St. Mary's on the Flats facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Mary's on the Flats |
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| Church of Our Lady of the Lake | |
St. Mary's on the Flats
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 St. Mary's on the Flats
Location in Ohio
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| 41°29′24″N 81°42′01″W / 41.49002°N 81.70030°W | |
| Location | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | Our Lady Of The Lake |
| Dedicated | June 7, 1840 |
| Past bishop(s) | John Baptist Purcell of Cincinnati, Louis Amadeus Rappe, Richard Gilmour |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Demolished |
| Architect(s) | Golden |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Groundbreaking | 1838 |
| Completed | 1840 |
| Construction cost | $3,000 |
| Closed | January 6, 1886 |
| Demolished | September 1888 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 81 ft (25 m) |
| Width | 53 ft (16 m) |
| Number of floors | 1 |
| Floor area | 4,290 sq ft (399 m2) |
| Number of spires | 1 |
| Materials | Wood |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Cleveland |
| Province | Cincinnati |
St. Mary's on the Flats, also known as the Church of Our Lady of the Lake, was the very first Catholic church building in Cleveland, Ohio. It was located in an area called "the Flats," near the Cuyahoga River. Many of the people who went to this church lived in Irishtown Bend, which was across the river in what used to be Ohio City. Ohio City became part of Cleveland in 1854.
The area where the church was built was often swampy and had diseases like malaria and cholera. However, land was cheap, so many workers who needed to be close to the docks lived there. Cleveland was growing into a big shipping port on Lake Erie.
After the Great Famine, many Irish immigrants came to Cleveland. They often worked as laborers, digging new channels for the Cuyahoga River and working on the docks. The area of Irishtown Bend became a home for many of these families. Their houses were usually small, one or two stories, and made of wood.
As Irish families earned more money, they started moving out of the Flats. Dock work also became more automated, meaning fewer people were needed. By the early 1900s, many people from Eastern Europe moved into the area, and Irishtown Bend slowly became less populated.
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History of St. Mary's Church
It's a bit tricky to know all the exact details about the early days of St. Mary's church. Before 1878, most Catholic churches in Cleveland didn't keep very good historical records. So, much of what we know comes from stories passed down through time.
Early Beginnings (1821-1840)
In 1821, the Diocese of Cincinnati was created, covering all of Ohio. This meant more diocesan priests (local priests) started working in the area, replacing visiting missionaries.
The St. Mary's parish was started in 1826 by Catholic immigrants. Most were Irish, with some German and Dutch families. Many of them were working hard to dig the Ohio and Erie Canal, which connected Lake Erie to Akron by 1827. Before the church was built, the parish met in different public halls.
In 1835, Bishop John Baptist Purcell from Cincinnati visited Cleveland. The first resident priest for Cleveland, Rev. John Dillon, arrived that year. At that time, there were only about 300 Catholics in the area.
Rev. Patrick O'Dwyer became the second resident priest in 1837. He started the construction of the church in 1838. The church was built in a central spot, making it easy for Catholics from both Cleveland and Ohio City to attend. It was close to the Columbus Street Bridge, which was the first permanent bridge over the Cuyahoga River.
Rev. Peter McLaughlin was the third resident priest, arriving in 1840. He made sure the inside of the church was finished. When St. Mary's on the Flats was officially opened, it was one of only three Catholic churches in northern Ohio. By 1840, Cleveland had grown to a population of 6,071 people.
Church Dedication and Growth (1840-1886)
On June 7, 1840, the Church of Our Lady of the Lake (later known as St. Mary's on the Flats) was officially dedicated. A French Bishop, Charles Auguste Marie Joseph de Forbin-Janson, led the ceremony during his visit to the United States. Bishop John Purcell of Cincinnati was also there.
A newspaper article from the time described the event. It mentioned that the bishops had a rough boat trip to Cleveland because of a storm! But they arrived safely and were impressed with the new church. The Bishop of Nancy dedicated the church, and Bishop Purcell gave a sermon. The church was 81 feet long and 53 feet wide, with a nice gallery and ceiling.
In the early days, many church members walked long distances to attend services, even from towns far away, because there weren't many other churches.
In 1841, a "Father Mathew Society" was started by Rev. McLaughlin. This was Cleveland's first group promoting total abstinence from alcohol, and it had 163 members.
In 1845, a sad event happened: burglars broke into the church and stole several important items, including a chalice (a cup used in services) and a monstrance (a container for displaying the Eucharist).
In 1847, the Diocese of Cleveland was created. Until the Cathedral of St. John was finished in 1852, St. Mary's on the Flats served as the main church, or cathedral, for Bishop Louis Amadeus Rappe. By 1848, Cleveland had about 4,000 Catholics. By 1850, Cleveland's population had grown to over 17,000.
Sharing the Church (1852-1879)
As Cleveland grew, so did its Catholic population, and people spoke many different languages. St. Mary's on the Flats became a shared space for various groups:
- In 1852, the church was assigned to German-speaking Catholics.
- From 1854 to 1865, German speakers from west of the river used the church. They later built their own church, St. Mary of the Assumption.
- From 1852 to 1854, German speakers from east of the river used the church. They later built St. Peter Church.
- In 1854, English-speaking Catholics from west of the river, who formed St. Patrick parish, used the church. They built their own church in 1857.
- By 1860, Cleveland's population was over 43,000.
- From 1865 to 1868, English speakers from a new parish, St. Malachy, used the church.
- In 1867, Czech-speaking Catholics, who formed St. Wenceslas parish, began using the church.
- By 1870, Cleveland was a very large city with over 92,000 people, and a big Catholic community.
- In 1870, French and English speakers from the Annunciation parish used the church.
- From 1872 to 1879, Polish-speaking Catholics, who formed St. Stanislaus parish, used the church. They were the last group to use St. Mary's as their main church.
The End of St. Mary's (1879-1888)
By 1879, St. Mary's on the Flats was in bad condition and almost abandoned. A new bridge, the Superior Avenue Viaduct, had opened in 1878, making it easier for people to get around the city. Cleveland was now the 11th largest city in the U.S., with over 160,000 people.
The last church service at St. Mary's on the Flats was held on January 6, 1886. Bishop Richard Gilmour asked his Vicar General to celebrate the final Mass. It was a cold winter day, and the church was in disrepair, with snow and ice inside. Its spire had blown down two years earlier. Even so, the church was full of older Catholics who had worshipped there in its early, grander days. It was a sad moment for the "mother church" of Cleveland's Catholics, as other newer, more splendid churches now stood across the city.
Bishop Richard Gilmour ordered the church to be torn down in September 1888. Within two years, by 1890, Cleveland's population had grown to over 261,000. The area where St. Mary's once stood, which was once a central spot, had completely changed into an industrial area.
Architecture of St. Mary's
The design of St. Mary's on the Flats was quite simple. It didn't immediately look like a Catholic church, but more like a Protestant church from New England. This was common in Cleveland at the time, partly because of strong feelings against Catholics.
The church was a rectangular, one-story building. It had a gallery inside for a church organ. The outside didn't have much fancy decoration. The front of the church had a Greek Revival style, with four simple Doric columns supporting a triangular pediment (a fancy gable). In the middle of the pediment, there was a Latin cross carved in relief.
The front of the church had a central pair of doors with an arched window above them. On each side of the doors, there was another arched window. A tall, square tower with a Gothic Revival steeple stood at the front, making it the most noticeable part of the church's exterior.
Images for kids
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St. Mary's on the Flats
