Catholics built church close to street to block view of Baptist’s
By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian
ALBION – In this photo from 1904 we see St. Joseph’s Church Rectory at the corner of Main Street and West Park Street in Albion.
Notice the tower which was removed in the 1950s and also a porte-cochere on the end of the side porch. The house was designed and built for Newton Proctor by William V.N. Barlow.
Proctor’s son-in-law William P.L. Stafford sold this property to St. Joseph’s Church in 1896, requesting that the new church be built as close as possible to Park Street in order to block out a view of the First Baptist Church next door.
Stafford was angry with the Baptists, and this was his way of taking revenge. This picture is proof in that the Baptist Church can hardly be seen.
To the far left we can just see a house that in 1905 was moved down to East Park Street to make room for a Catholic school to be built on the site. That house, which still exists, is now the residence of Richard and Sharon Nenni.
