Sandusky in Erie County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Holy Angels Catholic Church

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 7, 2019

1. Holy Angels Catholic Church Marker

Inscription. Holy Angels Catholic Church is the mother church of Sandusky. Reverend Joseph P. Machebeuf, a French Missionary, began ministering to Catholics in the Sandusky area in late 1839. Soon after William H. Mills offered five lots, $530, and the materials needed to build a church. Father Machebeuf laid the cornerstone on October 13, 1841, and services were held in 1842. By Christmas of 1845, the building was complete, the steeple added, and the bell installed. The congregation was mostly Irish emigrants. In 1855 as more Germans settled nearby, they built St. Mary’s Mother of Sorrows Church. The city’s expansion prompted the building of Saints Peter and Paul Church, in 1871, Holy Angels became a mission church of Saints Peter and Paul until 1875, when Holy Angels was assigned its own pastor and reopened.

Erected 2016 by William G. Pomeroy Foundation, Holy Angels Catholic Church and The Ohio History Connection. (Marker Number 30-22.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection, and the William G. Pomeroy Foundation series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is October 13, 1841.

Location. 41° 26.968′ N,

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82° 43.396′ W. Marker is in Sandusky, Ohio, in Erie County. It is at the intersection of Tiffin Avenue (U.S. 6) and Clinton Street, on the left when traveling south on Tiffin Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 428 Tiffin Ave, Sandusky OH 44870, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Ohio’s Lake Erie Shore

and in the Western Reserve.

It is also in the American Midwest,

on the Great Lakes,

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Cholera Cemetery / In Honor of the Doctors (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Pioneers of Sandsky, Ohio (about 600 feet away); Sandusky’s First Cemetery (approx. 0.4 miles away); Charles, Daniel and Gustave Frohman (approx. 0.4 miles away); Erie County Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.6 miles away); In Flanders' Fields (approx. 0.6 miles away); Iraq & Afghanistan Memorial (approx. 0.6 miles away); Desert Storm Memorial Tree (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sandusky.

Also see . . . The history of Holy Angels Catholic Church. 2018 article by Caitlin Nearhood in the Sandusky Register. Excerpt:

“Later, W. H. Mills offered the present location which consists of five lots,” according to the church’s website. “He also gave $530, all the stone, and all the timber for the building. The parishioners began hauling stone from nearby quarries and preparing timber. The cornerstone was laid on October 13, 1841. However, walls
Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 7, 2019

2. Holy Angels Catholic Church Marker
to the church, laid by hand were not completed until June 6, 1842. The church still had no roof. Father Machebeuf returned to his native France where he was successful in securing financial aid from his fellow countrymen.”

In 1845, construction on the church finished and the building was dedicated to the Triune God and His Holy Angels. A bell in the church’s tower came from Toledo the year after.

(Submitted on November 4, 2019.)

Holy Angels Catholic Church, Sandusky Ohio image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 7, 2019

3. Holy Angels Catholic Church, Sandusky Ohio

Holy Angels Catholic Church NRoHP image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Doda, May 16, 2025

4. Holy Angels Catholic Church NRoHP

Photographed by Craig Doda, May 16, 2025

5. Holy Angels Catholic Church Marker

Photographed by Craig Doda, May 16, 2025

6. Holy Angels Catholic Church Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on May 22, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 4, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 592 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 4, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 4, 5, 6. submitted on May 19, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio.