St. Philomena Church and LaPrairie Cemetery of Sandusky County, Ohio

  St. Philomena Church

Until it was torn down in 1999, St. Philomena Church, the first Roman Catholic church in the county, lay at a bend on the west side of the Sandusky River. Nearby is the LaPrairie Cemetery where many of its early parishioners were laid to rest. The church was founded by French families who had migrated from Monroe and Detroit, Michigan south to the Sandusky and Maumee Rivers before the War of 1812. Following the conflict, they settled in Rice Twp. where the Sandusky River provided them with transportation, drinking water, and an abundance of fish and game.  By 1822, twenty to thirty French families were living in the area. The Office of Holy Sacrifice was held for the first time in 1823 in one of their log cabins by Rev. Gabriel Richard of Detroit. 

The first building for worship was erected in 1841 on land that hugged the banks of the river. Bishop Purcell of Cincinnati dedicated it to St. Philomena. Twenty-seven years later, a new frame building was erected on land located at what is the junction of Route 53 and 523. Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Wagner donated the property. Services were held here until 1891 when the church was abandoned because of dwindling membership. But when the area’s population increased, the church was repaired and services were held for another decade.

On Good Friday of 1913, the church was moved to the farm of Walter and Mary Darr. On that day, the steeple was blown down by the heavy winds that preceded the severe flooding that took place on Easter Sunday. In 1999, some 85 years after it was abandoned, the little church was scheduled for demolition. Many of the descendants of the original parishioners attended the final mass held by Rev. James Pieffer of the St. Boniface Catholic Church of Oak Harbor. Ohio.

LaPrairie Cemetery

On Good Friday of 1913, the church was moved to the farm of Walter and Mary Darr. On that day, the steeple was blown down by the heavy winds that preceded the severe flooding that took place on Easter Sunday. In 1999, some 85 years after it was abandoned, the little church was scheduled for demolition. Many of the descendants of the original parishioners attended the final mass held by Rev. James Peiffer of the St. Boniface Catholic Church of Oak Harbor. Ohio.

     

The LaPrairie Cemetery began as a family burial ground, but later was part of the Diocese of Cleveland and then Toledo. Eventually, the grounds fell into disrepair. It was the family of Thomas Gonya who began restoring the cemetery in 1980. Gonya’s great great grandfather, Gregory Gonya, who died in 1908, is believed to be the last individual buried in LaPrairie. Because some of the tombstones were beyond repair or illegible, the Rice Twp. Trustees erected a large plaque, listing the names of everyone they knew who was buried in the cemetery.