Chapel in the Woods (UW-GB Arboretum)

In 1925, Odile Le Mieux, had the Shrine of St. Anthony of Padua built in the woods adjoining her home. It was built initially as a place for her son, Fr. Ed Le Mieux to pray and say mass, when he visited and then later became a sanctuary for her to pray when she could no longer travel to the parish church.

It was constructed by Odile’s husband Joseph LeMieux, a stonemason who built lighthouses on the Great Lakes. He and his brother-in-law, Fabian LaPlant built the 12-by-18-foot building in the summer of 1925.  The used limestone cut from the escarpment directly behind the building. The exterior has rounded arches over its eight windows and a single door. Details include a decorative design worked into the front of the arching roof. Most of the inside of the chapel was designed and built by LaPlant who was a skilled carpenter, including the altar, kneelers, table, altar and pedestals. The interior features white plaster walls, wood floor, wood support beams for the roof, wood-framed windows and statues with the likeness of the chapel's original namesake, St. Anthony.