A very special delivery...
In 2004, I reconnected with
my very distant past,
finding the Church my
forefathers built in 1850. A
year later we were invited
to the 150th anniversary of
the dedication of the
Church, and my wife and I
hand-delivered a 5’ framed
Image to the parish
(see picture inset)..
They promptly hung the Image
above the altar. Here is a
short history of the Church:
On a hill overlooking the
western part of Muskingum
River Valley, there was
built in 1856, a red brick
church under the title of
the Church of the Nativity
of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
William Mattingly was the
first Catholic to settle in
this area. He and his family
settled on 100 acres in
December 1813. They traveled
10 miles each way to
Zanesville on Sunday to
attend Mass. In 1838,
William purchased 141 acres
which would later be the
location of the Church. The
same day he purchased the
land he sold it to his
nephew John, who had only
recently come to Ohio. More
Mattingly families came and
settled in the area. Because
of the number of
Mattingly’s, locals began to
refer to it as “Mattingly
Settlement.” In 1855, the
request to build a church
was made to Archbishop
Purcell of Cincinnati. He
gave his approval and John
Mattingly then donated the
land for the church.
Construction began in 1856.
Most of the materials used
were from sources on the
land. The bricks were made
on the site. By November the
church was under roof. In
November 1861, the church
was blessed by Archbishop
Purcell. In 1887, the
steeple and bell were added
to the church. In 1908, the
church was finally finished
with the addition of the
stained glass windows. The
grotto, honoring Our Lady,
was built in 1926 by Father
Jerome Mattingly.
ST. MARY MATTINGLY
SETTLEMENT Established: 1856
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