St. Stephen’s Catholic Church in August 1975. The building is located on the southwest corner of West Park Avenue and South Arlington Avenue in Niles, Ohio. PO1.342

Front view of St. Stephen’s Catholic Church on the corner of West Park and Arlington Streets in downtown Niles, Ohio. PO1.341

St. Stephen Church and School History.

About the middle 1800s the Industrial Revolution showed its influence in Niles as industries
began to develop. Iron works arose and expanded rapidly and as a result attracted many
laborers to this area. Among the newcomers was a small number of Catholics.

As early as 1853, the spiritual welfare of the Niles Catholics was entrusted to the resident
priest of Dungannon, Columbiana County. Reverend Francis Stoker was the first priest to
administer the sacraments to the few Catholic families residing in Niles.

Owing to the small number of Catholic families and their poverty, for the first ten years Mass was celebrated in private homes. Then in the Spring of 1864, steps toward the erection of a church were taken. Father O’Callighan purchased two lots at the corner of Park Avenue and Mechanic Street (Arlington) and during the same year built a small frame church placing it under the patronage of St. Stephen. The church was very plain and of simple structure, but it provided a permanent place of worship. Later, from time to time, as means became available, improvements were made to the building.

In July, 1865, the Reverend A.R. Siddley was appointed by the Right Reverend Bishop Rappe as the first resident pastor of St. Stephens. Shortly afterwards he built a pastoral residence which was still occupied by priests in 1934. In February of the following year, he purchased five acres of land for a cemetery near to the RMI factory on the back way to Warren, Ohio. Father Siddley was replaced by Reverend E.J. Conway, his pastorate was short-lived lasting only three months.

In 1868, Father Rebelled, a priest with great energy, organized a parochial school to provide the children with the benefits of a thorough religious training. This move was met with opposition from the parishioners who believed that they could not afford to support the school. Soon, however, this feeling passed and the school was continuously in charge of lay teachers without further difficulty. Father Kelley left in May, 1871.

Between 1885 and 1888, St. Stephens parish enjoyed a steady growth. As a result, the church became too small and provisions were made for a larger place of worship. Father O’Brien, in the summer of 1888, began raising funds for the new church which Father Desmond continued with success.

The plans were drawn up for a brick church of Romanesque style which was approved by the Diocese, foundation work began in the fall of 1888 and completed the summer of the following year by Father Scullin. The blessing of the cornerstone took place Sunday, May 11, 1891. During the same year the church was enclosed and the interior completed in time for Christmas Mass to be celebrated in the new church. On Sunday May 8, 1892, with solemn ceremonies, attended by a multitude of people of various denominations, Bishop Horstmann dedicated the beautiful edifice.

When the work on the foundations for the new church commenced, the first church had to be removed. In 1893, the old building was transformed into a school, containing two large rooms. It served its purpose until the new brick school was completed in 1900, during the pastorate of Father Scullin.

Up to the year 1880, the parish school was taught by lay teachers, but in that year the Sisters
of the Humility of Mary were put in charge and since that time have conducted it in a very
able manner with nine Sisters and one lay teacher.

At the present time (1934) the attendance in the parish school numbers 176. As there is no parochial school connected with the other Niles Catholic parish, which is exclusively Italian, St. Stephens’ school also takes care of some of the children of the sister congregation.

Mount Carmel School was completed September 1949 with a staff of six sisters and 226 students from K-4 grades.

Looking north along Arlington Avenue from West State Street between 1901 and 1908.

St. Stephen's Roman Catholic Church, St. Stephen’s School and St. Stephen Academy of Music as they appeared in 1905. The building on the left was the Academy of Music.

Operated separately from the parish school, the Academy had an enrollment of as many as 150 students at one time. This site continued to serve as the residence of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary until 1989.

All of these buildings were remodeled in the 1920s. The school bell tower was removed in 1948.

St. Stephen’s School was torn down in the summer of 1971. The convent was razed in 1998. PO1.1197.1

In 1898, a music academy was added by the sisters of the parochial school. This music department, as the years rolled by, became an important branch of the educational system of St. Stephens’. From a few students in the early years, the number of pupils has grown to over 150. This large number requires the constant time of two sisters.

During Father McDonough’s six years as Pastor, he enlarged the sister’s residence by adding twelve rooms and a beautiful little chapel. Fire having destroyed the sanctuary of the church, he was forced to rebuild it. In doing so, the church was lengthened, increasing the capacity by one-third. The steeple, many times struck by lightning, was made much smaller and more substantial.

