Jesse James Slept Here
What do the famous outlaw Jesse James and DaVinci Roofscapes have in common? A connection with St. Mary's Catholic Church in Independence, Missouri.
Founded in 1823, Saint Mary's is one of the oldest churches in the Dioceses of Kansas City – Saint Joseph. The current church was constructed in 1865, with an impressive 10-story high steeple added in 1900. In 2015 that tall steeple — plus the rest of the church — was re-roofed using DaVinci polymer roofing tiles.
While steeplejacks with Inspired Heights installed multi-width faux slate tiles on the tall steeple, another roofing company tackled the massive installation of the main roof on St. Mary's church. DaVinci Single-Width Slate was selected to replace hail-damaged roofing shingles.
"Our church history includes many notable milestones," says Rev. Matthew Bartulica. "One of the most popular pieces includes how Father Kennedy harbored an injured outlaw in the church in the 1860s — Jesse James.
"Now we're starting a new chapter in our history. Our old, deteriorated roof is gone and now we're very pleased to have the DaVinci slate roofing products overhead."
If you like church roofing stories, check out Steeple People and Praying for a New DaVinci Roof!