The site has been important for centuries as a lookout, including a French fort visited by
Father Jacques Marquette on his journeys on the
Des Plaines River several times in 1673; it is believed he conducted
Catholic Mass at the fort. The church was founded in 1833 by workers building the
Illinois and Michigan Canal, and first met in a rough log cabin. The present church building was built from 1853 to 1858 of locally quarried limestone painstakingly dragged up the steep hill. It was built on an ancient
Native American trail, which has evolved into today's
Archer Avenue (
Illinois Route 171). The tornado lifted up the roof of the church and dropped it back down askew, and knocked over numerous trees and tombstones in the cemetery. A group of dedicated parishioners banded together as the St. James Preservation Society to repair the damage and restore their church. St. James at Sag Bridge Catholic Church continues today in its historic role as the center of the Sag Bridge community. It is the only
county parish in the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. It was added to the
National Register of Historic Places on August 16, 1984, and is a
contributing property of the
Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor. ==References==