St. Peter Catholic Church and Rectory
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
St. Peter Catholic Church and its rectory stand at the northwest corner of St. Peter and Philothea Roads in Mercer County, Ohio. The brick Gothic church was built between 1904 and 1906 and has a three-bay front, a projecting tower with a single doorway, a slate gable roof, and peaked arches with sandstone-trimmed buttresses. Its spire has been removed and the brick sandblasted, but the interior retains outstanding white reredos and few changes to its decoration. The parish formed in 1858, when poor winter roads made the trip to St. Joe difficult. Peter Kerber carried the altarstone and chalice more than twenty miles from Union City on foot, and the church was named for him. The two-story brick rectory, built in 1912, was the parish's first. It has a hipped roof, bracketed cornice and a wraparound wooden veranda. Both buildings remain in use.
Significance in brief: The church is a large Gothic building with peaked arches, sandstone-trimmed buttresses and notable white reredos inside, little altered. The parish was founded in 1858 after settlers found travel to St. Joe too difficult, and the church is named for Peter Kerber, who carried the altarstone and chalice on foot. The rectory is the first built for the parish.
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 79002831, listed July 26, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | St. Peter and Philothea Rds., St. Peter |
|---|---|
| County | Mercer County |
| Listed | July 26, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79002831 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1904-1912 |
| Architectural style | Gothic (church); Vernacular (rectory) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Both church and rectory are in their original uses, with exterior condition rated good; the church interior is also rated good. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 40.45084, -84.74670 (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 79002831.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138588740
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.