An article in the files at the Hart County Historical Society states that Father Joseph Devries, a priest at New Haven, was transferred to Bowling Green to establish a parish in the spring of 1859. Hart County was Father Devries’ most promising mission, and in 1860 he obtained permission from his bishop to erect a church. The project was delayed and then abandoned because of the Civil War.

The care of missions along the railroad was assigned to the priest of St. Mary’s Church in Franklin in 1868. This arrangement lasted until the early 1880s when the priest of St. Ignatius Church in southern Hardin County was given charge of the parish in Bonnieville. Father Dominic F. Crane was sent to the parish in February 1887, and he revived the plan for erecting a Catholic Church in the area. A small edifice was dedicated under the name Our Lady of Mount Carmel on July 31, 1887. Around 1930 the late Father Hayes of Bowling Green stated that the church was used for services for several years and then torn down.

The exact location of the church is unknown, however, two gravestones in the Catholic Cemetery are still standing. The cemetery is located on Catholic Hill (the name of the street) in the southern city limits of Bonnieville.

The two gravestones that have survived time, weather, and bulldozers are: Katie Sweeney, daughter of Morgan and Sarah Sweeney, born 6 March 1881, died 29 Sept 1884 and James B. Earl, born 25 Feb 1854, died 17 Aug 1890. At least three other graves are known to be in this cemetery: Michael Lawler, born abt 1835 in County Tipperary, Ireland, died 11 April 1892; Andrew Murdock; and Eleanor S. Mellown, born 27 Apr 1847, 14 years old at death. Members of the Jamison family and the Lee family are also said to have been buried here.

Source: Research by Judy Lawler, Munfordville, KY

Provided by Edith Bastin