St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Fremont, Ohio)

St. Paul's Episcopal Church is a historic Episcopalian church in Fremont, a city in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Built in the 1840s and expanded multiple times in the following decades, it has been named a historic site for its distinctive architecture.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Front and southern side
Location200 N. Park Ave., Fremont, Ohio
Coordinates41°20′51″N 83°7′3″W
AreaLess than 1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1843
Architectural styleGothic Revival
NRHP reference No.77001085[1]
Added to NRHPJune 9, 1977

Organic history

Fremont's first Protestant Episcopalian meeting was held on January 15, 1842, with twenty-eight individuals present. Parish officers were chosen ten days later, and the first meeting of the vestry in early February petitioned Bishop McIlvaine for a pastor. Before long, a priest began coming periodically from Norwalk, and a new priest was ordained in the following November, although he only served one year before resigning due to ill health.[2]:488

In 1843, the members built a new church building on the northwestern corner of Main and Court Streets.[2]:489 Before this time, they had occupied multiple other locations; their first meetings were held in the Methodist church building,[2]:488 an old stone school-house that was later replaced with the city high school, and the courthouse. Funds were raised through pew rents and additional donations from the wealthier members.[2]:489 Bishop McIlvaine officially dedicated the building in late 1845.[2]:490 The interior was renovated and frescoed in 1859, and gas was introduced in 1861. Special attention was given to attract children to the Sunday school, and it grew immensely.[2]:491 Further renovations were performed in 1872 and 1873; more than $8000 was spent to enlarge the building, replace the furnace and carpet, and reconstruct other elements of the interior. At this time, plans were made to add a tower,[2]:492 and they were put into place in 1906. Until this time, it had been a small rectangular building with a simple gabled roof.[3]

Among the parish's most prominent members have been Ralph Pomeroy Buckland, a general during the American Civil War, and Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President of the United States.[3]

Architecture

St. Paul's is a thoroughly Gothic Revival structure with brick walls, a stone foundation, and elements of wood.[4] Among its more distinctive elements is the square bell tower, which was constructed in 1906. The interior features components such as an octagonal baptistry, a pipe organ,[3] frescoes,[2]:491 and a chancel and recess that were expanded in 1873. The interior is lit by stained glass windows and by massive chandeliers.[2]:492

Recent history

St. Paul's is a member parish of the Diocese of Ohio. In early 2013, its rector was Daniel Longsworth Orr.[5]

In 1977, St. Paul's was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, qualifying because of its historically significant architecture. It is one of four National Register-listed properties on Park Avenue and one of seven in the city of Fremont.[1]

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References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Everett, Homer. History of Sandusky County Ohio: With Portraits and Biographies of Prominent Citizens and Pioneers. Cleveland: Williams, 1882.
  3. Owen, Lorrie K., ed. Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places. Vol. 2. St. Clair Shores: Somerset, 1999, 1233.
  4. St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Ohio Historical Society, 2007. Accessed 2013-02-28.
  5. Find a Parish, Episcopal Diocese of Northern Ohio, n.d. Accessed 2013-02-28.
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