Historian donates National Register plaque for Sage Chapel Cemetery; sisters give illustrated history of campus

Doris Kevin Franke, a historian and author, presented a brass plaque to the City of O'Fallon commemorating the listing of Sage Chapel Cemetery on the National Register of Historic Places and asked the city to place it at the cemetery site. Franke said she submitted the cemetery's National Register nomination on 08/10/2018 and that the National Park Service listed Sage Chapel Cemetery under the Department of the Interior on 11/02/2018.

"I would like to donate to the city of O'Fallon this plaque which says, this property has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior," Franke said during the meeting. She told commissioners she documented "117 burials and 37 headstones" and that the nomination she prepared includes the names so families would be recognized.

Franke described fieldwork that followed reports of damage to the cemetery: a nearby neighbor had used a bobcat that caused visible disturbance, and code enforcement later found a damaged fence and scheduled a tree removal and fence repair. According to staff comments read during the meeting, code enforcement will visit the Guthrie Cemetery site to proceed with remediation.

The presentation prompted the commission to note the city's ongoing maintenance role: Franke said the city of O'Fallon "stepped up and taken ownership, but continues to maintain it as well." She credited Amber Cox at the State Historic Preservation Office and local staff for assistance in the National Register process.

The meeting also included a multi-part historical presentation by Sister Barbara on the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood campus and Saint Mary's College. Using slides and archival photos, Sister Barbara traced the campus's development from a log house in 1873 through the construction of multiple wings (including the West Wing and Sacred Heart Hall), the 1926 chapel dedication by Archbishop John J. Glennon on 07/22/1926, and later campus changes. She described the Ecclesiastical Art Department, stained-glass windows designed by Sister Hiltreuth Powers, the Lourdes Grotto, and the conversion of convent buildings into City Hall, Abbey Senior Living (formerly Saint Joseph Hall) and apartments.

"The chapel was completed in time for its dedication by the most reverend archbishop John J. Glennon on 07/22/1926," Sister Barbara said as part of an extended slide tour that included interior photos, chapel frescoes and descriptions of how rooms were repurposed over time. She invited residents to tours and said Sister Mary Cecile would provide additional information at the society's Rail District booth during the upcoming event.

Commissioners and audience members asked follow-up questions about campus square footage and the fate of a campus well; Sister Barbara said the well was removed when the city planned a road and the campus later connected to municipal water. Attendees also discussed outreach: staff reported the city received a grant from Shippo for educational brochures (disbursement date not yet specified) and will print materials for the local historic register and an information booth on Sept. 6 during the Rail District event.

Procedural business at the start of the meeting included routine approvals: the agenda was approved (motion moved by Amos, seconded by Bianchi; recorded as "Aye") and the minutes were approved (moved by Donaldson, seconded by Amos; recorded as "Aye"). The commission also heard a brief update that an ordinance with MoDOT to enable a traffic-signal cabinet program completed its first reading on the 24th and is scheduled for a second reading on the 14th, which staff said will allow the city to proceed with two cabinets.

The meeting closed after additional announcements about the Goodwood plaque presentation (Aug. 12) and logistics for the historical society's booth and book sales at the Rail District event. No formal action was recorded on the plaque donation during the meeting; Franke's offer and the presentation were placed on the public record for the city's consideration.