St. Joseph Church, also known as Starks Settlement Church, was built five miles northwest of Fairfax in 1880 and closed in 1959. The five main pioneers who built the church were Andrew Stark, Firman Lucas, Chris Wieneke, Nicholas Stark, and Frank Vjos, now spelled Voss. In 1880, these same early settlers raised $50.00 among themselves and bought a few acres one-half mile southwest of the church for a cemetery. St. Joseph Cemetery was sold to the Archdiocese of Dubuque in 1914 and consisted of 2 and 2/160th acres at that time. After additional land was purchased in 1975, it grew to 68 acres. The cemetery extends to Highway 30, much of the ground is still farmland, and it remains an active cemetery for Cedar Rapids and the surrounding area.