St. Stephens may justly be ranked among the most active and energetic parishes. A number of organizations are affiliated with the church. The Niles Catholic Women’s Club with membership of over 150. The young people of the parish have the Cheliel Club to take care of their social activities, while the Toffe Club unites the high school students of the congregation for their social affairs. These various organizations meet in the McKinley Theatre (formerely located on North Main Street where Sparkle Market is today(2020), the parish auditorium, purchased in 1928.

Note: The preceding was written in 1934. No sources have been listed, and the author is unknown.

Taken sometime between 1908 and 1915, this image is looking west from the Public or Commons Park, which was located on the northeast corner of Arlington Avenue and West Park Avenue. The park is now a part of the McKinley Memorial grounds.

St. Stephen’s Church is on the left. The old
First Methodist Episcopal Church, pictured on the right, stood directly across from St. Stephen’s on the northwest corner of West Park Avenue and Arlington Street. Built in 1908, it was razed after a fire destroyed most of the building in 1951. The new Methodist Church was erected on North Crandon
Avenue in 1957.

The porch of the old Town Hall is visible on the extreme right. It was demolished in 1915 to make way for construction of the McKinley Memorial Building.

The original Parish House or Rectory of St. Stephen’s Church fronted W. Park Avenue adjacent to the church which is visible on the left-hand side of the picture. It is unclear when this photo was taken.

The house is draped in mourning for a deceased priest.

This structure no longer exits. The current rectory is located further west on the southeast corner of South Chestnut Avenue and West Park Avenue. PO1.345

Unidentified St. Stephen’s priest and pupils pose in this photo ca 1900. PO1.1664

St. Stephen’s priest, Father Scullin and pupils from Room 4 in 1903. It appears the group may be posing on the steps leading to the northeast entrance of the school. PO1

View of a grade school classroom and children attending St. Stephen's parochial school. PO1.1665

View of a grade school classroom and children attending St. Stephen’s parochial school. PO1.1666

First grade at St. Stephen School in Niles, Ohio unknown date. possibly 1933. PO7.38

St. Stephen School 8th grade, 1941. PO7.39

St. Stephen School 7th grade, 1941. PO7.45

View of the Holy Humility of Mary Convent which was located on the northwest corner of South Arlington Avenue and West State Street. These nuns taught at St. Stephen’s parochial school.

At one time this building also housed the St. Stephen’s Academy of Music.

Though it is unclear exactly when this building was constructed, records indicate that it was operating as St. Stephen’s Academy as far back as 1898.

The Academy was enlarged when twelve more rooms and an altar were added to the structure in the 1920s. Again, compare this photo to the previous postcard images.

In June 1989, the Sisters of Humility of Mary departed St. Stephen’s Parish after more than 100 years of service. Sisters Mary Slick, Margaret Burgess, and Kathryn Conry were the last remaining nuns at St. Stephen’s and were honored with a farewell Mass and reception. PO1.2065

Their roles as teachers at St. Stephen’s School were filled by the laity.

This image was taken before the convent was razed in 1998. The building on the left is the new St. Stephen’s School. PO1.2065

View of the Holy Humility of Mary Convent from the rear. The building on the far right still stands on the southwest corner of South Arlington Avenue and West State Street.

It was the former home of William and Catherine Jenkins. After the death of Mrs. Jenkins in 1961, the property was acquired by
St. Stephen’s Parish. PO1.2066

View of the front entrance of the Holy Humility of Mary Convent on South Arlington Avenue. PO1.2067

St. Stephen’s Church on the southwest corner of West Park Avenue and South Arlington Avenue is a red brick building of Romanesque style. Work on the foundation began in 1888, and the first Mass was celebrated on Christmas Day in 1891.

The new church replaced a frame structure which had served area Catholics since 1864.

That wooden church was moved southwest to a lot fronting the north side of Mill Street prior to the construction of the new brick edifice. It would serve as a parochial school until work on a new brick school was begun in 1900.

It is believed that the smaller building pictured on the far left in the image above was one of two other wooden structures which were also
employed as classrooms. This would date the photograph to sometime in the 1890s.PO1.339

The original steeple of St. Stephen's Church was struck by lightning several times, this photo shows the damage when the steeple was struck in 1906.

Notice the difference between the height of the original steeple(L) and the current steeple(R).

Photo taken of St. Stephen’s Church from the grounds of the McKinley Memorial in March 1975. In the foreground is the old Civil War cannon.

The brick dwelling in the background on the right was located at 23-25 South Chestnut Avenue. It has since been demolished. PO1.343

View of St. Stephen’s Music Academy. Built in 1900, it became the convent of the blue nuns of Humility of Mary that taught at St. Stephen's School.

