St. Sebastian Church

Architect: De Curtins Brothers of Lima Architectural Style: Gothic

History: Although most parishes were organized in an existent town, St. Sebastian Parish was organized by 20 farmers who did not want to walk to Maria Stein or St. Rose for Sunday Mass. In 1852, they received permission from the Bishop John Purcell of Cincinnati to organize and build a church.

They picked a spot in the woods and the cornerstone of the new church was laid in the spring of 1852. The frame building they built was on the present site of parish cemetery. The families prepared the wood for the church—some cut the timber, others hauled it to the sawmill and others prepared lumber for the foundation.

In the late spring of 1852, on the morning of the cornerstone laying, the people began to talk about who their patron Saint would be. At this point Sebastian Schraner, the oldest member of the parish, took a small statue of St. Sebastian out of his pocket and held it up in the air for all to see. Having scarcely beheld it, they all exclaimed with one accord, “St. Sebastian shall be our Patron Saint!” Thus the church was called St. Sebastian Church, and after eight or nine months of labor, was near completion. It was dedicated January 20, 1853, the feast day of St. Sebastian.

By 1878, a new church was needed as the parish had outgrown the old frame church. There was much discussion about where to build the new church, but the final decision was to build it at the same location. At this time one group of parishioners left the parish to form the parish at Chickasaw and another group left to form the parish in Montezuma.

Anton De Curtins from neighboring Carthagena, was employed to build the new church according to the plans he had drawn up. The congregation furnished the lumber and the expense was $4,800. In 1894, the Church was enlarged and Anton De Curtins again did the plans and the work. The improvements were done at a cost of $4,400 and were finished in April 1895. In January 1903, as the parish was preparing to celebrate its 50^th Anniversary, the Church was totally destroyed by fire. Everything in the church was lost, including all parish records. Not even the Blessed Sacrament could be rescued from the flames.

In early July, work was begun on the present St. Sebastian Church. This time De Curtins Brothers of Lima drew the plans and did the work. It was finished early in September 1904 at a cost of $16,510.

As recently as 2006 St. Sebastian church was beautifully restored.