St. James grew up around a railroad stop in 1870 and became the Watonwan County seat, and its skyline is still churches, the 1896 courthouse and the 1892 Grand Opera House. Repair King's drone inspection of St. Paul's Lutheran Church found 37 hail-hit spots after the June 20, 2019 hailstorm, and our crew later tore off and replaced the church's steep, century-old slate-style shingle roof from scaffolding, with every roofer tied off.
They went up and they found 37 spots that were definitely hit by that storm, and there were some storms that had hurt our shingles years earlier that we didn't know about. That drone was quite worthwhile sending up.
My name's Tim Flitter. I'm from St. James, Minnesota. This is St. Paul's Lutheran Church. I've been a member here for 17 years. Four years ago, June 20th of four years ago, we were in a meeting here and we had a hailstorm. It was a memorable hailstorm. We came outside, and there was not a lot of damage that we saw, but there were some good-sized hail chunks. A couple months went by, and a lot of our neighbors needed their roofs replaced. We had slate shingles on our church. We didn't think much of it. Two months later or so, Repair King out of the Twin Cities showed up, and they said, “Could we send a drone up just to check your roof?” And they went up, and they found 37 spots that were definitely hit by that storm of two months earlier, and there were some storms that had hurt our shingles years earlier that we didn't know about. That drone was quite worthwhile sending up. As far as the setting up of the actual project, the project manager has pretty much done it all. He's had a number of meetings with us. There were probably half a dozen phone meetings, and I think there were three in-person meetings. Today the crew is here and starting in on the project. The project should take about three weeks, and if we have good weather, it won't take that long. But there's no mess. The dumpsters are in place. Everything's in the right place. They've got correct scaffolding. Nobody should get hurt. Everybody is anchored down on our steep roof. I believe they're doing a very professional job.
Planning, rigging and documentation before a single shingle comes off. At St. Paul's Lutheran, that meant a drone inspection that mapped 37 hail-hit spots, about six phone meetings and three on-site meetings with the church, full scaffolding, SkyTrak telehandler lifts and fall-protection anchors on a roof too steep to walk untied. Minnesota also requires public and commercial buildings to be inspected for asbestos before renovation or demolition work begins.
St. James has the church and civic buildings of a much bigger town: the 1896 Watonwan County Courthouse, the 1892 Grand Opera House on First Avenue South, and congregations whose roofs date back generations. Roofs like these are steep, tall and hard to see from the ground. The old slate-style shingles at St. Paul's Lutheran looked fine from the parking lot; from the air, they showed cracked and broken pieces, heavy lichen and hail hits nobody knew about.
Once a job like that is approved, the site work matters as much as the shingles. Our project manager set the schedule with the church, dumpsters and material staging went where they would not block the building, scaffolding and guardrails went up along the eaves, and every roofer worked tied off to anchors on the steep slopes. The church member who recorded the video above expected about three weeks of work.
Older roofs carry one more step. The Minnesota Department of Health says all public and commercial buildings, regardless of age or construction type, must be inspected for asbestos before renovation or demolition begins, and that the only way to know whether roofing contains asbestos is lab analysis of samples taken by an MDH-certified inspector. If you own or manage an older church, school or downtown building in St. James, plan for that inspection before you set a tear-off date.
Steep church roofs are the hardest roofs in a small town to inspect and the most important to get right. Here is what the job at St. Paul's Lutheran involved, from our job camera.
A roughly century-old church with a steep, slate-style shingle roof, stone walls and a bell tower visible across St. James. A Repair King drone inspection after the June 20, 2019 hailstorm found 37 hail-hit spots. The roof replacement started July 31, 2023: tear-off from scaffolding, SkyTrak telehandler lifts for materials, fall-protection anchors on every steep slope, and new architectural shingles going on the same day.
St. James is a town of older single-family homes: about three in four homes are detached houses, the median home was built in 1969, and roughly 456 of about 2,095 homes date to 1939 or earlier (Census ACS 2020–2024). Add a downtown of 1890s brick, tall churches, a growing industrial park and open farm country on every side, and hail and wind reach St. James roofs with nothing to slow them down.
| Local factor | What we see in St. James | Why it matters for repairs |
|---|---|---|
| Housing age | Median year built 1969; about 456 homes built in 1939 or earlier and 416 built in the 1980s (ACS 2020–2024) | Pre-1940 homes often have board decking and more than one old layer; the 1980s homes are on their second or third roof |
| Home types | About 1,575 of roughly 2,095 homes are single-family detached; the rest are mostly small apartment buildings | Most jobs are gable and hip shingle roofs; apartment buildings add low-slope sections and more penetrations |
| Historic landmarks | The Grand Opera House (1892, 502 First Ave S, National Register 2009) and the Watonwan County Courthouse (built 1895–96) | Historic masonry buildings need flashing and gutter work that protects old stone and brick |
| Churches | Steep, tall roofs on congregations like St. Paul's Lutheran, some with original slate-style shingles | Drone inspection, scaffolding and tie-off anchors are part of the job, not extras |
| Commercial and industrial | Industrial park expansions by Great River Energy (20,000 sq ft in 2024) and a Smithfield Foods expansion (2022), per the city | Large low-slope roofs need seam, drain and penetration checks after hail |
| Wind and open country | Farm fields in every direction; NOAA logged 11 damaging-wind days near our St. James job since 2015, versus one day of 1-inch hail | Wind-lifted shingles, ridge caps and flashing are as common a finding here as hail bruises |
Everything below comes from the photos our crew took on site on July 31, 2023, and from the church member's own account in the video. We don't list dollar amounts.
