Immaculate Conception Catholic Church (Botkins, Ohio) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Botkins Elementary School
Immaculate Conception Rectory at Botkins |
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Front and side of the parish rectory
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | 116 N. Mill St. (rectory); Main St. (school) |
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| Nearest city | Botkins, Ohio |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1887 (rectory); 1921 (school) |
| Architectural style | Italian Villa (rectory); unspecified (school) |
| MPS | Cross-Tipped Churches of Ohio TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 79002876 (rectory); 79002851 (school) |
| Added to NRHP | July 26, 1979 |
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic church in Botkins, Ohio, United States. It was built in 1865. The church has several buildings, and two of them are important historic sites.
The Start of the Church
The Immaculate Conception church began in 1865. It started with twenty-eight German families who had moved to the area. These families were not rich, so they could not afford a full-time priest. Because of this, church services were held only sometimes by priests who traveled through the area.
For many years, the families met in their homes or in an old school building. By the early 1860s, they built a small church out of logs. Soon after the church officially started, the members decided to build a new, bigger church. A new brick building was finished in 1867. It cost about $8,000 and had a tall steeple.
As time passed, more people joined the church. By 1883, there were eighty-two families. With more members, they could make the church even better. In 1898, the church was updated and decorated by a painter named F.H. Hefele. Beautiful stained glass windows were put in during 1899. The church also had a cemetery from its early days. It was first a small plot about one mile north of Botkins. Later, a better cemetery was found on the northern edge of the village.
The Rectory Building
Many Catholic churches in the region built homes for their priests, called rectories. This happened especially in the early 1900s. Most of these homes were simple brick houses.
The rectory in Botkins is different because it was built earlier, in 1887. It has a fancy Italianate style. This two-story house has brick walls and a limestone base. Its roof is made of asphalt. This was the second rectory for the church. The members first bought and changed an existing house in 1875. Then, they built the current rectory in 1887 for $3,000.
The Parish School
Many churches also had their own parish schools from the very beginning. Some country churches built one-room schools for their children. Other churches built bigger two-story schools around the early 1900s.
Immaculate Conception's school started in 1881. The church bought a building that used to be a Methodist church. In 1883, ninety-three children went to the school. There were forty-nine boys and forty-four girls.
A new school building was built in 1921, right next to the church. This building was made of brick and had a concrete foundation. It was a two-story building with a basement. It had special features like pillars at its entrance. It also had strong color differences at the corners of the walls. This school was similar in style to other parish schools built around the same time in nearby towns like Celina and Coldwater.
Recent Church History
In 1961, the church built a new, more modern church building. However, the rectory and the school buildings stayed. These two buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. This means they are important historical sites. The school was listed because of its unique design. The rectory was listed for its design and its importance to the history of Ohio.
Thirty-four other buildings in western Ohio were added to the Register at the same time. They were part of a group called the "Cross-Tipped Churches of Ohio Thematic Resources." This group includes many Catholic churches and church-related buildings in rural western Ohio. These large churches give the region its nickname, the "Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches."
Today, Immaculate Conception is still an active church in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. It works closely with two other churches: Sacred Heart Parish in McCartyville and St. Lawrence Parish in Rhine. All these churches are part of the Sidney Deanery.
The rectory is still next to the church. But the school building is gone, and a parking lot is there now. People knew this might happen when the school was nominated for the Register in 1979. They noted that demands for progress put many parish schools at risk. The school was eventually torn down because the local elementary school expanded in 1985. The Botkins Local School District had been renting the old parish school. But with the new expansion, they no longer needed the old building. Even though the school building is gone, it is still on the National Register of Historic Places.
