St. Nicholas' Catholic Church (Osgood, Ohio)
Encyclopedia
St. Nicholas' Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic church in Osgood
, Ohio
, United States
. Built in the first years of the 20th century, it houses one of the newest parish
es in a heavily Catholic region of far western Ohio, but it has been recognized as a historic site
for its architecture.
and Fort Loramie
, its early settlers were predominately Protestant
. Accordingly, the formation of a Catholic parish in Osgood came far later than the formation of parishes in nearby villages; St. Augustine's Church in Minster and St. Michael's Church in Fort Loramie were established by 1850, but the foundations of a parish in Osgood were not laid until 1904, and formal establishment of the parish came in 1906. In its earliest years, the Mass
was celebrated in common buildings; after worshipping for a time in a school, the parishioners purchased a barn for ecclesiastical purposes. For many years, the improvement of the parish's facilities was hindered by its size; the fewness of its members meant that money was frequently scarce. Nevertheless, parishioners took significant steps in late 1906; their first temporary church was completed in September, and in this year they purchased a tract of land on the eastern side of the village. Construction of a permanent brick church soon began, and the finished church was dedicated on September 6, 1908 after costing $22,000. By 1914, membership had increased to eighty-five families from just thirty-five families in 1906.
with stone, are laid in a stretcher bond
, and the building is covered by an asphalt roof. Its plan is primarily that of a rectangle, but gables on each side have the effect of forming a slight transept
.
The church's dominant feature is its octagonal steeple
, located atop a tower at the entrance. Equipped with a belfry
and ornamented with corbel
ling, the tower is topped with a golden cross. Worshippers enter the church through a vestibule
and proceed through the base of the tower; until the addition with the vestibule was built in 1970, the church's exterior doors were a part of the tower.
for their pastor in 1914. Supported by a foundation with a basement and topped with an asphalt hip roof
, the two-story
house lies adjacent to the church's eastern side. Among its features are a porch that faces the church on the house's western side and a dormer
that pierces the house's southern roof. The house is a square, three bays
wide on each of its sides.
for their architectural significance. Twenty-six other church buildings in the Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches were listed on the National Register at the same time; two others in Darke County, St. Louis' Church
in North Star
and Holy Family Church
in Frenchtown
, were among these churches.
Today, St. Nicholas' remains an active parish of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati
. It is clustered with St. Louis parish in North Star and St. Remy's Catholic Church
in Russia
; the entire cluster is a part of the Sidney Deanery.
Osgood, Ohio
Osgood is a village in Darke County, Ohio, United States. The population was 255 at the 2000 census.-History:Osgood was founded in the 1880s. While its earliest settlers were primarily Protestants, a Roman Catholic parish was erected in the village in 1906. Today, St...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Built in the first years of the 20th century, it houses one of the newest parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es in a heavily Catholic region of far western Ohio, but it has been recognized as a historic site
Historic site
A historic site is an official location where pieces of political, military or social history have been preserved. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have recognized with the official national historic site status...
for its architecture.
Parish history
Although Osgood lies near such heavily Catholic communities such as MinsterMinster, Ohio
Minster is a village in Auglaize County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,794 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Wapakoneta, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area...
and Fort Loramie
Fort Loramie, Ohio
Fort Loramie is a village in Shelby County, Ohio, United States, along Loramie Creek. The population was 3,045 at the 2010 census. The village was founded in 1837.-History:...
, its early settlers were predominately Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
. Accordingly, the formation of a Catholic parish in Osgood came far later than the formation of parishes in nearby villages; St. Augustine's Church in Minster and St. Michael's Church in Fort Loramie were established by 1850, but the foundations of a parish in Osgood were not laid until 1904, and formal establishment of the parish came in 1906. In its earliest years, the Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
was celebrated in common buildings; after worshipping for a time in a school, the parishioners purchased a barn for ecclesiastical purposes. For many years, the improvement of the parish's facilities was hindered by its size; the fewness of its members meant that money was frequently scarce. Nevertheless, parishioners took significant steps in late 1906; their first temporary church was completed in September, and in this year they purchased a tract of land on the eastern side of the village. Construction of a permanent brick church soon began, and the finished church was dedicated on September 6, 1908 after costing $22,000. By 1914, membership had increased to eighty-five families from just thirty-five families in 1906.
