{"nrhp_refnum":"79002827","name":"St. Paul's Catholic Church and Rectory","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"R.R. 1, Ft. Recovery","address_restricted":false,"city":"Sharpsburg","county":"Mercer County","state":"OH","lat":40.36726934100005,"lon":-84.71144584399997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-07-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Gothic-style brick Catholic church built in 1889 and a brick rectory built in 1902, at the crossroads hamlet of Sharpsburg in Mercer County, Ohio. The church architect is listed as De Curtins.","why_significant":"The church was built in 1889 after a lightning strike destroyed the parish's 1868 frame church, and it represents a second-generation Catholic church. It is the nucleus of the hamlet and is notable for its pointed arches, central tower and decorated frieze. The rectory is a vernacular building with decorative roof and window details, tied to the parish's early history.","narrative":"St. Paul's Catholic Church and its rectory form the center of the small crossroads hamlet of Sharpsburg in Mercer County, Ohio. Local families built a frame church in 1868, but a thunderbolt destroyed it in 1887, and the congregation took this as a sign to build a new one. The present brick church, completed in 1889 in the Gothic style, has a slate gable roof, stone foundation and a facade dominated by triple pointed arches, a central tower and a decorated frieze. A belfry is topped by a gold cross above a gold ball representing the world. Stained glass windows carry the names of donors. The interior was stripped and modernized in 1970, while the exterior was left unaltered. The brick rectory, built about 1902 in a vernacular style, has a hipped slate roof, metal ridge ornaments, decorative shingles and leaded glass windows. Both buildings remain in use by the parish.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"De Curtins (architect or engineer, church)","architectural_style":"Gothic (church); Vernacular (rectory)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Church and rectory remain in use. Church interior was remodeled in 1970 while the exterior was not altered; exterior condition is good for both.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:12.02894-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/79002827.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002827/bd3d0cdf45-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002827/bd3d0cdf45-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Paul%27s_Church_in_Sharpsburg,_tower_from_base.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Paul%27s_Church_in_Sharpsburg,_tower_from_base.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71985885","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138588524"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/mercer-county/st-pauls-catholic-church-and-rectory-79002827/"}