St. Joseph Parish was originally established as St. Kunigunda's in 1855 in the Diocese of Dubuque.
It was named for St. Kunigunda, and served the German immigrants who settled in the western part of the city.
Judge C.G.R. Mitchell donated the property for the church.
A stone building was dedicated May 25, 1856 by the parish's pastor Father Flammang, who conducted the services in Latin and German.
He was succeeded in 1857 by Rev. John Baumgarten who stayed for a year, and then the parish was without a pastor for six months.
The Rt.
Rev. Msgr.
Anton Niermann became the pastor on April 2, 1859.
 Rev. Frank Kottenstette was named assistant pastor in 1900.
He was followed by the Revs.
Albers P. Stahl, P. Herbst, J. Snyder, and B. Kueppenbender.
Msgr.
Niermann was succeeded as pastor by the Rev. N.J. Peiffer in 1905.

As the parish continued to grow it was decided to build a new church.
The cornerstone was laid in 1881, the same year as the Diocese of Davenport was established.
It was at this time that the parish name was changed to St. Joseph, probably because if its proximity to St. Mary's Church which was built two blocks to the west in 1867.
The new church was dedicated on September 16, 1883.
The former church building was converted into a school.
It is possible that this building was converted into the convent and continues to stand, radically modified, behind the church.
St. Joseph School was served by the School Sisters of St. Francis from Milwaukee.

Significant changes occurred starting in the 1960s.
The ethnic makeup of the neighborhood around St. Joseph changed.
The original German immigrant community was gone and the people who replaced them were largely not Catholic.
Changes were made in the liturgy to accommodate the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.
The liturgies were now celebrated in English.
The communion rail was removed and a new altar, which allowed the priest to face the congregation, was put in place.
The old altars and statues, however, remained in the church.
By the 1970s sizeable numbers of Mexican Americans began moving into the area, and a liturgy in Spanish was added.
The Spanish speaking community stayed until the late 1980s when they moved to St. Mary's.
St. Joseph Parish was originally established as St. Kunigunda's in 1855 in the Diocese of Dubuque. It was named for St. Kunigunda, and served the German immigrants who settled in the western part of the city. Judge C.G.R. Mitchell donated the property for the church. A stone building was dedicated May 25, 1856 by the parish's pastor Father Flammang, who conducted the services in Latin and German. He was succeeded in 1857 by Rev. John Baumgarten who stayed for a year, and then the parish was without a pastor for six months. The Rt. Rev. Msgr. Anton Niermann became the pastor on April 2, 1859.  Rev. Frank Kottenstette was named assistant pastor in 1900. He was followed by the Revs. Albers P. Stahl, P. Herbst, J. Snyder, and B. Kueppenbender. Msgr. Niermann was succeeded as pastor by the Rev. N.J. Peiffer in 1905.
As the parish continued to grow it was decided to build a new church. The cornerstone was laid in 1881, the same year as the Diocese of Davenport was established. It was at this time that the parish name was changed to St. Joseph, probably because if its proximity to St. Mary's Church which was built two blocks to the west in 1867. The new church was dedicated on September 16, 1883. The former church building was converted into a school. It is possible that this building was converted into the convent and continues to stand, radically modified, behind the church. St. Joseph School was served by the School Sisters of St. Francis from Milwaukee.
Significant changes occurred starting in the 1960s. The ethnic makeup of the neighborhood around St. Joseph changed. The original German immigrant community was gone and the people who replaced them were largely not Catholic. Changes were made in the liturgy to accommodate the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. The liturgies were now celebrated in English. The communion rail was removed and a new altar, which allowed the priest to face the congregation, was put in place. The old altars and statues, however, remained in the church. By the 1970s sizeable numbers of Mexican Americans began moving into the area, and a liturgy in Spanish was added. The Spanish speaking community stayed until the late 1980s when they moved to St. Mary's.
St. Joseph's Catholic Church (Davenport, Iowa)