The Branson-Hollister, Missouri area provided a historically rich and unique setting for Catholicism during the first half of the 20th century. In an interview, Hollister historian Viola Hartman recounted many stories and anecdotes about the people, places and circumstances prevalent in the Ozarks during those years. She included some background on religion, "This was a very religious area, predominantly made up of fundamentalist churches. The people, although not wealthy nor highly educated by 'eastern' standards, were nonetheless intelligent, very proud, hardworking, honest and decent." Catholics were few in number and widely scattered. Mrs. Hartman explained that Hollister, where our church was originally established, was unique for the area during that era. The railroad companies of the time promoted Hollister as the "English Village in the Ozarks". This promotion attracted not only the attention of tourists, but also of a variety of people who were interested in promoting businesses related to tourism. Many of these people were quite colorful and much more liberal in their thinking than the average native Ozarkian. It was into this diverse culture that the Catholic Church in Taney County was born.

Tourism began in the region with hunting and fishing along the White River. This was enhanced by the construction of the Powersite Dam (1913-1915) and the arrival of the railroad. At one time, according to Mrs. Hartman, as many as nine excursion trains a day departed from the Hollister train station. Throughout the years, tourism did not decline, but rather continued to grow. Travel to and from the area was primarily via train, as the roads were few and poorly maintained. Travel throughout the country was by horse and buggy and by boat. Automobiles were the exception.

During the Depression era, tourism continued to flourish, in part due to the prevalence of bootleggers. Tourists came to the area to buy bootleg whiskey. During this time, the people relied heavily on the barter system to obtain the goods and services that their families needed. Bootlegging provided a livelihood for many an Ozark family during the Depression, allowing them to maintain their family land holdings etc. at a time when many people were unable to do so.

As the Depression ended, WW II began. Mrs. Hartman told us, "The war years were very difficult times. Most of the men went into the service. The women were strong and coped." Many of those who went to war, of course did not return. Tourism naturally decreased, but only slightly. Many of the people who had come to visit the Ozarks in previous years, continued to visit. The task of serving the needs of the tourists fell into the hands of the women and children, who were able to sustain the tourism industry throughout the war years.

Early in the 1950's The Army Corps of Engineers began the Table Rock Dam Project. This development resulted in a huge influx of people and of money not only from the jobs created, but from the land purchases necessary to complete the project. For many years, the White River had continually flooded the area, particularly the downtown Hollister area. Mrs. Hartman recalls, "Many times the flood waters would rise so high that guests at the English Inn would arrive in boats and enter through a second story window." The construction of the dam alleviated the flooding and as a bonus created Table Rock Lake and Lake Taneycomo, a new source of tourism.

From the humble beginning of a few scattered families to a brand new church structure that will accommodate 1300 people... all of this in less than 90 years. Where did we come from? How did we get here? To find out we checked many sources. We relied heavily on church histories by Fr. James McKenna written in 1954 and Regina Howard written in 1974, both of which have been adapted here. We proudly invite you back to...