Immaculate Conception Church - Fulda, Ohio - This Old Church on Waymarking.com

St. Mary's was not the first Catholic Church in what is now Noble County. That honor belongs to St. Michael's in Carlisle, Stock Township, which was built in 1841 by members of the Archer family. The church was primarily used by Irish immigrants. After a cholera epidemic in the community in 1847, few new Catholics moved into the area, and attendance at St. Michael's declined.

Meanwhile, immigration of German Catholics to Enoch Township grew. During the 1840s and 1850s, the community began attracting German-speaking Catholics from Pennsylvania, present-day West Virginia and elsewhere to settle in Enoch Twp. Church records have been kept for Fulda since 1847. The original church building in Fulda was the centerpiece of Fulda's prosperity and community pride. The church is prominently located on one of the highest hills in the county. Archbishop Purcell himself dedicated the church on September 1, 1853. A capacity crowd of 200 attended a mass celebrated by Father J. C. Kraemer from Miltonsburg. The old church was located just south-east of the present church, directly in front of the cemetery.

In the early years of the parish, Father Kraemer rode to Fulda from Miltonsburg once a month to say mass. The first priest assigned to St. Mary's was Father J. W. Bruemmer in 1857. A rectory (priest's house) was erected for Father Bruemmer that year. Father Damian Klueber, a native of Fulda, Germany, became the pastor in 1860. The Fulda Parish now included the missions in Monroe, Washington, and Noble counties, an enormous area for one man to cover on horseback. Five years later, in 1865, Monroe became a separate mission and Fulda was further reduced in 1871 with the removal of the missions at Harriettsville and Fox Settlement. Father Klueber literally killed himself with work, dying from the effects of overexposure after prolonged horseback riding in 1883.

Over the next decade, the Fulda community grew rapidly. A new rectory (now known as the old sister's house) was completed in 1869. By 1870, the church could no longer house the congregation. Even with four masses on Sunday, all the residents could not be accommodated. Plans were started for a new church.

The present church was completed in 1875. The old church was torn down, and the bricks were used to build the present rectory, which was completed in 1884.

Date the Church was built, dedicated or cornerstone laid: 01/01/1875 Age of Church building determined by?: Cornerstone or plaque If denomination of Church is not part of the name, please provide it here: Roman Catholic If Church holds a weekly worship service and "all are welcome", please give the day of the week: Sunday Indicate the time that the primary worship service is held. List only one: 10:00 AM Street address of Church: 43700 Fulda Rd Caldwell, Ohio USA 43724-9587 Primary website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link] Secondary Website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link] If Church is open to the public, please indicate hours: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   08/03/2012 buffalohiker visited it