The beginnings of this small church go back to the chapel at Doughoregan Manor, a home of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the signer of the Declaration of Independence. In 1855, Howard County had just been formed from Anne Arundel County and the Catholic community in the Clarksville area had grown large enough to build its own church.

The land for the "new" church was donated in 1855 by John O'Donnell. The church building was completed and dedicated in 1856. By 1889, the congregation outgrew this small church and a larger church was built and dedicated on Old Columbia Pike.

The old church, still owned and maintained by the St. Louis Parish, has fallen on hard times. The interior is gutted, the roof is in need of replacement and much of the woodwork, including windowframe and doorframes, is rotted.

A committee of parishioners is working to develop a restoration plan and to raise the necessary funds to restore the church.