Maria Stein, Ohio - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Maria Stein is an unincorporated community

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

in central Marion Township

Marion Township, Mercer County, Ohio

Marion Township is one of the fourteen townships of Mercer County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,969 people in the township, 2,605 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...

, Mercer County

Mercer County, Ohio

Mercer County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. Its county seat is Celina and is named for Hugh Mercer, an officer in the American Revolutionary War.The Celina Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Mercer County.-Geography:...

, 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...

. The community and the Maria Stein Convent lie at the center of the area known as the Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches

Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches

The Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches is a rural region in the western part of the U.S. state of Ohio, centered near Maria Stein in Mercer County. Its name is derived from the dense concentration of large Catholic churches that dominate the area's architecture...

, where a missionary

Missionary

A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...

priest

Priest

A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...

, Father Francis de Sales Brunner

Francis de Sales Brunner

Francis de Sales Brunner was the founder of the Swiss American congregation of the Benedictines.-References:...

, established a number of parishes for German

Germans

The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....

Catholics.

Notable features

Situated in southern Mercer County, Maria Stein is a rural farming community with a history dating to the early 19th century. The residents of the community and its surrounding region, nicknamed the "Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches

Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches

," have largely German Catholic roots. It was settled in the early 19th century by immigrants from Germany who cleared the dense forests of the region and uncovered a rich and productive farmland. Multi-generation families have prospered through their management of the rich, dark soil of the region. In the character of small communities, churches provide the framework for social interaction. Holidays such as Easter and Christmas are community celebrations, shared by most citizens.

The historical character of Maria Stein and many other similar communities is evident in their most notable feature, their churches. In this region, every small crossroads community has a substantial church, typically constructed by immigrant German craftsmen in the mid- to late nineteenth century and characterized by a steeple topped with a cross. The churches in Minster

Minster, 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...

, St. Henry

St. Henry, Ohio

St. Henry is a village in Mercer County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,271 at the 2000 census.-History:Located at the center of the village is St. Henry's Catholic Church. Completed in 1897, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.-Geography:St. Henry is located at...

, and Maria Stein are the largest examples, but others are found in St. Rose, Cassella, St. Sebastian, and Osgood. St. John's Church

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church (Maria Stein, Ohio)

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic church in Marion Township, Mercer County, Ohio, United States. Located in the unincorporated community of Maria Stein, it is the home of an active congregation and has been recognized as a historic site because of its well-preserved...

in Maria Stein was built in 1889.

The Influence of the Miami and Erie Canal on Development

The development of Maria Stein was also influenced by the creation of the Miami and Erie Canal

Miami and Erie Canal

The Miami and Erie Canal was a canal that connected the Ohio River in Cincinnati, Ohio with Lake Erie in Toledo, Ohio. Construction on the canal began in 1825 and was completed in 1845. It consisted of 19 aqueducts, three guard locks, and 103 canal locks. Each lock measured by and they...

. In the early 19th century, there were few roads and mass transportation to the region occurred on waterways such as the Great Lakes, the Ohio River and smaller tributaries. Recognizing the impact that the Erie Canal

Erie Canal

The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...

in New York State had on its development, the Ohio Legislature in approximately 1825 authorized the digging of two canals, one in the eastern part of the state (the Ohio Canal) and a second, the Miami and Erie Canal

Miami and Erie Canal

, in the western portion of the state, both connecting Lake Erie

Lake Erie

Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...

with the Ohio River

Ohio River

The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

. Over the next 20-30 years the Miami and Erie Canal

Miami and Erie Canal

gradually took shape as segments were dug and pieced together to create a canal

Canal

Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...

spanning the entire distance between Toledo

Toledo, Ohio

Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...

and Cincinnati. While the canal, remnants of which exist even today, did not run through Maria Stein, the canal just 6 miles (9.7 km) away defined the development of the town over the next century. Initially the canal provided a source of cash for workers who dug the canal. This enabled them to pay down the loans on their farms, purchased from the government for $1 per acre. The canal also provided a route for immigrants to reach Maria Stein. After its completion it provided transportation for farm goods to developing urban centers in Toledo and Lake Erie to the north and Dayton

Dayton

Dayton is a city in Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, United States.Dayton may also refer to:-United States:*Dayton, Alabama*Dayton, California, in Butte County*Dayton, Lassen County, California*Dayton, Idaho*Dayton, Indiana...

