St. John the Baptist Church and Parish Center

Finished in 1878 but with connections to the community dating back to 1834, St. John the Baptist Church showcases the history of Catholicism in the Great Black Swamp area of Northwestern Ohio. Present on the grounds is the church itself, a historical collection of artifacts from both the church and its congregation dating to their founding located within the nearby parish center, as well as a cemetery and shrine area that houses the remains of their founder Fr. Johann Horstmann and other early parishioners. The church is still used for active worship, a testimony to the strength and resilience of the communities within this area.

The history of Glandorf, Ohio is inextricably linked to the foundation of St. John the Baptist church and the congregation who built it. Fr. Johann Wilhelm Horstmann and several others immigrated to the United States from Glandorf, Germany in 1833. They received permission from the Bishop of Cincinnati, John Baptist Purcell, to start a settlement within the swamps of the northwestern part of the state. They journeyed north into modern day Putnam county eventually settling nearly Ottawa and forming the village of Glandorf. The first Catholic mass in the new religious township was celebrated on Eastern Sunday, March 30, 1984.

The further immigration from the German Glandorf as well as from the local population spurred growth in the community until Fr. Hostmann's death in 1843, from there custodianship of the town passed to his successor, Reverend George Boehne, who guided the village until his death in 1848. Upon Rev. Boehne death, the parish and village were entrusted to the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. The missionaries built several religious and educational structures in the village, largely increasing its relevance within northwestern Ohio. In the 1870's it became clear that the log church built by Horstmann upon his arrival and the simple brick church built by Boehne were no longer suitable for the growing population. The parish head at the time, Rev. Bernard Dickmann began attempting to solicit funds from both the Diocese of Toledo, Cleveland, and the local population to build the current structure that stands today.

Construction on the building began in 1878 with the Cleveland architectural firm of Frank Cudell and John Richardson over seeing the neo-gothic design. Cudell and Richardson collaborated on the creation of several Cleveland landmarks over the course of their careers such as Tiedemann House and the Perry-Payne Building, creating an architectural lineage between such structures and St. John the Baptist church. Despite its ties to Lake Erie however, much of the material for the building was procured locally. The Swiss-Mennonite community in Pandora quarried and laid the limestone foundation, parishioners were given "volunteer" hours to provide the labor needed for the church, and over a million of the bricks came from the surrounding areas, some from even Glandorf proper. By 1878 construction on the church had finished with the final dimensions of the building coming to 170' long, 70' wide with a spire measuring 225' and housing four bells and a four sided clock.

Shortly after the erection of building, the Pioneer cemetery that had been in use since the foundation of the settlement also began to become outgrown by the population. In 1900, Horstmann's remains were moved from their original resting place under altar of the church and instead interned within a new shrine under a marble pillar, which stands to this day. Also moved to new resting places were several other founding members and parishioners of Glandorf, creating a memorial park and grotto out of the remains of the original cemetery. The cemetery, located across the street, remains much the same as it was during its creation besides the inclusion of a historical marker upon the inclusion of the church and surrounding buildings in the national register in 1976.

The church itself remained largely in its original state until the implementation of the Vatican II reforms in the 1960's. Efforts were made to modernize the church's interior and exterior appearances including the destruction of the high altar complex (to reinforce the new understanding of a singular altar), simplification of the baptismal font by removing a statue of John the Baptist, and the additional removal of several other statues and paintings. Further change came to the church following a serious fire in 1992. The fire burned through much of the interior, stopping only when it hit a fire wall. Intense renovations were undertaken to restore the interior of the building to its pre-conflagration appearance, with the building opening back up for services and tours in 1994 until the present day.

Leach, Michael. Gladorf, Ohio, St. John the Baptist Parish Museum Guide. Glandorf, Ohio. St. John the Baptist Parish, 2015.

Leach, Michael. Laborers in the Vineyard: A History of the Precious Blood Community in Glandorf, Ohio 1848-1998. Defiance, Ohio. The Hubbard Company, 2000.

Case Western University. Cudell, Frank (Franz) E., Encyclopedia of Cleveland History . Accessed July 1st 2021. https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/cudell-frank-franz-e.