Chickasaw School and Rectory
Also known as: Precious Blood Catholic Rectory
Why it's listed
Chickasaw School is a two-story brick building erected in 1908 on Maple Street in Chickasaw, Mercer County, Ohio. A square, projecting bell tower dominates the facade, with double doors under an elliptical fanlight and an inscription stone reading "Chickasaw Public School Erected A.D. 1908." The hipped slate roof carries two corbelled chimneys, and the style combines Italianate and Tuscan tower elements. Across the street stands the Precious Blood rectory, a square brick priest house from 1904 with a pyramidal roof, gabled dormers and a lattice-skirted front porch. The parish was separated from St. Sebastian's in 1903, a contested split. The two buildings were listed together as part of a thematic group of cross-tipped churches and related structures in western Ohio and Indiana. When inventoried, the school was still used for classes, though a late-1950s state law requiring four years of high school had pushed Chickasaw into the Marion Local School District, and a new building nearby threatened it.
Significance in brief: The school and rectory were listed as part of a thematic group of cross-tipped churches and related buildings in Auglaize, Darke, Mercer and Shelby Counties, Ohio, and Jay County, Indiana. The rectory is tied to the founding of Precious Blood parish, separated from St. Sebastian's in 1903. The school is notable for its Italianate style with a Tuscan tower.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 79002848, listed July 26, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Maple St., Chickasaw |
|---|---|
| County | Mercer County |
| Listed | July 26, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79002848 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Probably De Curtins (contractor/builder of the school); De Cuntins listed for the rectory |
| Architectural style | School: Italianate with Tuscan tower; Rectory: Vernacular |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Religion |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The school was still in use at the time of the inventory but was considered threatened by a new school building under construction; both buildings were in good exterior condition. The church was built in 1967 and is noted as non-contributing. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.43624, -84.49302 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 79002848.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7239433
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.