, Cincinnati and points further down stream on the Ohio and Mississippi river

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

s to the south and fostered the development of railheads to connect with the canal, facilitating the industrial development of the surrounding region. Many farmers in Maria Stein and surrounding towns worked on their farm and held a second job in one of the many surrounding manufacturing plants. This enabled them to weather the cyclical nature of farm revenue and create a prosperous hybrid rural-manufacturing economy. Interestingly, Maria Stein has remained almost entirely a farm-based community because of its lack of a canal or railroad to transport manufactured goods to market

Market

A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...

, whereas surrounding communities, Minster, New Bremen, Celina and St. Marys

St. Marys, Ohio

St. Marys is a city in Auglaize County, Ohio, United States. The population was 8,342 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Wapakoneta, Ohio, Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

had either railways or the canal and as a result developed robust manufacturing businesses.

Unique Aspects of Maria Stein

Perhaps the defining feature of this rural community is its Roman Catholicism. In a pattern reminiscent of Central Europe following the 30 years war in the 17th century, the smaller communities in northwest Ohio developed along religious lines. A preponderance of citizens in New Bremen

New Bremen, Ohio

New Bremen is a village in Auglaize County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,909 at of the 2000 census. It is included in the Wapakoneta, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area....

and New Knoxville

New Knoxville, Ohio

New Knoxville is a village in Auglaize County, Ohio, United States. Established in 1835, it had a population of 891 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Wapakoneta, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

are Protestant, whereas Maria Stein and the surrounding communities of Minster

Minster, 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...

, 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:...

, Chickasaw

Chickasaw, Ohio

Chickasaw is a village in Mercer County, Ohio, United States. The population was 364 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Chickasaw is located at ....

, St. Rose, Cassella

Cassella, Ohio

Cassella is an unincorporated community in Marion Township, Mercer County, Ohio, United States. Located at , it lies at an elevation of 955 feet...

, Egypt

Egypt, Ohio

Egypt is an unincorporated community in western Jackson Township, Auglaize County, Ohio, United States. Located at , the community sits at an elevation of 971 feet , approximately west of the village of Minster....

, Sebastian

Sebastian, Ohio

Sebastian is an unincorporated community in northern Marion Township, Mercer County, Ohio, United States. Its elevation is 932 feet , and it is located at...

and St. Henry

St. Henry, Ohio

are almost entirely Roman Catholic. This did not happen by chance. As Professor Wolfgang Fleischhauer, a German linguist from Ohio State University

Ohio State University

The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...

pointed out in his treatise on this subject "the immigrants of each community came from one, usually a small district in the homeland and they were held together by the ties of kinship, religion, common history and speech." He further adds that "The settlers of the Northwestern Ohio

Ohio

communities with which we are concerned emigrated from the Northwest of Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, Westphalia

Westphalia

Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...

and Oldenburg

Oldenburg

Oldenburg is an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the western part of the state between the cities of Bremen and Groningen, Netherlands, at the Hunte river. It has a population of 160,279 which makes it the fourth biggest city in Lower Saxony after Hanover, Braunschweig...

, especially its Southern part, the " Oldenburger Münsterland, predominantly Catholic, with strong historical and spiritualties to the old Bishopric of Münster

Münster

Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...

." Another interesting feature, highlighted by Professor Fleischhauer, was the creation of insular communities by the utilization of a unique region- and religion-specific dialect that was adopted by local Protestants or Catholics. Protestants from New Knoxville speak a Low German

Low German

Low German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...

dialect that is indistinguishable from the dialect from Ladenberg, Germany, where many of its residents derived. Citizens of Minster

Minster, 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:...

(and Maria Stein), despite the fact that they live in close proximity to the town of New Knoxville

New Knoxville, Ohio

, speak a Low German dialect with subtle but definite differences. Both dialects are derived from the northwestern German regions of Westphalia

Westphalia

, Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...

and Southern Oldenburg

Oldenburg

. Furthermore, these dialects have remained pure. A comparison by Professor Fleischhauer of dialect

Dialect

The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...

s in Germany from the 1850s to dialects in these towns in the 1970s showed no appreciable difference between the mother dialect and the current dialects with the exception of modern words introduced after emigration

Emigration

Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...

from Germany such as "airplane", "automobile", "phonograph", "compact disks". These new English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

words are conveniently inserted into the local Ohio dialect. Even now there are families, usually those in which both parents are of a German lineage, in which this dialect is still spoken on a regular basis and owners of businesses who speak the dialect may conduct business with it on occasion. This rigid demarcation of a dialect is called an "isogloss

Isogloss

An isogloss—also called a heterogloss —is the geographical boundary of a certain linguistic feature, such as the pronunciation of a vowel, the meaning of a word, or use of some syntactic feature...

