As St Mary’s Church in Murrumburrah is celebrating 150 years this year the Times will
endeavour to bring readers stories about its history and how the twin towns developed from early days.
Located in Vernon Street, St Mary’s Catholic Church is the oldest church in the twin towns. The foundation stone was laid by the Right Rev. William Lanigan, D.D. Bishop of Goulburn on Sunday, September 27 1868.
The following were members of the building committee; Rev. Father Duigan, Miles Murphy, John Dillon, John English and T.Dwyer of Murrumburrah. The dimensions of the church were: length of aisle 50ft long by 23ft wide: height of walls from floor to wall plate13ft: the chancel 20x15ft and walls 20 inches thick of solid masonry. The amount of money in hand on the day the foundation stone was laid and blessed was approximately 349 pounds.
It was extended in 1895-96 with granite for the tower quarried at Demondrille (3 km north-west of Murrumburrah) and transported to the site by bullock and horse teams. The church is located at the end of Clarke Street but it can be reached by walking over the railway footbridge at the end of Vernon Street.
The church was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy. His Lordship was
assisted in performing the ceremony. It celebrates 150 years in 2018. How many of the twin towns residents remember when it celebrated 100 years in 1968?
Prior to white settlement the area was utilised by the Wiradjuri people.
European settlement began after Hamilton Hume’s exploration in 1824 when a sheep station known as ‘Murrumburra’ was established in the late 1820s. James Kennedy opened the first busiess, an inn, around the late 1840’s. When foundation digging began in1856 the townsite was established and gazetted as Murrimboola (Aboriginal for two waterholes). This was changed to Murrumburrah in 1880. After, a mail service was begun along with a flour mill, the settlement became a town………more next time.
