The church is located in Dallas township in rural Marion County, Iowa, United States.

St. Joseph's was founded in 1853 to serve German immigrants in a place in western Marion County called Newbern, or New Bern.

The unincorporated village that was built around the church was later called Bauer after the family name of the area's earliest German settlers.

[2] The parish was founded in the Diocese of Dubuque during the episcopate of Bishop Mathias Loras.

[2] Limestone, which is abundant in this area, was from a quarry located southeast of the church and used for the foundation.

Shortly after the church was built Father Wieland replaced Baumann as pastor.

German remained the language used for sermons and church services, when Latin was not required, until March 1913 during the pastorate of the Rev.

As the 20th century progressed the German population at Bauer became more aligned with the mainstream American culture and the influence of ethnic traditions was reduced.

As the numbers of clergy started to decline, St. Joseph’s lost its resident priest in 1969 and it was clustered with other parishes.

A 2½ story, frame, school building and convent, no longer extant, was built in 1904 to the north of the church.

Funds were used to pay at least some of the Sister’s salaries, books (except for religion), equipment and other items per the contract with the state.

[6] After the school was discontinued the building remained on the church grounds into the 1990s and served as a parish hall and local community center.

Brick corbelling is found underneath the eaves of the west, north, and south elevations of the building, and around the top of the bell chamber.

The corbelling on the main facade (west elevation) is laid on a diagonal, parallel to the slope of the gabled roof.

St. Joseph's Cemetery measures 183 by 258 feet (56 by 79 m) with burial plots laid out in a grid pattern.

A pedestrian walk down the middle terminates at an altar towards the center and divides the cemetery into three sections.

The markers are made from various kinds of stone, notably limestone and granite, and were executed in a variety of styles.

This style features a stepped base, a narrow rectangular column, and a carved stone cross at the top.

It is found prominently in the children's section and on the marker for Sister Columba, the only professed religious buried in the cemetery.

Noticeably absent are iron cross grave markers that are found in the several German settlements in Iowa.