The first Irish Catholics began to arrive in eastern Adair County in the early 1840s, with a substantial increase thereafter largely due to the Great Famine.

[5] The southwest tower is octagonal in shape and 40 feet in height with round arch openings and Corinthian style supports, topped by a dome.

Pressed Florentine style tin covers the ceiling and much of the interior walls, while the flooring is made of tongue-in-groove yellow pine.

Adair had a sizable business district catering to area farmers – a population of over 400 – and a Catholic school was built.

A general trend in America saw younger generations leaving the agriculture field for job opportunities in cities.

The emergence of the automobile and improved roads in rural Missouri meant families could easily travel to larger towns in the area like Baring, Edina, and Kirksville to shop.

Each town also having its own Catholic church – in the case of Edina and Kirksville, quite substantial congregations – meant combining morning Mass with an afternoon of resupplying before returning home.

[5] In December, 1972, with the congregation reduced to less than twenty adults – most elderly – it was announced that all Masses at St. Mary's would be discontinued for the winter.

However, a small group of former parishioners and non-Catholics interested in historical preservation refused to let the unique church architecture be destroyed without a fight.