" and is remarkable given the almost 200 years that have passed since these villages were first settled. High German was taught in the local schools until it became unpopular during the period of the first and second world wars.

Shrine of the Holy Relics Chapel

A notable feature of Maria Stein is the Shrine of the Holy Relics

Shrine of the Holy Relics

The Shrine of the Holy Relics in Maria Stein, Ohio is the second largest collection of relics in the United States. It is a part of the historic Maria Stein Convent.-History:...

. Relics include body parts (usually bones) from saints or objects that belonged to a saint; they are held in high respect because they were individuals who led exemplary lives. Father Francis de Sales Brunner, the missionary who led the "Missionaries of the Precious Blood

Missionaries of the Precious Blood

The Missionaries of the Precious Blood form a community of priests and brothers within the Latin Church, one of the 23 sui iuris churches which make up the universal Catholic Church. The Society was founded by Saint Gaspar del Bufalo in 1815...

" order of priests, was a collector of relics, and he was responsible for the first collection of relics in Maria Stein. During the 19th century other relics were added to the core collection as a way of protecting them from the continuous strife between city states of 19th century Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

. In 1892 a separate "relic chapel" was established in which Sisters of the Precious Blood conducted a continuous vigil. The collection of relics is the second largest in the United States.

The Sacred Heart Relic Chapel is a kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope

A kaleidoscope is a circle of mirrors containing loose, colored objects such as beads or pebbles and bits of glass. As the viewer looks into one end, light entering the other end creates a colorful pattern, due to the reflection off the mirrors...

of color, 18th and 19th century German carving, and relics distributed throughout. The "relic chapel" is connected to a larger chapel that in turn is the central feature of an interesting 19th century brick convent. A 2007 segment on National Public Radio describes this unique collection of relics. These relics include a splinter of the true cross

True Cross

The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by a Christian tradition, are believed to be from the cross upon which Jesus was crucified.According to post-Nicene historians, Socrates Scholasticus and others, the Empress Helena The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by a...

and a splinter of bone from St. Peregrine

Peregrine Laziosi

Saint Peregrine Laziosi is an Italian saint of the Servite Order . He is the patron saint for persons suffering from cancer according to the Catholic Church....

, the patron saint

Patron saint

A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...

of patients with cancer. The Shrine was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The Heritage Museum on the second floor of the convent showcases life during the early years of the community. Even today southern Mercer County is predominantly Catholic, a reflection of 19th century immigration patterns.

Architecture and Geographical Organization

Another notable feature is the architecture and organizational infrastructure of Marion Township

Marion Township, Mercer County, Ohio

and the surrounding region. The region is characterized by 40-80 acre farms laid out in the characteristic one-half-mile grid divided by four in which the house and barn characteristically sit somewhere in the middle of each sixteenth or eighth mile section. This organizational layout derived from the creation of 40-80 acre farms in the early 19th century to entice immigrants to settle on the newly pacified frontier. Immigrants paid approximately $1 per acre for the land. Many of these farms have remained in the original settlers' families, although economic trends favoring larger farms have led to consolidation during the past 40-50 years. The farmhouses demonstrate several unique styles that show their Germanic roots. Farms are neat and orderly and indicative of the organization and prosperity of the largely German-derived population.

A German dialect, traced by linguist Professor Wolfgang Fleischhauer of Ohio State University

Ohio State University

to northwest Germany (almost Dutch), is still spoken by many members of the community.

