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St. Mary, Shawneetown 1824*
1814: Shawneetown was a boom town and called the "Gateway to the West."
1819: Irish settlers begin arriving.
1824: The first Mass was said by Father Elisha Durbin of Kentucky.
1847: The first resident pastor, Father J. A. Drew, arrives
1940: Much of the town is moved following the flood of 1937.
1962: A new St. Mary Church is built in New Shawneetown.
*This brief history is taken from A Time of Favor: The Story of the Catholic Family of Southern Illinois by Betty Burnett. Those with more detailed and more recent information are encouraged to contact Leon Raymer to have the information included.
