Minster, lying upon the summit between the waters of Lake Erie and the Ohio River, is located at the junction of Ohio Routes 66 and 119. Ohio 66 essentially follows the portage between Loramie Creek and the St. Marys River, a trail followed by the Indians as well as early military expeditions, and this makes Minster a partner with Ft.Loramie and New Bremen in sharing the romance and earliest history of the area.
Most of Minster's earliest settlers came from a small area of southern Oldenburg and nearby Hannover in Germany and sailed from the nearby port of Bremen. Most of the immigrant vessels from Bremen landed at Baltimore after a trying and frequently difficult voyage of anywhere from five to thirteen weeks. From Baltimore, women and children, trunks and baggage, were loaded onto large freight wagons headed for the Pittsburg-Wheeling area. Men and boys usually walked this fourteen to sixteen day journey. From here the immigrants floated down the Ohio River on flatboats with Cincinnati their destination. Later arrivals sailed by river steamer, a five day trip. From Cincinnati, travel north was by canal boat to Dayton where the exhausted travelers either hired a wagon or walked over the old trail through Piqua to Minster.
In late Summer of 1832, Francis Joseph Stallo and six other men, acting as agents for a group of ninety-seven young Germans gathered in Cincinnati, purchased land on which to build a German settlement in this area. On September 28, 1832, they bought 640 acres for $800 in silver. Trees were gradually felled, streets laid out, and the site was divided into lots, 144 in number, which made up the new village of Stallotown. In July of 1833 Stallo died suddenly, a victim of cholera. Three years later the town was renamed Minster.
Indians, the Miami, Shawnee, Wyandotte and Ottawa tribes, had once roamed this great wilderness; the last of these had left the vicinity in 1831 as a result of a treaty. This area was then a vast timberland of oak, beech,1 maple and other hardwoods. Early farmers could only girdle the giant trees to kill them and planted their first crops in the spaces between. These trees were later burned. The forest at that time was full of game ... wild turkey, deer, raccoons, squirrels and even wolves. It is told, however, that these Germans were not good hunters because they had only a few light shotguns and because they were afraid of getting lost in the unmarked forest, an event that easily occurred. Swampy conditions, malaria, typhoid fever, cholera, and above all Isolation kept the community from growing immediately, But in 1845 the completion of the Miami and Erie Canal from Toledo through Minster to Cincinnati changed that picture. Trade developed rapidly, and hundreds of sixty- and eighty-ton freight boats took the farmers' surplus grain, pork and lumber, and the products of infant industries such as barrels, from Minster to the Toledo and Cincinnati markets, and to points between and beyond.
Development was arrested for a while when disaster in the form of the great cholera epidemic that swept up along the trade routes, took the lives of more than 300 of Minster's people. The victims, most of whom died during July and August of 1849, were hastily buried in mass graves. A recently erected monument commemorating these victims is still to be seen in the St. Augustine Cemetery south of town.
With the advent of the railroad in 1877, the importance of the canal declined. It had been a bustling and colorful era, and one can almost picture families taking a picnic excursion or visiting friends via canal boat, and even occasionally making a longer journey of two days and three nights to Cincinnati for a fee of $1.50. The Lake Erie and Western Railroad handled freight and offered twice a day passenger service which continued until 1902. In that year the Western Ohio Railway Company began its operation of the trolley cars which were discontinued in 1932.
Minster's old barrel factories, brewery, flour mill, brick and tile kilns, tanneries, pork packers, and creamery are no longer here, but in their place are many other businesses. Minster's larger industrial and commercial firms have replaced them and now conduct business in the multi-million dollar area. Products of such diversified ventures as the Minster Machine Company, Morsey Egg Processors, Minster Canning Company, Progress Tool & Die, Precision Strip, Dannon Yogurt, printing companies, and others are to be found throughout the area, the country, and in various foreign countries. Progress continues.
The traveler approaching Minster cannot fail to notice the twin towers rising from St. Augustine Church. The first settlers brought with them their strong Catholic faith evidenced in this basic 60 x 120 foot brick structure built in 1848. This first brick church, with its tower on the roof at the east end, replaced the very first log church (40 feet by 60 feet x 16 logs high) which was built in 1835 on North Park Street. The twin towers were added to the west end about 1874 and the earlier tower was removed. About 1901 the entire roof and ceiling were replaced and a sanctuary added at the east end. At this time the entrance was changed to the west end of the church. St. Augustine was the earliest Catholic church in this area and served as the "mother" church for a number of surrounding communities, since these towns were first serviced by clergy based in Minster. In 1978 new stained glass windows were installed in the north entrance of St. Augustine's. These windows depict the early settlers' religious roots as well as the dates of the establishment of "daughter" churches.
Minster is proud of its school system. The first log school of 1833 has been followed by replacements and additions in 1853, 1867, 1895, 1905, 1931, 1952 and 1965 to its present size capable of accomodating about 1200 pupils from kindergarten through high school. The school system has a reputation for high academic standards, and a large percentage of its graduates go on to further studies in college and technical schools.
Visitors to this area will find that Minster has locally owned retail and service establishments and medical facilities to fill every need. The F. J. Stallo Memorial Library houses the local Historical Society's collection of genealogical materials, and welcomes visitors. Recreational facilities include a municipal park with a spacious pool area, baseball field, and large play areas with shelter house. Available are a golf course, bowling alleys and theater. In addition nearby Ft. Loramie State Park offers scenic camping fishing, boating and recreational areas.
02/06