Sacred Heart Catholic Church (McCartyville, Ohio) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Sacred Heart of Jesus Rectory
|
|
Front of the rectory
|
|
 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | State Routes 29 and 119, McCartyville, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Area | Less than 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1911 |
| MPS | Cross-Tipped Churches of Ohio TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 79002874 |
| Added to NRHP | July 26, 1979 |
The Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church is a church community in McCartyville, Ohio, United States. It's part of the Roman Catholic Church. This church was started in the late 1800s and is still active today. The building where the priests live, called the rectory, was built in the early 1900s. It's now a special historic site because of its age and importance.
Contents
History of the Church Community
During the mid-1800s, people in Ohio started clearing the thick forests of the Great Black Swamp area. This revealed rich farmland. As more land became available for farming, and with the building of the Miami and Erie Canal, the economy in western Ohio grew quickly.
Many settlers in this area were German farmers. A lot of the canal workers were Irish. By 1850, priests from the Society of the Precious Blood had settled in Minster. This town is about 6 miles west of McCartyville. From Minster, these priests traveled to serve Catholic families in the nearby areas.
How Sacred Heart Parish Started
The two Catholic communities of St. Patrick and McCartyville are about 3 miles apart in northwestern Shelby County. They decided to work together. To save money, people near St. Patrick went to McCartyville for their post office. People from McCartyville went to St. Patrick for church services.
St. Patrick's Catholic Church was formed in 1862. Priests from Minster and Fort Loramie served it. This arrangement lasted until 1882. In that year, the McCartyville churchgoers formed their own community. It was named after the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Twenty families were the first members of this new church. It was the last church to be created from the original area of St. Augustine parish in Minster. Priests from the Precious Blood Society continued to serve the church until 1906. Since then, other priests have served the parish.
Buildings of the Parish
There are three main buildings connected to the Sacred Heart parish. These are the rectory, the church, and a building that used to be a school. All three are located on the north side of State Route 119. They are just east of where it crosses State Route 29. There is also a cemetery nearby.
The Rectory Building
In the early days, priests often lived in convents near their churches. In the early 1900s, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati asked all churches to build rectories for their priests. Many of these houses were simple, two-story brick buildings with hipped roofs.
The rectory at Sacred Heart church is similar to many others in the area. It is located just west of the church. Built in 1911, it is a square-shaped building. It has three sections, called bays, on each side. The building sits on a strong foundation made of cut stone with a concrete base and a basement.
Some special features of the rectory include a large cornice (a decorative molding near the roof). It also has big stone ledges, called lug sills, and stone beams, called lintels, around the windows. The main entrance has narrow windows, called sidelights, on both sides. A huge porch, like a verandah, covers the front. It has heavy brick pillars and a brick railing. You can enter the building through the front door on the porch or through a basement entrance outside.
The Church Building
The main church building is located east of the rectory and west of the old school. It is the largest building belonging to the Sacred Heart parish. This church was built more recently.
The School Building
Many Catholic churches in the Black Swamp area, especially those served by the Precious Blood Society, started small parish schools. This was because Catholic education was very important to them. Sacred Heart was one of these churches. Its current school building was built in 1930. However, the school closed after only a few years. The building was then sold to the state government to be used as a public school.
Recent History and Recognition
_-_exterior.jpg)
In 1977, the Sacred Heart rectory was studied by the "Ohio Historic Inventory." This is a program that helps protect old buildings. The study found the house was in good condition and not in danger. At first, it was thought not to be special enough for the National Register of Historic Places.
However, two years later, it was added to the Register. This was because of its important architecture. It was one of more than thirty Catholic churches, rectories, and other buildings in western Ohio added at the same time. These buildings were all connected to the Society of the Precious Blood. Many churches in this area have very tall steeples that you can see from far away. Because of this, the area is known as the "Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches."
Unlike its sister church in St. Patrick, Sacred Heart is still an active church in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. It is grouped with Immaculate Conception parish in Botkins and St. Lawrence parish in Rhine. All three churches are part of the Sidney area of churches.
