St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church and School

Entrance of St. Joseph’s School. The inscription is from the Bible passage Mark 10:14, which Webster’s Bible translates as “Suffer the little children to come to me” Scanned image courtesy of University of Cincinnati Libraries, Archives and Rare Books Library

St. Joseph’s Parish was organized in 1846 and constructed a permanent church on the corner of Linn and Laurel Streets in 1848 for German immigrants in the West End. The German-American congregation appointed the church with elegantly carved oak pews, four bells for the tower, stained glass windows from Germany, a hand carved altar and Stations of the Cross and had William Lamprecht, a fellow German immigrant paint murals on the walls and ceiling. Since its peak membership of 800 families in 1895 the church’s congregation decreased somewhat and changed dramatically. By 1988, 99% of the church’s 400 members were African American, but much of the church’s German past is kept and honored by current members.

Bibliographical Sources:

The Bicentennial Guide to Greater Cincinnati: A Portrait of Two Hundred Years, by Geoffrey J. Giglierano, Deborah A. Overmeyer, with Frederic L. Propas, The Cincinnati Historical Society, 1988, page 113