Church Lithograph Collection

Villanova's Digital Library has a wonderful collection of Catholic church lithographs by the Philadelphia lithography firm of Packard and Butler (later Packard, Butler and Partridge). There are over 400 prints of interior or exterior views of Catholic churches throughout the United States and parts of Canada.

There are several churches from the Toledo Diocese, in Fremont, Norwalk, Fostoria, Tiffin, Upper Sandusky, Peru, and Toledo. Many of these churches are the previous building of a parish. Well worth your time to take a look. Click HERE.

(Apparently the lithographs are from the 1880s, more detail HERE at the Philadelphia Archdiocese history site.)

St. Wendelin, Fostoria

A lithograph of the old St. Wendelin church in Fostoria, sometime before 1903 when towers were added. Pastor is Fr. M. Arnoldi.

A Country Church Tour

Author Jane Ware has written two volumes on Ohio architecture, "Building Ohio." The second volume is a guide to Ohio rural architecture, and she has a good itinerary for seeing majestic churches in the southwestern part of the diocese:

- Begin at St. John the Baptist in Glandorf (west of Findlay on US 224).
- Continue west on US 224 to St. Michael's in Kalida.
- Still further west on US 224, visit Immaculate Conception in Ottoville.
- Turn south on St. Rt. 66 to see St. John's in Delphos.
- From Delphos, go west on St. Rt. 697, then turn south on St. Rt. 116 for Salem Presbyterian Church in Venedocia, a village of Welsh heritage.

The book has a lot of detail regarding the "Land of Cross Tipped Churches" further to the south as well. More information on the book HERE.

Symbols in Your Parish

Over at the Adam's Ale blog, Fr. John Valencheck of St. Sebastian in Akron writes about how to analyze and document the artwork and other visual symbols in your parish. You can read it HERE.

St. Joseph, Plymouth

Postcard showing north window of St. Joseph church in Plymouth. Caption says, "God the Creator is portrayed by a large hand stretching forth into space emanating rays of light and bringing into being the burst of creation."

St. John, Delphos

A post card from 1907. There is a cross, it just missed the photo I guess.

Museum of Divine Statues, Lakewood

Over to the east, the Museum of Divine Statues has opened in Lakewood, Ohio, in the former St. Hedwig's church. Artist Louis McClung restores statues, and many items from closed churches in the Cleveland area are on display. More information at their website HERE.