Sacred Heart of Jesus Rectory

About this property

Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church is a parish of the Roman Catholic Church in McCartyville, Ohio, United States. Founded in the late nineteenth century, it remains an active parish to the present day. Its rectory, which was built in the early twentieth century, has been designated a historic site. During the middle third of the nineteenth century, Ohioans began to clear the forests of the Great Black Swamp region, revealing fertile prairies. As these lands became open for farming, and as the construction of the Miami and Erie Canal created significant demand for laborers, the economy of western Ohio grew rapidly. Most settlers in the region were German farmers, while significant numbers of the canal workers were Irish. By 1850, priests of the Society of the Precious Blood had become established in the village of Minster, approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) west of McCartyville. From that place, they spread out to serve the Catholics of the surrounding region. Located in northwestern Shelby County, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) apart, the two heavily Catholic communities of St. Patrick and McCartyville chose to coöperate in both civil and religious matters. In order to save resources, it was decided that individuals living near St. Patrick would go to McCartyville for their post office, while McCartyville's settlers would travel to St. Patrick for worship. St. Patrick's Catholic Church was organized in 1862; it was originally served by priests from Minster, and from Fort Loramie to the southwest. This arrangement endured until 1882; in this year, the McCartyville parishioners were separated into their own parish, which was dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Twenty families formed the charter membership of the new church, which was the last parish to be created within the original boundaries of St. Augustine parish in Minster. Precious Blood priests continued to serve the parish until 1906; since that time, the parish has been served by diocesan priests. Three buildings are associated with the parish: the rectory, the church, and a former school. All three lie along the northern side of State Route 119 just east of its intersection with State Route 29. A cemetery is also associated with the church. From the earliest years of Catholic settlement in the Black Swamp region, parish priests typically lived at the convent closest to their churches. Early in the twentieth century, all parishes in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati were enjoined to construct rectories for their priests. Many of these houses were simple two-story rectangular brick structures with hipped roofs. The rectory at Sacred Heart church, which is similar to many other rectories in the region, lies immediately west of the church. Built in 1911, it is a square-shaped building with three bays on each side, that rests upon a foundation of cut stone with a concrete water table and a basement. Among its distinctive architectural features are a prominent cornice, large lug sills and lintels around the windows, and sidelights on both sides of the main entrance. Dominating the facade is a massive verandah-style porch with heavy brick pillars and a brick railing. The interior may be accessed through the recessed front door on the porch or through an exterior in-ground basement entrance.

Location

Categories

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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