St Joseph Church

Alaska

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Built in 1901, when there were 20,000 people living in Nome, this church and its spire were located on Front St and used as a beacon for seafarers. By the 1920s, after the population of the city had plummeted to less than 900, the Jesuits abandoned the structure.

It was used for storage by a mining company until 1996 when the city purchased it and moved it to Anvil City Sq. In the grassy square fronting the church, look for statues of the Three Lucky Swedes, dredge buckets and the ‘world’s largest gold pan.’ The interior of the building is not open to the public.

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