Des Moines Register
08-03-06
Storm flattens church, cornfields
High winds bring down Maryhill Catholic Church, but beneficial rain comes with the severe weather.
By MEGAN V. MALLOY and LISA ROSSI
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
A century-old church in Cherokee County lost the battle with strong winds and rain Tuesday night.
Maryhill Catholic Church outside Meriden was leveled by winds that reached up to 90 mph.
"All that's left is the basement," Dave Skou, communication center supervisor for the sheriff's department, said of the church.
Maryhill Catholic Church was founded in 1892, but burned down 12 years later after it was struck by lightning. It was rebuilt and reopened in 1905.
"There's not much point in rebuilding it. The population out here is dwindling," the
Rev. Gene Sitzmann said. Meriden has about 190 residents.
Sitzmann, who was Mary-hill's pastor for 30 years before retiring, lived next door to the church. His own home sustained "minimal damage," he said, including a few broken windows and damaged siding.
Dan Steward, the church caretaker, also lived on the property and had some broken windows.
Sitzmann, who will remain at the same location he is now, added that Maryhill church members will more than likely be invited to join nearby parishes, although he couldn't say which ones.
The closest Catholic churches are Immaculate Conception Church in Cherokee and St. John's Catholic Church in Quimby.
Skou said most of the storm damage was around Meriden, with fallen trees, power lines and several power outages reported. There were also many flattened fields and destroyed machine sheds.
No injuries were reported, he said.

Winds reached between 60 to 90 mph across the region, said Jeff Chapman, a forecaster with the National Weather Service.
Up to 6 inches of rain was recorded from the storm, which followed a 17-degree temperature drop. No tornadoes were sighted.
In Algona, the Tuesday rains resulted in a wastewater bypass. Sewers in town were not able to keep up with the storm.
The town, which received more than seven inches of rain from the storm, started bypassing the wastewater around 2 a.m. Tuesday to the East Des Moines River.
Other storm damage in Cherokee and Plymouth counties included flattened cornfields, Joel DeJong, a crop extension specialist from Iowa State
University , said Wednesday.
Some farmers in the area will be "struggling" because of the ruin, DeJong said.
But the need for rain after a scorching dry spell was so great that the storm brought more benefit than damage, he added.
"The precipitation far outweighed the losses from the wind," DeJong said.