Today is St. Patrick’s Day and it is celebrated, in many different ways, globally.
According to an article published on History.com titled “History of St. Patrick’s Day,” the day is celebrated to commemorate the anniversary of Saint Patrick’s death in the fifth century.
Saint Patrick is the Patron Saint of Ireland and its national apostle. He was credited with bringing Christianity to its people.
The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years.
Irish families on St. Patrick’s Day would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. The observance of St. Patrick’s Day falls during Lent. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink, and feast on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.
The newsroom got in touch with Todd McCormick and Beth Marshall from the Logan County History Center, located at 521 E Columbus Ave, and asked about Irish history in the county.
Irish History of Logan County:
The county did have some immigrants who came to the U.S. to escape the Irish Potato Famine, which occurred between 1845 and 1852. Several families settled in the West Liberty area and worked on the Piatt family farms.
Like elsewhere in the county, Irish immigrants helped build some of the railroads in Logan County. Our railroads would go on to become one of the primary industries in Bellefontaine and Logan County from the 1850s to the 1950s.
ST. PATRICK CATHOLIC CHURCH (320 E. Patterson Ave., Bellefontaine)
The St. Patrick Catholic Church has a long and well-documented history in Bellefontaine.
The first Mass in the city was held in a home in 1851. A year later Archbishop John Purcell recommended that a Catholic Church be built in Bellefontaine. The recommendation came to fruition on December 25, 1853, when the first Mass was celebrated at St. Patrick Catholic Church on East Patterson Street. However, a fire destroyed the church in the winter of 1897. The parish dedicated its new (and current) church on June 5, 1898. The church, under the direction of Father John Coveney, established a Catholic School in the 1860s. The school building was constructed in 1881. The school closed for a year due to a church fire but reopened and was in operation for years. The school closed permanently in 1968 due to the high costs of running the school and a shortage of religious teachers.
Another gold nugget of history comes from Indian Lake.
The O’Connor family founded O’Connor’s Landing on the east side of Indian Lake in 1904.
The resort included a lakefront hotel, cottages and a popular restaurant. O’Connor’s, along with Beatley’s at the Lake and the Wicker Hotel, were the three prominent resorts during the heyday of Indian Lake as “Ohio’s Million Dollar Playground” from the 1920s-60s. Thousands of visitors came each summer to go to the amusement park, dance to the famous Big Band era musicians who played at the various dance pavilions, and of course enjoy water activities like fishing, swimming, and boating.
However you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, whether that is wearing green, decorating with shamrocks, or going to the bar for some green beer, be safe, have fun, and most importantly, remember the history.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
* Todd McCormick and Beth Marshall provided the local Irish history.
Legend
March 17, 2023 at 10:40 amThere were Irish here long before 1845.
steve Newman
March 17, 2023 at 12:50 pmRemember, the Newmans? Arrived here in the 1790s from New York, before that, they landed in Conn. from Ireland. Abner Newman settled on 1,000 acres of “Government Land” in 1792….Helped establish the first Methodist Church in the area…Olive Chapel. His son (one of many) was named Harrison Newman, one of his sons served in the Union Army…one of his sons was my Grandfather who worked for the D.T.& I. RR over in Quincy, Ohio…my late Father was Carl H. Newman..aka Sonny Newman…..and my son just turned 30….we have been here quite a while..
Me
March 17, 2023 at 2:18 pmInteresting history lesson Steve. Thanks
Sarah Florence Allen
March 17, 2023 at 1:55 pmWho decided out of you to build a Bank on they only reserved land that was holy for the Cherrokee Indian Pow Pows in Rusell’s Point Ohio? By you Irish men. By way and way the buy my husband is Irish as well. Yes, so let he first stand up that put a bank on the Cherrokee Holy land reserved for Pow Pows?
Jess
March 19, 2023 at 10:50 amSarah having a stroke again
Graydog
March 18, 2023 at 12:53 pmHi Sarah, I was just wondering which bank is on the Pow Wow land?
Dick Stewart
March 18, 2023 at 8:46 pmDon’t know, but heard that a lot of Irishmen dug the lake?
JennyMac
March 19, 2023 at 4:52 pmMy 6th great grandfather, Daniel McCoy, came to Logan County in 1790. Ohio wasn’t even a state then. But we aren’t showboats or popular folks so we don’t make the news. I prefer it that way.
dave taylor
March 20, 2023 at 9:57 pmmany want to talk Tribes. Irish , Indians etc. We are part of the 12 Tribes of Israel. One God, one tribe of many sects. The DNA of U.S. American Indians have ancient Hebrew blood, their adornment, their rugs have the same Hebrew patterns