St. James doesn't get hail often, but when it comes it matters. NOAA storm reports show 1.75-inch hail at St. James on June 20, 2019, the only 1-inch-or-larger hail day near town since 2015 and the storm behind the St. Paul's Lutheran inspection. Wind is the bigger regular threat: 64 mph gusts were measured on May 30, 2022, 58 mph on August 11, 2023, and on June 29, 2026 a trained spotter reported 8- to 10-inch trees blown down or snapped in town along with roof damage.
| Date | Type | What was reported | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 29, 2026 | Wind | Damaging wind reported (trees/limbs down) | Missing or creased shingles, ridge caps, flashing, siding |
| Aug 11, 2023 | Wind | 58 mph wind gust measured | Missing or creased shingles, ridge caps, flashing, siding |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports within 3 miles of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in St. James, through September 2026. Reports are from trained spotters and the public; hail can hit a street without a report.
Our free Roof & Storm Report looks up hail and wind history for your exact address, not just the city.
Photos taken by Repair King crews at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in St. James on July 31, 2023. Dates are the capture dates from our job camera.
Yes. The City of St. James requires a building permit for shingling and siding, using its own Roofing and Siding Permit application. The form asks whether the building was built before 1978, and the permit is void if work doesn't start within 180 days.
The city's building permit FAQ lists shingling, windows and siding among the work that needs a permit, along with garages, sheds and additions. Applications go to City Hall at 1205 6th Avenue S; inspections are scheduled with the Building Official at 507-375-3241 at least 24 hours in advance. Repair King pulls the permit under our Minnesota contractor license (BC695228).
The city also has a separate dumpster permit, which matters on a tear-off where the dumpster sits on a street or lot. Church, commercial and public buildings are marked as such on the same form, and larger projects can carry plan review.
For older public and commercial buildings, the Minnesota Department of Health says an asbestos inspection by a certified inspector must happen before renovation or demolition work begins. When state asbestos rules apply, MPCA asks for notification at least ten working days before work starts.
St. James exists because of the railroad. In 1870 the St. Paul and Sioux City railroad chose the site as the midpoint of its new line; the townsite was laid out that July and the city was incorporated in 1871, named for early settler James Purington.
Today St. James is the Watonwan County seat, about 38 miles from Mankato on Highway 60, with Highways 4 and 30 also running through town. The 203-acre St. James Lake sits at the edge of town with Memorial Park on its shore, and the 4-mile St. James Area Bike Trail circles the lake and connects to the 5-mile WatLine Trail to Long Lake. Downtown's 1892 Grand Opera House and the 1896 courthouse are both on the National Register of Historic Places.
Start with an inspection, not a decision. A damaged shingle does not automatically mean a roof needs to be replaced. What matters is what the inspection actually finds on the roof, siding, gutters and windows.
Repair King is a licensed Minnesota contractor (BC695228). We are not a public adjuster and do not negotiate insurance claims. Questions about your policy belong with your insurance company.
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NOAA storm reports show 1.75-inch hail at St. James on June 20, 2019, the most recent hail report near town and the largest since 2015. Damaging wind is more frequent: the latest report, on June 29, 2026, described trees snapped and roof damage in town. Run a free Roof & Storm Report for your exact address.
Yes. The City of St. James requires a permit for shingling and siding, using its Roofing and Siding Permit form. Inspections are scheduled with the Building Official 24 hours ahead, and the permit is void if work doesn't start within 180 days. Repair King pulls it for you.
Yes, according to the Minnesota Department of Health: all public and commercial buildings, regardless of age or construction type, must be inspected for asbestos before renovation or demolition. Shingles, felts, flashing and mastics can contain asbestos, and only lab analysis of samples taken by an MDH-certified inspector can tell.
Yes. We fly a drone over steep and tall roofs first. At St. Paul's Lutheran in St. James, the drone found 37 hail-hit spots on a roof the church thought was fine from the ground.
Scaffolding or guardrails at the eaves, fall-protection anchors so every roofer is tied off, and a safe way to lift materials. At St. Paul's Lutheran we used scaffolding, SkyTrak telehandlers and roof anchors on the steep slopes.
Because pre-1978 buildings may have lead-based paint. Lead rules can apply when trim, fascia or siding is disturbed during a roof job, so tell us your home's age up front.
We can't answer that; coverage questions go to your insurer. We document what we find on the roof, gutters, siding and windows with dated photos, so you have a clear record to share.
A dated photo report covering roof slopes, flashing, gutters and siding, and drone views for roofs too steep or tall to see well from the ground.
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