St. Michael's Catholic Church (Mechanicsburg, Ohio) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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St. Michael Catholic Church
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Front of the church
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | 40 Walnut St., Mechanicsburg, Ohio |
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| Area | Less than 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1888 |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| MPS | Mechanicsburg MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 85001892 |
| Added to NRHP | August 29, 1985 |
St. Michael's Catholic Church is an old and beautiful Catholic building in Mechanicsburg, a small village in Champaign County, Ohio, United States. This church was finished in the 1880s. It was built for a group of Catholic people who had been meeting for almost 30 years before the church was even built! St. Michael's is one of many historic churches in Mechanicsburg. It's special because its old design from the 1800s is still very well-kept.
How the Church Began
The first people to settle in the area around Mechanicsburg arrived around 1805. Mechanicsburg village itself was officially planned in 1814. In those early days, there weren't many organized churches. The first religious groups were started by traveling preachers. These preachers, called "circuit riders," were from the Methodist Episcopal Church. They held small religious classes in settlers' log cabins.
Mechanicsburg's first church was a Methodist group formed in 1814. By the 1880s, the village had four Protestant churches. These included Baptist, black Baptist, African Methodist Episcopal, and Methodist Protestant churches.
The first Catholic families in Champaign County were Irish immigrants. They came to Urbana, the county seat, in the 1840s and 1850s. They worked building railroads. People in the area sometimes viewed them with suspicion. This was because of their Irish background and their Catholic faith. Traveling priests would sometimes visit to offer sacraments. This was before St. Mary's Church was built in Urbana in 1853.
The first Catholic families in Mechanicsburg were also mostly Irish. They went to church at St. Mary's in Urbana or in nearby Rosedale. Sometimes, traveling priests would hold Mass in Mechanicsburg. In 1872, the Mechanicsburg group became part of Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Marysville.
The first Mass in Mechanicsburg was held in 1859. The parish officially became a church community in 1865. It became more organized in 1880. By the end of the 1880s, the church building on Walnut Street was finished. In its early years, many families from the countryside around Mechanicsburg were members. These members were very dedicated to their church. A local writer even said they were "extremely faithful in attendance."
The church got a rectory (a house for the priest) in October 1904. A woman who lived on Walnut Street passed away that month. Her will said her house should be given to the church to be used as a rectory. By 1917, the church had 38 families, which was about 135 people. The parish also had a Sunday school and several small groups for different activities. One of these groups was a local branch of the Society of the Holy Name.
Church Design and Style
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Building St. Michael's Church started in 1885. It cost about $5,000 to build. The church was officially opened on Thanksgiving Day in 1886. William Henry Elder, who was the Archbishop of Cincinnati, led the dedication ceremony.
The church is made of brick and sits on a brick foundation. It has stone details. The building is three stories tall. It has a roof that comes to a point, called a gable. Many features give the church a special Gothic Revival look. These include the pointed, arched windows. They also have stone frames above them. The arched area around the main entrance and the window above the door also add to this style.
These Gothic features combine with other parts, like the tall steeple and the decorative supports under the roof's edge. This makes the church a unique building on a street mostly filled with houses. Its style is similar to other Gothic Revival churches in Mechanicsburg. These were also built in the late 1800s. The church was remodeled in 1901, but it kept its original style.
Modern Times
St. Michael's Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. This list includes important historic buildings in the United States. The church was one of about twenty buildings in Mechanicsburg added to the list. These buildings were spread out, so they couldn't be part of one large historic district.
Many of the other buildings on the list were houses. But four were other historic churches in the village. These included the Mechanicsburg Baptist Church, the Church of Our Saviour (Episcopalian), the Second Baptist Church, and the United Methodist Church. Like these other churches, St. Michael's Church was added to the Register because of its important and well-preserved architecture.
Today, St. Michael's is still an active church. It is part of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. It is also part of the Springfield Deanery. This group includes other Catholic churches in Champaign County. These are St. Mary's in Urbana, Sacred Heart in St. Paris, and Immaculate Conception in North Lewisburg.
