A second-hand bell had been given by a St. Louis parish and hung on a frame structure at the Methodist Church until this tower was built.

St. Barnabas was never a parish in its own right, but was a mission that was served from St. Luke's in Fort Madison or St. John's in Keokuk.

The old church sat empty until the Montrose Township Historical Society was formed in 1981 and began to restore it.

In addition to serving as a wedding chapel, the facility hosts annual Memorial Day and Christmas programs.

The bell tower, which gives the building a Norman Gothic appearance, rises to a height of 35 feet (11 m).