St Laurence O'Toole Catholic Church - Former Site

The former St Laurence O'Toole Catholic Church, Merrimu was located on the site of the present Hopetoun Cemetery. It was erected on land donated by John Leahy and John & Michael Eagan. John Leahy also donated 400 pounds towards the cost of the church construction. The church building was completed in late1850, with Mass, in the meantime, celebrated in Leahy's barn. The local school met in the church from about 1851 until 1862. The church building deteriorated after 1859 & 1864, due to heavy rain and flooding. However, after repairs the church was used again by the school until about 1874.  The church was removed sometime later. Burials have been held in the Hopetoun Cemetery from 1851 until about 1941, and contains the remains of many of the Irish settlers. More historical information/photographs of the former church are invited. Photographs uploaded 10/10/2022

Note: Photograph attribution/source - By Mattinbgn (talk · contribs) - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74170446  AND  By Mattinbgn (talk · contribs) - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74170456