On the isolated prairie 24 miles northwest of Miller lies the town of Polo. It’s a small residential community notable for its distinctive landmark, the Saint Liborius Church and School, a block-long Spanish Mission-style complex that is largely empty and crumbling.
Most of the structure could soon be torn down, leaving only the church and rectory standing. The parishioners have asked the Bishop of the Diocese for permission to raze the old building and build a new Parish Hall.
The church itself was built in 1904. It has gone through several renovations over the years. It has more than doubled in size, and at one point, the interior was painted blue, and then the blue paint was stripped away to again reveal rich wood.
The boarding school was constructed in 1923, and it also has gone through several renovations.
At least one Polo resident, JoAnn Schaefers, mourns the impending loss of the old building and what it has meant to her family over the years.
In early July, Schaefers gave SDPB’s Victoria Wicks a tour of the school and church.
Historical St. Liborius School, Set For Demolition, Holds Memories
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JoAnn Schaefers stands in one of the archways that has not been filled in. Schaefers has preserved a historical record of the church and school and has written Polo news for 42 years.
Victoria Wicks
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Travelers on Highway 26 north of Miller have this back view of the church and school.
Victoria Wicks
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The St. Liborius Church is not slated for demolition. It is beautifully maintained, with services held regularly.
Victoria Wicks
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The rectory just north of the church will continue to stand. It is used for office space for church business and to house visiting priests.
Victoria Wicks
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It's difficult to get a photo of the entire complex, because trees hide much of the front.
Victoria Wicks
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This historical photo, published to accompany an article written by JoAnn Schaefers, shows the complex without trees.
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This back view of the complex shows the deterioration of the old school
Victoria Wicks
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The long hallway from the school to the church once had open arches, but they were blocked off during renovation. Here, swallows find a site for their nests.
Victoria Wicks
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This classroom located just south of the church has been kept in use until recently. There are functioning bathrooms through the door to the right.
Victoria Wicks
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Rooms in the school have seen various purposes. This room has been a classroom and a dormitory. Most recently it was rented to a photographer, who sectioned off walls for photo backdrops.
Victoria Wicks
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The view through the classroom window.
Victoria Wicks
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Entrance to the Parish Hall, or auditorium.
Victoria Wicks
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The Parish Hall has a wooden ceiling as well as floor.
Victoria Wicks
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The side walls of the hall show the effects of abandonment.
Victoria Wicks
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The concessions window in the Parish Hall.
Victoria Wicks
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The main entrance doors open onto a landing, with stairs leading up to nuns' quarters and down to the basement.
Victoria Wicks
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The view from the other side of the main entrance doors.
Victoria Wicks
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The mothers of school children frequently painted these walls. Now the paint hangs in tatters.
Victoria Wicks
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A piano once used to teach children music sits abandoned in a hallway.
Victoria Wicks
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JoAnn Schaefers returns after turning on lights in a hallway lined with doors leading to nuns' living quarters.
Victoria Wicks
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This bedroom is one of the larger ones added when more Sisters were needed to teach at the school. Older bedrooms are smaller and don't have their own sinks.
Victoria Wicks
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Sisters eventually had a kitchen for their own use.
Victoria Wicks
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Shelf paper testifies to the era the kitchen was remodeled, as does the linoleum on the floor in the previous picture.
Victoria Wicks
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This ramp leads from the old school to the church.
Victoria Wicks
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Inside the current church is a stained-glass depiction of the original church, built in 1904.
Victoria Wicks
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The interior of the church has been well-maintained. JoAnn Schaefers says the interior was once painted blue, and parishioners later used 29 gallons of Zip Strip to remove it from wooden railings and doors.
Victoria Wicks
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An out-going priest leaves a message for parishioners on a classroom chalkboard.
Victoria Wicks
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This cast-iron statue of St. Liborius came here from Paderborn, Germany, where he is patron saint. A relic, or bit of sanctified bone, rests in the reliquary (cross) near his feet. His Feast Day is July 23, the day this feature (coincidentally) aired.
Victoria Wicks
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JoAnn Schaefers shows the shell used in baptisms.
Victoria Wicks
