“An Irish and a French settlement was made in western Scioto county, Ohio,
shortly after the middle of the last century. The first to come were French
migrants who settled in the Pond creek area in Rush township in the early 185O’s. That they came to the area may have been an aftermath of the unfortunate French Catholic colony at Gallipolis. Dissatisfied, many of them left there. In 1795 after the Indian wars congress passed an act “giving a tract of land to the French on the Ohio, the French Grant. There were found just 84 persons over 18 years of age to claim a share of the grant. A few of these moved off the grant, in Scioto county.”1
“The French settlement at Pond creek resulted in the establishment of the
present Holy Trinity parish in 1861.”
“A few years after the French came to the area of the county west of the
Scioto river, some Irish Catholic families settled in the hills around McCullough creek in Union township, just a few miles west of the Pond creek settlement.”
“The Irish Catholic families must have come to the area in the late 1850’s since Father James J. O’Donohue, pastor of Holy Redeemer church, Portsmouth, recorded that he baptized at “Mccullock Creek” on March 30, 1860. It was apparently already one of his many mission stations. He continued to record baptisms at “McCullock” until 1864 when he was succeeded by Father Michael Mary Ahern, who did the same until 1867. The next year the diocese of Columbus was established, dividing Scioto county between the new an old dioceses. The area west of the Scioto river remained in the archdiocese of Cincinnati, thus relieving the pastor of Holy Redeemer of the missions of western Scioto county.”
“It is interesting to note that during these years the pastor of Holy
Redeemer took care of many missions and mission stations. Some were Wilkseville and Latrobe and Eagle Furnaces in Vinton county; Jackson in the county of the same name; Athens in that county; a number of Furnaces in Scioto and Lawrence counties; Union Mills and Lick Run in Scioto County, as well as Buena Vista. Pond Creek and McCullough west of the river.”
“That the McCullough station was so named was due to the fact that it was
located in the area of a stream known as McCullough Creek, which received its name from an early pioneer resident of the name. The eventual church property was described in a deed of 18602 as being on the waters of “Mccullick Creek.”
“Among the early Catholic families of McCullough settlement were those of
Edward Walsh, James Galvin, Owen Dudy, Augustine Crow, John Finn, Patrick Joyce, Michael McMenamy, William Donohue, John Geghan, Denis and Jeremiah Collins, Anthony and Patrick Kelly, James Conolly, Patrick Gavin and Martin Byrne. There were others.”
“On December 15, 1860, Owen Dudy and his wife, Johanna, deeded 3 to James Galvin for $200 forty-six acres which was part of a parcel of 146 acres “on the waters of McCullick Creek.” On Nov. 4, 1873, in a mortgage bond 4 Joseph Kelly, trustee for St. Patrick”s church, signed for $150 to be paid to James Galvin for the property. On the same day in a warranty deed 5 James and Mary Galvin received $350 for the property from Joseph Kelly in trust for the church. For $1.00 Kelly returned the property to Galvin in trust for the congregation on Aug. 31, 1875. 6 The following year, June 28, 1876, 7 Galvin released the property to Patrick Henry Doody who paid $1.00 and received the parcel in trust for St. Patrick’s.”
“It was not until September 24, 1881, that the property was turned over to
the archbishop of Cincinnati. On that date, for $1.00 received, Patrick Henry
Doody, in trust for the congregation of McCullock, Scioto county, deeded the
property containing 46 acres, more or less, to Right Reverend William Henry Elder, archbishop of Cincinnati.”8
“Beginning with the establishment of the diocese of Columbus in 1868, the
three missions west of the Scioto river, Immaculate Conception, Buena Vista; Holy Trinity, Pond Creek, and St. Patrick’s, McCullough, were cared for by the pastor of St. Michael’s, Ripley, in Brown county. Fathers Bartholomew Schmitz and P. Geyer were at Ripley in those days. They had to travel more than fifty miles to get to Pond Creek. Naturally, the frequency of their visits was limited. Archbishop Purcell was aware of the situation and was anxious to provide relief to the priests at Ripley.”
“In 1873 Father Joseph Mertian, of Alsace, France, came to the archdiocese
of Cincinnati. After a short stay at Dayton, the archbishop asked him to take
charge of the French settlement at Pond Creek, and the two neighboring missions at Buena Vista and McCullough. He took up his residence in the McCullough settlement. It was not until 1876 that a small church was erected and dedicated to God under the patronage of St. Patrick. The church was located about four miles north of Henley.”
“When Father Mertian arrived to take over the McCullough mission it had about 160 members. Its first trustees were James Galvin, Joseph Kelly and James Donohue.”9
“Father Mertian, often called “Father Joseph,” soon won the love and
veneration of his people. Faithful in caring for his charges, he is said always
to have walked over the hills from one mission to another. It was about 20 miles from McCullough to Buena Vista, and about half that to Pond Creek. His faithful companion, a fellow-countryman, was Gregory Weppel, locally known as “Brother Godfrey.”
“In 1902, at a cost of $800 the first St. Patrick’s church was replaced
with a new frame structure to accommodate a growing congregation.”10
“Father Mertian reached the age of 85 in 1914, and was experiencing the
burdens of his years. The archbishop gave him permission to retire, and sent Father Henry J. Richter to take over the work. Father Mertian continued to live in the McCullough rectory, while Father Richter took up residence in Henley in a house donated by Ignatius Reitz of Portsmouth. He fixed one room in the house for a chapel.”
“During the pastorate of Father Richter it was decided to permanently
establish the parish at Otway, a few miles west by direct line, but farther
by road. In 1916 the present brick church in Otway was dedicated and placed under the patronage of Our Lady of Lourdes. The McCullough church remained for some years, and Father Mertian, as long as he was able, continued to celebrate Mass in it. He died April 11, 1917.”
“Sometime later St. Patrick’s, McCullough, was razed and parts of it used
to erect a small chapel in the parish cemetery located a few miles away on U.S. Route 73. The chapel is close to Father Mertian’s grave. Carved wood pieces of St. Patrick’s may be seen in the cemetery chapel.”
- Kenny, L. J., SJ. (1919). The Gallipolis Colony. The Catholic Historical Review, 4(4), 415-451.
- Scioto County Deed Books, 4, 66.
- Scioto County Deed Books, 4, 66.
- Scioto County Deed Books, 14, 307.
- Scioto County Deed Books, 20, 441.
- Scioto County Deed Books, 24, 108.
- Scioto County Deed Books, 24, 108.
- Scioto County Deed Books, 33, 251.
- History of the Lower Scioto Valley: Ohio (p. 423). (1884). Chicago: Inter-state Pub.
- Evans, N. W. (1903). History of Scioto County. Portsmouth, Ohio.
