Maria Stein(German,literally "Mary's stone" or "Mary of the Rock" ) is acensus-designated placein centralMarion Township,Mercer County,Ohio,United States.The community and theMaria Stein Conventlie at the center of the area known as theLand of the Cross-Tipped Churches,where amissionarypriest,FatherFrancis de Sales Brunner,established a number of parishes forGermanCatholics.
Maria Stein, Ohio | |
|---|---|
 19th-century farm house in Maria Stein | |
 Location of Maria Stein, Ohio. | |
| Coordinates:40°24′27″N84°29′36″W/ 40.40750°N 84.49333°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Ohio |
| County | Mercer |
| Elevation | 974 ft (297 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 1,067 |
| Time zone | UTC-5(Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4(EDT) |
| GNISfeature ID | 2812834[1] |
History
editThe community of St. Johns was established in 1833. Its name was selected because all of its early male settlers bore the name of John. When theCincinnati, Hamilton, and Dayton Railwayexpanded through Mercer County some decades later, its surveyors chose a path through the small community of Maria Stein, subsequently named "Station", to the west of St. Johns. As these two communities were separated by only 0.5 miles (0.80 km), many business interests migrated to the vicinity of the railroad,[3]: 203 and the two communities eventually merged under the name of Maria Stein.[4]
The origin of the name "Maria Stein" is likely fromMetzerlen-MariasteininSwitzerland.This small community, not so far fromBasel,has a Benedictine abbey,Mariastein Abbey.FatherFrancis de Sales Brunner,who established theMissionaries of the Precious Bloodorder that provides priests for St John's Church in Maria Stein, Ohio, entered the abbey in 1812 and remained there as a member of the convent until 1829.[5]Although there is no written evidence that it was Father Brunner who named the town of Maria Stein, the erection of a large church and theShrine of the Holy Relicsin Maria Stein is supportive. According to an article by Father Lukas Schenker of Mariastein Abbey, Brunner probably named the convent at Maria Stein after Mariastein Abbey in Switzerland because Brunner donated a painted depiction of the Miraculous Madonna of Mariastein to the convent, after which also the town was named.[6]It is said of this painting that Brunner had it with him when crossing the English Channel in a sailing vessel and was miraculously saved from shipwreck in a bad storm.[6]
The historical character of Maria Stein and many other surrounding communities is evident in their most notable feature, their churches.[7]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 inMinster,St. Henry,and Maria Stein[8]are the largest examples,[9]but others are found inSt. Rose,Cassella,St. SebastianandOsgood.St. John's Churchin Maria Stein was built in 1889.[10]
A German dialect, traced by linguist Professor Wolfgang Fleischhauer ofOhio State Universityto northwest Germany (almost Dutch), is still spoken by many members of the community.[11][12]
Shrine of the Holy Relics Chapel
editMaria Stein is home to theShrine of the Holy Relics.Relicsinclude 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 and since Catholics believe the artifacts retain and transmit supernatural graces, due to their close connection with the saints. Father Francis de Sales Brunner, the missionary who led the "Missionaries of the Precious Blood"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-centuryItaly.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.
Recreation
editThis sectionneeds additional citations forverification.(July 2023) |
Maria Stein is 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 theMiami and Erie Canal.The lake is located at the peak of the north-south watershed. The lake has benefited from theClean Water Actand 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 inNew BremenandCelina.Approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) from Maria Stein near the intersection ofU.S. Route 127andState Route 119is Starlight Drive-In, one of the few remainingdrive-in theatersin 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,[13]a weekend event that celebrates the rural and religious roots of this small community. The fest is held on the grounds of the Maria SteinShrine of the Holy Relics.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 apilgrimagefrom St. John's Catholic Church, a quarter mile away, to the relic chapel grounds. This is a parade with participation by theKnights of St John,an ancient uniformed religious guard, and members of theAmerican Legion.
Notable people
edit- Cory Luebke,former relief pitcher for theSan Diego PadresandPittsburgh Pirates
- Joseph Oppenheim,the inventor of the first mechanizedmanure spreader
- Henry Synck,industrialist[14]
School
editMaria Stein is home toMarion Local High School,part of the Marion Local school district.[15]The student body is derived from the communities of Maria Stein,Cassella,Chickasaw,Osgood,St. RoseandSt. Sebastian.Marion Local tied for the top public school district in the state in the 2024 Ohio School Report Cards.https:// toledoblade /local/education/2024/09/13/state-report-cards-released-for-area-school-districts/stories/20240913132
References
edit- ^abU.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Maria Stein, Ohio
- ^"Maria Stein CPD, Ohio - Census Bureau Profile".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedJuly 26,2023.
- ^Scranton, S.S.History of Mercer County, Ohio and Representative Citizens.Chicago:Biographical, 1907.
- ^Brown, Mary Ann.Ohio Historic Inventory Nomination: Maria Stein Catholic Church.Ohio Historical Society,February 1977.
- ^Lukas Schenker:Brunner, Franz SalesinGerman,FrenchandItalianin the onlineHistorical Dictionary of Switzerland,31 January 2003.
- ^abSchenker, Lukas (1989), "Warum ein" Maria Stein "in Amerika?",Mariastein(in German),35(4): 105–108
- ^Land of the Cross-tipped ChurchesArchived2006-06-17 at theWayback Machine
- ^"St. John Church History".Archived fromthe originalon January 6, 2013.RetrievedJanuary 12,2013.
- ^ClevelandArchivedApril 29, 2003, at theWayback MachineLand of the Cross-tipped ChurchesArchived2007-07-12 at theWayback Machine
- ^Brown, Mary Ann.Ohio Historic Inventory Nomination: Maria Stein Catholic Church.Ohio Historical Society,February 1977.
- ^German Communities In Northwestern Ohio, Wolfgang Fleischhauer, Society for the History of Germans in Maryland 34:23, 1970
- ^Fleischhauer, Wolfgang, A Study of the Low German Dialect in Auglaize County, Ohio, Ph.D. Thesis (Ohio State U., 1960)
- ^"Home".Maria Stein Country Fest.RetrievedFebruary 1,2019.
- ^"New Idea".December 5, 2006. Archived fromthe originalon December 5, 2006.RetrievedFebruary 1,2019.
- ^School