This picture was taken before the school building was razed in 1971. SO11.95

View of the old St. Stephen's School on South Arlington Avenue. This brick building replaced two wooden framed structures (possibly the original St. Stephen’s Church) which formerly served as classrooms for the parish school. Construction began in 1900 at a cost of about $25,000. The new school was dedicated in 1901.

After the opening of the new St. Stephen’s School in 1954, this building continued to be used for various purposes until it was finally condemned in 1968.

This picture was taken just before the building was razed in July 1971. SO11.91

Demolition of the old St. Stephen’s School building in 1971. This area became part of the playground for the new school. SO11.93

Unknown Date
Niles Daily Times photograph

February 8, 1954
Niles Daily Times photograph

July 27, 1971
Niles Daily Times photograph

As I said in our phone conversation, my girlfriend’s mother moved into a house on Bowman Street not long ago. Taking advantage of the nice weather, they were raking out and weeding near the back of the house when all of a sudden the rake struck something under the dirt. Clearing away the debris they found this cement marker that measures about seven feet long, twenty two and one half inches wide and three inches thick. The house was previously owned by Robert and Alberta Ellwood. (Mr. Elwood was Irish and would dress up as a leprechaun on St. Patrick's Day). Story and photograph by David Gill.

The following was reported by Marci Ellwood: It came from the old St. Stephen School when it was torn down. ..my mothe- in-law wanted it . Ernie Labruno, the school janitor told the family there was no way in hell they could possibly haul it away. Being Ellwood’s they were challenged. My husband, his brothers and uncle picked it up and put it in back of their station wagon then took it to my mother-in-law’s home.
Click to see the location of the marker on the old school.

The Growth of Niles Churches — Grace Allison

The first pioneer families who came to Niles found themselves in a rough, raw settlement that was struggling to survive on the brink of a harsh frontier. Few of the amenities of the eastern seaboard were to be found here, and the early community waited long before it was able to provide regular !schools and organized churches.

These first settlers were Protestants, representing many different denominations, none of which was large enough to organize a church congregation and establish a permanent house of worships. Small groups of worshippers met in private homes for years, but there was not a single organized church in Weathersfield Township until l839. This was many years after the first church has been established in the county, so that Niles worshippers were constrained to go to Youngstown, Warren, or Howland to attend services they preferred.

Methodists had been assembling for services as early as l8l4 in the home of Ebenezer Roller (Rowley?), Methodist ministers were noted for their field work and their willingness to evangelize in distant places. It was one such preacher, the Reverend Samuel Lane, a circuit rider, who occasionally preached at the Roller home. The Methodist Episcopal Church was established in 1839 with six persons in the first class.
Local Presbyterians formed their first congregation the same year. Some 15 to 20 persons assembled to organize a church of their persuasion under the leadership of the Reverend William 0. Stratton. New members continued to be attracted to the church enabling the congregation to undertake the construction of a new edifice costing $12, 000 in l892 The new building occupied the southwest corner of North Main and West Church Streets

Other Protestant denominations began the organization of established congregations soon afterward. The Disciples of Christ were organized in 1840 and built their first church in 1843 on a lot donated by James Heaton who did much to encourage the establishment of religious bodies in his village. The church, a frame structure, had a number of interesting features including two entrances on either side of the pulpit--one for men the other for women.

The first Episcopal service was held in Niles, in November, l870. Shortly afterward a parish was organized under the name of. “The Church of the Advent”, it later was renamed “St. Luke’s Mission” and then became St. Luke’s Episcopal Church,

As early as 1868 a small congregation of Baptists were holding their own services. It was not until 1890 however, that the Niles Baptist Church was organized by the Reverend U. M. Eley, who became pastor .

Two ethnic groups, the Welsh and the Hungarian both well represented in the community, formed their own Presbyterian congregations. The Welsh who were the more numerous, formed the Welsh Presbyterian on the South Side. In l876 the congregation dedicated a church building on West Second St. The congregation disbanded in 1924 and its members joined the First Presbyterian Church.

The Hungarian Presbyterian Church, a smaller congregation than the Welsh were unable to provide their own church building until l924 when they bought the Welsh church building. Before that time they held services at the First Presbyterian Church.

The Rev. Stephen Csepke was its first resident pastor, conducting services in the Hungarian language. The ethnic flavor of the church disappeared with the rise of new generations, the congregation was reorganized as the South Side United Presbyterian Church.

A religious society known as the Primitive Methodist Church was organized in l8?3 in “Russia Field”. The society, the only church of its kind in the county. represented an attempt by a local group of iron workers to return to the principles and practices of the founder of Methodism, John Wesley, They built a church in l873 but the congregation disbanded some years later.