On a recent, annual visit of the Mt. Notre Dame High School Freshman classes, Mrs. Christine Minix inquired about the early sketches of the chapel showing a steeple with a clock and cupola, but in later images, it is decidedly missing. “What happened to the steeple?”
The first chapel on the grounds of Mt. Notre Dame was consecrated on December 10, 1868 by Archbishop Purcell.
The steeple is last seen in a picture taken from the perspective of Benson Avenue, circa 1905. 
Later images (circa 1960’s) show the steeple no longer there. 
An examination of the Mt. Notre Dame Annals tells the story of the demise of the steeple.
In 1920: “Later in the same month of August a serious accident happened when the steeple of our church was struck by lightning and set on fire just as the Sisters were retiring. As the telephone was put out of order by the storm, the only way we could make known our distress was by ringing the large bell in our cupola. Luckily this alarm was heard in the village and the Reading fire department came promptly to our assistance. Many kind people from the village also came to see if they could render any service and guards had to be stationed at the door to admit only the men of the fire company. After a short time, the flames were extinguished and we fervently thanked God that we had escaped an awful disaster. Before the men left, we served them hot coffee and cake; we felt that we could not thank them enough for their timely aid. The insurance company allowed us $350 for the damage done.”
Although no details were given, it may be assumed that repairs were undertaken from the insurance paid and no further mention is given of the steeple until 1928:
“In the first quarter of this year, the tower of our Church was wrecked. It, too, went the way of the living, with this difference that it was destroyed; whereas our dear dead live on. Mr. Muth from Dayton, the father of our dear Sr. Magdalen Marie, was the master wrecker, doubly meriting this title, for he did the work gratis.” This is the last mention of the chapel steeple in the Annals.
One hundred years after the cornerstone was laid in 1867, the chapel was demolished to make room for the current chapel, which is currently undergoing restoration and cleaning of the stained glass windows.