FIRST ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN BREVARD COUNTY

In the early twentieth century, the North Dakota-based Florida Indian River Catholic Colony corporation advertised it was starting a Catholic community in central Florida. By 1914, the land company helped settle nearly 100 midwestern families, mostly of German and Slavic descent, in the area of Tillman, situated on the banks of the Indian River and Turkey Creek. During this time, Brevard County did not have a resident Catholic priest and services were administered by clergy who traveled among rural communities. The corporation failed to deliver on a promise to build a proper church, so the parish members built one themselves. Bishop Michael J. Curley dedicated the church in 1914. Following the ceremony, 78 local children received the Sacrament of Confirmation. Named St. Joseph's, the church served the nearby communities of Melbourne and Eau Gallie. Residents traveled by wagon or boat to attend services. In 1923, a rectory was built and the church’s first resident priest arrived a year later. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987, St. Joseph's Church of Palm Bay is the oldest Catholic Church in continuous use in Brevard County.