Building in Stone and in Faith
Born in Alsace, France, in 1814, Charles Guthneck came to America with a French colony in 1837 and settled near Vincennes. He became a skilled stone-and-brick contractor, building numerous bridges for the Baltimore & Ohio and Southwestern railroads. After marrying Annie McManus in Lawrence County on December 9, 1840, Charles settled there with his family before moving to Jasper County, where he built the Newton jail.
Of Charles and Annie’s eight children, five reached adulthood—and three devoted their lives to the Catholic Church: Michael became a priest, while Mary and Emma entered the Sisters of Providence.
Born in Lawrence County in 1848, Michael Guthneck studied at St. Meinrad Seminary and was ordained on St. Michael’s Day in 1878. As a pastor in Indiana, he helped build St. Patrick’s Church in Cannelton, reduced parish debts, and improved churches in New Alsace, Shelby County, and Madison.
Together, Charles’s bridges and his children’s religious service formed a lasting family legacy of building—both in stone and in faith.