website watertownhistory.org

ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin

Nativity Set

Date of Origin Discovered

On the morning of January 6, 2004, this webmaster was able to take some enhanced digital pictures of the nativity set before it was taken down and packed away for another year. Upon taking a close-up view of the figure shown below, one of the three wise men, I noted the date “1897” painted on the clasp of the garment. It had not been previously noticed over the recent years and only this piece contains a date.

The date of 1897 is most probably the year of the carving and/or painting of this statue and of the entire wooden nativity set.

The nativity set had been repaired and repainted some years ago [1] and the 1897 date, if painted more recently, would also be a repainting, as it would not have been easy to correctly choose the 1897 date.

Please consider the following:

A 1903 St. Henry’s financial statement lists the sale of an earlier nativity set (crib) for the grand sum of $5.00 [2]. There is no 1903 disbursement noted for the purchase of a replacement nativity set by the parish so, perhaps, it was acquired through donation(s) made by one or more parishioners. The year 1903 was the 50th anniversary year of the parish so this speculation has merit.

An article in a 1904 Watertown Daily Times makes brief mention of a St. Henry’s nativity set and it had been surmised that this was because it was a new set [3].

The timing fits nicely.

This nativity set was probably carved in Germany, the motherland of many of the members of the parish. The figures are carved from the trunks of trees, with the bottom or base of the statues showing tree growth rings and shading differences due to growth over time. More on this at another time.

Sure would be fascinating to learn what the earlier set sold in 1903 was like! Would be equally interesting to learn of the purchase price of the then new nativity set.

There can be no question that St. Henry’s possesses a most beautiful nativity set, certainly one of a kind and of not insignificant value and interest.

Portfolio of nativity set images: link to slideshow

[1] Riedl, Kenneth M., “A Church Built on the Rock - The 150-Year History of St. Henry’s Catholic Church, Watertown, Wisconsin, 1853-2003,” Omnipress (Madison), 2003, pg 101.

[2] Ibid, pg 98.

[3] Ibid, pg 101.