the building’s basement, as did boarding students from rural homes. The school closed in 1950.

Location

503 Main Street, Roundup, Montana | Private

Metadata

The Montana National Register Sign Program, “St. Benedict's Catholic School,” Historic Montana, accessed March 29, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/1671.