Discover Dickeyville: Grotto, Shrines, and Picnic

Dickeyville brings together a religious site that developed over several decades and the annual Holy Ghost Parish picnic. The Dickeyville Grotto and its shrines are a historic focal point; the picnic offers a second reason to visit, tied to a specific date. If you’re looking for a hotel in Dickeyville, these themes can help you choose when to travel.

Grotto and Shrines: A Work with Several Phases of Development

Father Mathias Wernerus built the Dickeyville Grotto and shrines between 1924 and 1930 using materials and found objects from around the world. The specifically named grotto, “Grotto of Christ the King and Mary His Mother,” dates from 1925 to 1930: Wernerus and parish members created and designed it together. These details reveal two aspects of its creation: the years of work on the site and the community’s shared effort in designing this grotto.

The materials’ origins around the world give the design an international dimension, while the parish members’ involvement grounds the named grotto in collaborative work. Those interested in religious art can therefore consider the work through its creation: the choice of materials, the time period, and the parish’s participation. This offers a different perspective from simply identifying it by a single name or date.

Later additions are also part of the site’s history. The Stations of the Cross were added in 1964, and the Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in 1998. A Patriotism Shrine is also part of the site. These named features represent different religious and patriotic themes. Together with the longer construction phase of the 1920s, the later additions show that the site developed over several different periods.

A Look at Dickeyville’s Parish History

An early milestone in the local Catholic history dates to June 1872. At that time, 45 families met in Dickeyville and decided to build their own Catholic church. The date and number of families give this decision a distinct place in local history. It predates the grotto’s construction phase, so the parish’s history and the later religious artwork can be viewed as separate stages without conflating them into a single event.

Picnic on Labor Day Weekend

The picnic hosted by Holy Ghost Parish offers a different kind of occasion. It takes place annually on Labor Day weekend. Visitors can play games of chance such as bingo; the picnic serves more than 1,000 family-style meals each year. The event is therefore defined both by its recurring date and by bingo and the meals.

You can plan around the specific date rather than considering the event only as a general local attraction. Travelers particularly interested in the history of the grotto or the local parish, by contrast, may focus on other historical highlights.

Choose Your Travel Dates Based on the Occasion

The two reasons to visit differ mainly in how closely they are tied to a date: the grotto’s history spans several milestones, while the picnic falls on a weekend that recurs annually. If your trip depends on the event, its specific date becomes an important planning detail. Otherwise, you can choose your dates based on your interest in the grotto, the shrines, or local history. This lets you tailor your search for hotels in Dickeyville to your main reason for traveling.

Explore more destinations: Platteville, Hazel Green, Boscobel.

Return to the broader travel overview: Grant County.