Structure
The church rests upon a stone foundation with a basement. Brick walls, trimmedMolding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
with stone, are laid in a stretcher bond
Brickwork
Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar to build up brick structures such as walls. Brickwork is also used to finish corners, door, and window openings, etc...
, and the building is covered by an asphalt roof. Its plan is primarily that of a rectangle, but gables on each side have the effect of forming a slight transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
.
The church's dominant feature is its octagonal steeple
Steeple (architecture)
A steeple, in architecture, is a tall tower on a building, often topped by a spire. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religious structure...
, located atop a tower at the entrance. Equipped with a belfry
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
and ornamented with corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
ling, the tower is topped with a golden cross. Worshippers enter the church through a vestibule
Vestibule (architecture)
A vestibule is a lobby, entrance hall, or passage between the entrance and the interior of a building.The same term can apply to structures in modern or ancient roman architecture. In modern architecture vestibule typically refers to a small room or hall between an entrance and the interior of...
and proceed through the base of the tower; until the addition with the vestibule was built in 1970, the church's exterior doors were a part of the tower.
Rectory
Parishioners erected a brick rectoryRectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
for their pastor in 1914. Supported by a foundation with a basement and topped with an asphalt hip roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
, the two-story
Storey
A storey or story is any level part of a building that could be used by people...
house lies adjacent to the church's eastern side. Among its features are a porch that faces the church on the house's western side and a dormer
Dormer
A dormer is a structural element of a building that protrudes from the plane of a sloping roof surface. Dormers are used, either in original construction or as later additions, to create usable space in the roof of a building by adding headroom and usually also by enabling addition of windows.Often...
that pierces the house's southern roof. The house is a square, three bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
wide on each of its sides.
Preservation
In 1977, an architectural survey ranked St. Nicholas' Church in good condition, both inside and out; it was noted that there were no significant threats to the building's continued existence. Two years later, the church and its rectory were added together to the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
for their architectural significance. Twenty-six other church buildings in the Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches were listed on the National Register at the same time; two others in Darke County, St. Louis' Church
St. Louis' Catholic Church (North Star, Ohio)
St. Louis' Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic church in North Star, Ohio, United States. Constructed in the early twentieth century, it is one of the newest churches in a heavily Catholic region of far western Ohio, but it has been recognized as a historic site because of its unique...
in North Star
North Star, Ohio
North Star is a village in Darke County, Ohio, United States. The population was 209 at the 2000 census.-History:North Star was platted in 1852 along the road between Greenville and Celina, approximately midway between the two cities...
and Holy Family Church
Holy Family Catholic Church (Frenchtown, Ohio)
Holy Family Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic church in Wayne Township, Darke County, Ohio, United States. Located in the unincorporated community of Frenchtown, it houses an active congregation, and it has been accorded historic site status because of its well-preserved Gothic Revival...
in Frenchtown
Frenchtown, Ohio
Frenchtown is an unincorporated community in Wayne Township, Darke County, Ohio, United States. The community lies at the intersection of State Route 185 with Burns and Mangen Roads, approximately northwest of the village of Versailles...
, were among these churches.
Today, St. Nicholas' remains an active parish of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati covers the southwest region of the U.S. state of Ohio, including the greater Cincinnati and Dayton metropolitan areas. The Archbishop of Cincinnati is Most Rev...
. It is clustered with St. Louis parish in North Star and St. Remy's Catholic Church
St. Remy's Catholic Church
St. Remy's Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic church in Russia, Ohio, United States. Built in 1890, it continues to house an active parish, and it has been recognized as a historic site because of its architecture.-Parish history:...
in Russia
Russia, Ohio
Russia is a village in Loramie Township, Shelby County, Ohio, United States. The population was 551 at the 2000 census.-History:Russia was founded by Lewis Phillips, who purchased and platted the land where the village now sits. Phillips' house, built in 1853, was the first house in Russia; other...
; the entire cluster is a part of the Sidney Deanery.