Before most people had cars, the trip from Delano to Minneapolis was a long way. Those who made the trip often stopped just about halfway at a place known as Schiebe’s Corner, the Farmers Home Hotel, and the Half Way House.
From 1872 until 1977, the Schiebe family ran the business, which included a hotel, tavern, icehouse, dance hall, grocery store and hardware store at various times. All were centered at what is now the intersection of Highway 55 and Old County Road 15 in Plymouth.
In the early 1930s, Archbishop John Murray decided the growing community around Schiebe’s Corner was the perfect place to build a church. The Catholic Schiebe family agreed to help, so Father Nicholas Finn lived and said Mass at Schiebe’s Corner while the new church, St. Mary of the Lake, was built. Emma Schiebe, matriarch of the family, also donated money for the church building. Having a church across the street was probably a welcome change for a family used to making a four-mile trip to the north side of Medicine Lake for Mass at St. Joseph.
By the spring of 1936, there was reason to celebrate. The new church had been completed. In the week after Easter, St. Mary of the Lake hosted the first musical program in its new auditorium, attracting more than 500 people on a Thursday evening. A few months later, they installed a new pipeless organ, the first of its kind in the area. The parish became home to a thriving community through Masses, card parties and annual turkey festivals. By the 1950s, it was clear that the church needed to be expanded to accommodate its 700 families. Rather than build at the current site, the parish purchased land nearby to build a new church building and school. After construction was completed in 1961, the original church at 11015 Old County Road 15 was sold to Lutherans, who first used it as a seminary and continue to worship in the church to this day.
The Catholics settled in at their new home on Forestville Lane under the leadership of their new pastor, Father Anthony Louis. Amid the Second Vatican Council, St. Mary of the Lake began an ecumenical initiative in 1964, inviting the members of 15 local Protestant churches for an open house. Over 1,200 people were welcomed by parishioners with punch and tours explaining the Catholic liturgy, confession and vestments. Building on their connections, that fall Father Louis went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Egypt, Greece and Rome with Rev. Warren Heggem of Oak Knoll Lutheran Church in Minnetonka. Their tour was funded by housewives in their respective parishes and included an audience with Pope Paul VI.
The next big shake-up at St. Mary of the Lake was the closing of the parish school. Just eight years after it was built, enrollment was falling, and parish staff were ready to try something new. In the fall of 1969, the school became the Family Learning Center. The new model was designed to offer formation for the whole family, with an emphasis on teaching adults to lead their children’s education. A staff of five educators offered retreats and workshops, plus Sunday school for kindergartners. The program was deemed a success. Parishioners were more likely to attend than they had been to send their children to the parish school, and the groundbreaking model received national attention. These days, St. Mary of the Lake continues to serve the needs of its community on the southern shore of Medicine Lake.
Luiken is a Catholic and a historian with a doctorate from the University of Minnesota. She loves exploring and sharing the hidden histories that touch our lives every day.
