Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church

General Information

The oldest Catholic parish in Wayne County, Ohio and in the Diocese of Cleveland is Sts. Peter and Paul. It is located in Doylestown, Ohio.

Catholic settlers first arrived in Wayne County, Ohio in Fall 1826. The first mass was given by Father Francis Marshall in a log cabin about one mile from Doylestown.

Eighty acres of land was purchased in May 1834. Seventy-nine of those acres were for the church. The remaining acre was sold to Andrew Whitman. The land was situated in the Northeast Quarter of Section 16 in Chippewa Township. The log church was started two years later, in 1836. The first mass was held on the site on 1 June 1837. The log building was completed in 1841. Within nine years of completion, the log church had been out-grown. On 8 July 1850, the Right Reverend Louis Amadeus Rappe laid the first cornerstone of the new brick church in Doylestown. This church was torn down in 1877 and the cornerstone of the new church was laid on 30 September 1877.

Land Deeds

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  Robert Lucas, Governor of the State of Ohio to Peter Marshall

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  Peter Marshall and wife Cathrine to Andrew Whitman

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  Peter Marshall and wife Cathrine to Right Rev. Dr. John R. Purcell, Bishop of Cincinnati

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  Peter Marshall and others to the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church of the Diocese of Ohio

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  Peter Marshall and others to the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church of the Diocese of Ohio (cont'd)