St Mary Bed & Breakfast

11/08/2025

Join Creations by Oz Sunday November 9th for Holiday Open House. We will be giving away a nights stay in the Emerald Loft, wine tasting, specials, and giveaways.

10/03/2021

This gem has returned near to where it was originally dedicated to Muscatine’s unborn babies. It was in a small garden behind the convent. Built in 1876, The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration of LaCrosse, Wisconsin sold the convent to St. Mary’s Church in 1955.

The Sisters at St Mary's Convent served migrant workers in the area for many years. Migrant farm workers had been coming to Muscatine’s south end area to harvest crops since the middle 1950s. For many years St. Mary’s was the focal point of migrant Day Care and the Head Start educational program. In the summer of 1966 Sisters residing at the St. Mary’s Convent extended service locations into the migrant labor camps. By 1968, many Spanish speaking families began to stay in the Muscatine area communities. In 1975, St May’s regularly served 600 Spanish speaking families in Muscatine, Louisa and Des Moines Counties.

Many Thanks to the anonymous donor who allowed us to retrieve this from their field and to Nickolas who filled it again with life.

08/16/2021

Directly across the street from the former St Mary Church turned our home and BnB stands Mike’s Hilltop Tap. Hilltop and the house diagonally across from it at the corner of Green and Lucas were built by brickyard owner George Schafferi. George lived in the house. While operating his brickyard, he had a grocery in the West side and a bar on the East side of the building where Hilltop is now. Upstairs, over Hilltop, he rented rooms to his brickyard workers. On George’s retirement in 1874, He donated the five acre site to the Catholic Church. St Mary's Church and the Rectory were constructed in 1876. The school and convent followed.

All the bricks for George’s family home, Hilltop Tap, St Mary’s Church, School, Convent and the Rectory were hand made on site when this property was a brickyard. Salvaged from a nearby home, it is possible, the bricks in this barrel were also made on site.

I found this wheel barrel at the What Cheer Flea Market. It was rusted and full of holes, barely able to roll. Flea Market vendors were packing up. It was the market’s last day. The old, rusted barrel drew me to it, like an old dog waiting for adoption or its last day at the pound. Not sure what I’d do with it, I took it home. Today it rests as a tribute to the lesser known chapter in the story of our former St Mary Church property.

08/14/2021

St. Mary Bed and Breakfast downtown Emerald Loft is a great way to "park and play" in Historic downtown Muscatine. Great for a "staycation" or hosting visting family. A 1000sq.ft loft with 2 beds, laundry, and outside seating with a riverview! It's fully furnished with everything you need including our hand roasted coffee and hand crafted body care.

05/29/2021

Work continues transforming the former St Mary Church property into our home and BnB. I found this today while digging under where a portion of the St Mary Church parking lot had been. More specifically, it was located among long buried bricks that had been the original St Mary Catholic School foundation. Every brick was hand made here on this site.

This Native American Indian ax blade possibly speaks to chapters of Muscatine’s history long before 1876 when our home was a brick yard being donated to become a church, school & convent.

11/15/2020

Taken just before midnight, 11/14/20 at the upriver end of Riverside Park in downtown Muscatine.

10/09/2020

Taking out the old church parking lot. At the former church, turned our home and BnB.

08/20/2020

"Start your trip to Muscatine off with the perfect spot for art lovers by visiting the Muscatine Art Center. Enjoy 12 rooms of beautifully curated art exhibits set inside a restored mansion from the early 20th century. Walk through the meticulously maintained Japanese garden that was added in the 1920s. Take a self-guided stroll through the West Hill District located atop the picturesque bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. The historic neighborhood features 258 homes and structures of Italian and Greek Revival styles that were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Have dinner on the patio at Maxwell's on the River inside the Merrill Hotel, which opened in 2018."

Whether you’re an outdoorsman or foodie, there’s an Iowa destination that’s right for you.

04/09/2020

Rainbow April 8, 2020 and the Muscle man on Muscatine’s riverfront.

04/08/2020

Super moon April 7, 2020 and the Muscle man on Muscatine’s riverfront.

02/02/2020

Began restoring a church window from the oil’ St Mary Church 1876-2014. It once stood just 17 ft from our BnB. Took me most of a day yesterday to remove the bottom piece. I am thankful it came off mostly in tact. You can still see the craftsmanship.

This window might be remembered as one of two windows with the heart of Jesus at its center feature..

01/25/2020

On July 19th, 1904, gas lines for illumination were being installed at the St Mary Church Rectory in Muscatine Iowa. Built in 1876, the Rectory is being restored to our home and BnB. Posted in the Muscatine Journal. Thank you for sharing Daniel Graham Clark.