St Peter Catholic Cemetery, Skokie

St. Peter Parish was founded in May of 1869 at the request of sixty-five Catholic families – mostly Germans and Luxembourgers – who lived in the area then known as Niles Center. Before 1869 Niles Center was a mission of St. Joseph Church in Gross Point, Illinois.

Peter and Magdalena Blameuser donated six acres of land for a church, parish, house, and school. Four acres were also included for use as a cemetery.

The first church building was a frame structure that faced west toward what is now Lincoln Avenue.

The present church, located at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Niles Center Road, was built in 1894.