Lady of Loretto Church 

Located in Sauk County, Wisconsin on County Hwy C between Denzer and Leland in Honey Creek Township, Sauk County, Wisconsin. This building is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places

The Lady of Loretto Church congregation was established in 1854 by Father Inama. Father Inama came from Tyrol, Switzerland in 1844 to serve the people in the Sauk Prairie area.

After the original log church building burned down plans were made to replace it with a stone structure. Land was purchased for $1.00 in 1867. Work began on the new church building in 1879. At this time there were 46 families on the parish register. The church wardens were Magerlein, Heugebach, Weinand and Walsh. The masons who worked on the church were Peter Mettel and Nicolaus Allart of Honey Creek and the carpenter/joiner was William Dresen of Sauk City. Additional labor was furnished by the parishioners. The total materials cost for the project was $1800, with $150 spent for the altar purchased in Milwaukee.

As a final touch, a huge wooden cross and large bell were installed on the summit of the neighboring bluff. The cross could be seen for miles until it was destroyed by a tornado in 1918.

The church was closed in 1960. It was sold to Robert Jaedike in 1973 for $1500. In 1975 Mr. Jaedike donated the building and a small plot of land to the Sauk Prairie Area Historical Society.

In 1993 a project was started to restore the church. This project was completed in 1998. The photo at the left is the restored interior of the church.