Church of the Visitation
Westphalia, Falls County, TexasFrom Lott take SH 320 about 8 miles SW; take County Road NW about .25 miles
Year Erected: 1978
German natives who settled originally in Colorado County came here in 1879 looking for better
land. Pleased with the soil and location, they brought their families and immediately purchased 100 acres for a church
and school. The earliest Mass was said in 1882 in the of the first settler, Theodore Rabroker. The original church
building, completed in February 1884, was destroyed the following May by a terrible storm. The congregation rebuilt the
structure by July. Large numbers of German-American Catholic families moved into the area. Westphalia was named after
the province from which the early settlers came. Visiting priests served until 1893 when the Rev. Michael Heintzelmann
was assigned as the permanent pastor. He led the congregation for the next 36 years. In 1895, with A. Fuchs of Waco as
the designer and contractor, the present church house was completed. The stones were shipped by railroad from Muldoon,
Texas, to Lott (8 mi. NE) and then hauled here by wagon. The central church area forms a Latin cross. For safety in
storms, six inches of sway was built into the bell towers. The original-design stained glass windows are very rare and
priceless. This is one of the largest wooden church buildings in the state.
[This building was completely destroyed by fire in July 2019.]