Symmes Mission Chapel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Symmes Mission Chapel
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Site of the chapel
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | 5139 Pleasant Ave., Fairfield Ohio |
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| Area | Less than 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1843 |
| Architectural style | Vernacular |
| NRHP reference No. | 80002946 |
| Added to NRHP | June 12, 1980 |
The Symmes Mission Chapel was an old church building in Fairfield, Ohio, United States. It was built in the 1840s and was a simple, plain building. In the 1980s, it was recognized as a special historic site. Sadly, the building is no longer standing today.
History of the Symmes Mission Chapel
The Symmes Mission Chapel was built by a group of people who followed the Old School Presbyterian faith. This group started in the late 1830s. Key leaders were Benjamin Symmes, Abram Huston, and John Mesler. Many members came from other Presbyterian churches nearby. These churches were in Hamilton, Springdale, and Ross.
The group decided to build their church in a place called Symmes Corners. This spot was easy for everyone to reach. The original church building was finished around 1843. It cost about $1,180 to build. Benjamin Symmes even donated the land for the church.
For many years, this chapel was the main home for about eighty church members. But by the 1850s, most members had moved further south. So, the church built a new building near Pleasant Run. The old Symmes Mission Chapel was then left empty by the congregation.
However, the building was still used by other people in the community. It served as a church or a school until 1968. By 1980, the historical society of Fairfield owned the old chapel.
Architecture and Design
The Symmes Mission Chapel was a simple building made of wood. It had two stories and a roof that sloped gently on two sides, called a gabled roof. The outside was covered with weatherboard, which are overlapping wooden boards.
The front of the church had a door in the middle. Above the door was one window, and there was a window on each side of the door. The sides of the building were much longer than the front. They had a few windows in the middle and toward the back.
The church did not have a basement. It sat on a strong base made of ashlar, which are carefully cut stones. The roof was covered with asphalt shingles. Inside, there was a staircase near the pulpit (where the preacher stood). This staircase led to the upper floor.
The main church area had decorative woodwork. This included special round designs called bullseye patterns. Much of the inside walls were covered with tongue and groove wood panels. The chapel was a small, plain building. It did not have fancy decorations or the usual designs found in many traditional churches. This style is known as vernacular architecture, meaning it was built simply for its purpose.
Becoming a Historic Site
In 1980, the Symmes Mission Chapel was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of important places in the United States. It was chosen because of its special architecture. It wasn't grand or fancy. Instead, it was important because it showed a common design for country churches from that time. It was built to be useful and simple, without extra decorations.
By 1980, the chapel was one of the few buildings left in Fairfield that was built before the American Civil War. Fairfield was growing quickly and becoming a suburb of the Cincinnati metropolitan area.
In 1986, people from Butler County's historic preservation group studied the church. They noted that the building was next to new shops and businesses. They also saw that the church was starting to fall apart, both inside and out. It seemed very close to collapsing. Today, the Symmes Mission Chapel building is gone. An empty lot now sits where it once stood. The historical society still owned this empty lot at the end of 2013.
