St. Annes – Columbia
The stunning St. Ann's Church, just outside of the Columbia State Historic Park, is believed to be the oldest standing original church structure in the entire Mother Lode. The towering brick building features arched windows on all four sides with a nearly three-story tall belfry. The bell, at a cost of $1,500, was cast in New York and brought around the Horn. The front of the churchyard serves as the church's cemetery. Twice St. Ann's Catholic Church has undergone major restoration: first in 1926, and again in a three-phase project from 1979 through 1982. After the completion of phase two, the doors re-opened on Christmas Eve, 1980. - Courtesy of Tuolumne County Museum