Recreation

Maria Stein is located approximately 6.5 miles (10.5 km) south of Grand Lake St Marys (Grand Lake St. Marys State Park), a man-made lake constructed in the 19th century to feed the Miami and Erie Canal

Miami and Erie Canal

. The lake has benefited from the Clean Water Act

Clean Water Act

The Clean Water Act is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Commonly abbreviated as the CWA, the act established the goals of eliminating releases of high amounts of toxic substances into water, eliminating additional water pollution by 1985, and ensuring that...

and there has been a resurgence of recreational use over the past 2 decades following improvement in water quality. Many keep fishing or motorized boats at the lake. The closest movie theaters are in New Bremen

New Bremen, Ohio

New Bremen is a village in Auglaize County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,909 at of the 2000 census. It is included in the Wapakoneta, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area....

and Celina

Celina, Ohio

Celina is a city in and the county seat of Mercer County, Ohio, United States. The population was 10,303 at the 2000 census. Celina is situated on the western shores of Grand Lake St. Marys.-History:...

. Approximately 5 miles (8 km) from Maria Stein near the intersection of State Route 127 and State Route 119 is one of the few remaining drive-in theater

Drive-in theater

A drive-in theater is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor screen, a projection booth, a concession stand and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars.The screen can be as simple as a...

s in the state.

There are a variety of country festivals that take place throughout the region during the summer. In late June each year the community hosts the Maria Stein Country Fest, a weekend event that celebrates the rural and religious roots of this small community. The fest is held on the grounds of the Maria Stein Shrine of the Holy Relics

Shrine of the Holy Relics

The Shrine of the Holy Relics in Maria Stein, Ohio is the second largest collection of relics in the United States. It is a part of the historic Maria Stein Convent.-History:...

. The highlight of the event is tractor square dancing, an event in which four pairs of tractors participate in a precise replica of a square dance. Maria Stein's cultural and religious history is remembered with a pilgrimage

Pilgrimage

A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...

from St. John's Catholic Church, a quarter mile away, to the relic chapel grounds. This is a parade with participation by the Knights of St John, an ancient uniformed religious guard, and members of the American Legion

American Legion

The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...

Notable Citizens

In 1899, Joseph Oppenheim

Joseph Oppenheim

Joseph Oppenheim was an educator who invented the modern widespread manure spreader that made farming less labor intensive and far more efficient in the early 20th century and only he is honored for that invention in the Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame in Columbus, Ohio...

, the inventor of the first mechanized manure spreader, established the New Idea Spreader works in Maria Stein. He and his son-in-law, Henry Synck

Henry Synck

Henry Synck, Jr. was an American industrialist who participated in the development of mechanized farming.In the farming communities of Ohio, fertilization of fields was possible only by the distribution of animal excrement, usually mixed with bedding straw to create a semi-solid mixture of manure...

, also a resident of Maria Stein, subsequently moved New Idea to Coldwater

Coldwater, Ohio

Coldwater is a village in Mercer County, Ohio, United States. The population was 4,482 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Coldwater is located at ....

. New Ideahttp://www.newidea.agcocorp.com, once owned by Avco

Avco

Avco Corporation is a subsidiary of Textron which operates Textron Systems Corporation and Lycoming.-Brief history:The Embry-Riddle Company created the Aviation Corporation in 1928 as a holding company tasked with acquiring small airlines...

, continues to prosper as a part of a larger conglomerate now known as AGCO

AGCO

AGCO is an agricultural equipment manufacturer based in Duluth, Georgia, USA. As a leading global manufacturer of agricultural equipment, AGCO offers a full line of tractors, combines, hay tools, sprayers, forage and tillage equipment, which are distributed through more than 2,700 independent...

. Maria Stein is also home to San Diego Padres

San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...

starting pitcher, Cory Luebke

Cory Luebke

Cory Robert Luebke is a professional baseball player for the San Diego Padres. He attended the Marion Local High School and The Ohio State University. He was pick number 63 in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft. ....

School

Maria Stein is also home to Marion Local High School

Marion Local High School (Maria Stein, Ohio)

Marion Local High School is a public high school located in Maria Stein, Ohio. It currently has roughly 720 students enrolled. The student body comes from several surrounding communities including: Cassella, St. Rose, Osgood, Chickasaw, St. Sebastian, and Maria Stein. These communities were served...

, part of the Marion Local school district. The student body is derived from the communities of Maria Stein, St Rose, Casella, Chickasaw, St Sebastian, and Osgood.

External links

http://www.mariasteinshrine.org//Website for Shrine of the Holy Relics Museum
http://www.mariasteinshrine.org/?page_id=78/Website for Shrine of Holy Relics Chapels
School Website
Website for Marion Local Communities

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