South Kirtland Congregational Church
Kirtland, Ohio 1859

The congregation which built the church was formed in 1819, consisting of ten settlers, all of whom had been Congregationalists in Connecticut or Massachusetts and were descended from the original Pilgrims. They built a log cabin on the site of the present sanctuary in 1822. A disastrous fire destroyed the first building, and a severe hurricane badly damaged the second building. The present structure was erected in 1859, and the belfry was added two years later. The church bell in the belfry was made from metals of the Civil War. It is said local surveyors used the belfry as a fixed point of establishing legal property lines. A newspaper account of the dedication of the new church building stated: “This meeting-house is erected on the highlands at the center of the township. ...unquestionably the best church edifice in the County.”

Architectural Style: Carpenter Gothic

Address: 9802 Chillicothe Road, Kirtland, Ohio