St. Nicholas Church
St. Nicholas Church, built in 1854.
The cornerstone for the first Catholic Church in Allegany, St. Nicholas, was laid on July 2, 1854. The Church was dedicated to St. Nicholas of Bari (Italy), the patron saint of Nicholas Devereux whose wife gave eighty dollars towards the one-hundred and fifty dollars needed to build the small church. The small wooden structure served as the first parish for Catholics in Allegany. In 1863, the Allegany Sisters established a school in Allegany and classes were held at St. Nicholas' Church. After the Franciscan friars established the parish church on St. Bonaventure's campus, St. Nicholas was used primarily for meetings of Catholic societies. The building was loaned to the Allegany Sisters who were paid by the town to teach and maintain the building. After years as a Church and parochial school the St. Nicholas suffered from the ravages of time and was finally demolished on October 15, 1934.