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Ohltown United Methodist Church in eastern Ohio has a rich history dating back to 1838, when the community of Mineral Ridge was known as Ohltown.
Among the first settlers were Henry and Abolona Lerch Ohl and their nine children. When the Ohl family came to Ohio, their oldest son, Michael, was 21 years old. On September 18, 1806 Michael married Eva Meyers (Meiers), who made the journey to Ohio with the Ohl family, and the newlyweds settled in the southeastern corner of Austintown Township, where they lived for 12 years and where the first five of their 13 children were born.
Michael Ohl was a community leader in all local enterprises and activities. The town, named for him, was laid out on land owned by him. Some of the earliest religious services of the community, held three times a month, were held in the local gristmill and sawmill, and the prayer meetings were conducted in various homes.
In 1815 and 1816 Michael purchased 230 acres of land in what is now southwestern Weathersfield Township, where Meander Creek flowed.
Residents walked to services barefooted in warm weather, stopping to don their stockings and shoes before the services. Stockings and shoes were then removed for the trek home, all to save valuable shoe leather.
In 1847, the congregation purchased its first church building from the Lutheran Church of Ohltown.
Michael Ohl died in 1849 but his sons held a deep interest in the home their father had made for them. By 1882 Ohltown was a quiet little village with only some thirty houses, two small stores and a blacksmith’s shop and the Ohl gristmill, operated by the Flick Brothers.
The church had its first fundraiser, an oyster supper, on New Year’s Eve 1880. (Nowadays, our annual fundraiser event takes place two weeks before Thanksgiving, serving a turkey and roast beef dinner to almost 400 people).
By 1904, it was decided to build a larger church building. Members of the congregation helped by cutting donated trees for lumber. The new church building was completed in 1908.
At that time, it was the custom for the ladies to sit on one side of the sanctuary and the men on the other, having entered through two different doors.
Early one Sunday morning, the janitor noticed that the lock on the door that the ladies used was broken. He nailed a plank across the door, and from that time on, the ladies and men used the same door and sat side by side during services!
In 1921, a fire raged through the church building, causing considerable damage. Again in 1953, a fire overtook most of the church building, but once again, the church was rebuilt.
To make the church more accessible to those with physical impairments, a stair lift was added in 1997. The lift has been put to good use ever since by members and visitors alike.
In July 2013 funds were pulled together and a new furnace and air conditioner were added by many men of the church working together to install them.
The serenity and simplicity of the sanctuary, and being able to have easy access to it welcomes people of this house of God at Ohltown UMC.
Among the first settlers were Henry and Abolona Lerch Ohl and their nine children. When the Ohl family came to Ohio, their oldest son, Michael, was 21 years old. On September 18, 1806 Michael married Eva Meyers (Meiers), who made the journey to Ohio with the Ohl family, and the newlyweds settled in the southeastern corner of Austintown Township, where they lived for 12 years and where the first five of their 13 children were born.
Michael Ohl was a community leader in all local enterprises and activities. The town, named for him, was laid out on land owned by him. Some of the earliest religious services of the community, held three times a month, were held in the local gristmill and sawmill, and the prayer meetings were conducted in various homes.
In 1815 and 1816 Michael purchased 230 acres of land in what is now southwestern Weathersfield Township, where Meander Creek flowed.
Residents walked to services barefooted in warm weather, stopping to don their stockings and shoes before the services. Stockings and shoes were then removed for the trek home, all to save valuable shoe leather.
In 1847, the congregation purchased its first church building from the Lutheran Church of Ohltown.
Michael Ohl died in 1849 but his sons held a deep interest in the home their father had made for them. By 1882 Ohltown was a quiet little village with only some thirty houses, two small stores and a blacksmith’s shop and the Ohl gristmill, operated by the Flick Brothers.
The church had its first fundraiser, an oyster supper, on New Year’s Eve 1880. (Nowadays, our annual fundraiser event takes place two weeks before Thanksgiving, serving a turkey and roast beef dinner to almost 400 people).
By 1904, it was decided to build a larger church building. Members of the congregation helped by cutting donated trees for lumber. The new church building was completed in 1908.
At that time, it was the custom for the ladies to sit on one side of the sanctuary and the men on the other, having entered through two different doors.
Early one Sunday morning, the janitor noticed that the lock on the door that the ladies used was broken. He nailed a plank across the door, and from that time on, the ladies and men used the same door and sat side by side during services!
In 1921, a fire raged through the church building, causing considerable damage. Again in 1953, a fire overtook most of the church building, but once again, the church was rebuilt.
To make the church more accessible to those with physical impairments, a stair lift was added in 1997. The lift has been put to good use ever since by members and visitors alike.
In July 2013 funds were pulled together and a new furnace and air conditioner were added by many men of the church working together to install them.
The serenity and simplicity of the sanctuary, and being able to have easy access to it welcomes people of this house of God at Ohltown UMC.