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Perry Township Historically, Perry Township is perhaps best known as an area settled by the Ursulines of Brown County. Here, some remains can still be found from early Indian settlements, but the tribe is unknown. There are numerous mounds, which are attributed to an unknown prehistoric people. Unearthed in these regions are tools made of stone for hunting and food preparation. The earliest record of this area dates back to March of 1792. In Perry Township, along the Little Miami River, a battle took place between a party of Kentuckians and some Indians led by Tecumseh. This was one of the many battles that Simon Kenton fought against Tecumseh. The battle lasted many days and finally ended north of Brown County. Perry Township was originally located in Clermont County and was formed by the Clermont Commissioners on June 6, 1815. Perry Township was part of Clermont County until December 27, 1817, when Brown County was formed by an act of the State Legislature. A man of Irish decent, Mr. Cornelius McGroarty, bought the area now known as Fayetteville in 1818. He was father to Colonel Stephan McGroarty of the Ohio Volunteers in Rebellion. Today, Fayetteville is a high settlement area in Perry Township. Eratus Atkins built the first house in Fayetteville, before its incorporation, in 1811. The majority of the first settlers were members of the Methodist Church. However, Catholicism has had a major impact and role in Perry Township. It was there, in 1823, that the woods of current day St. Martin were used as a mission for Catholics. Later in 1830, Reverend Martin Kundig settled there and promoted Catholicism. His leadership inspired the naming of the area as St. Martin. In 1845, after the passing of Reverend Kundig, Mother Julia Chatfield came with other French nuns to settle in the village and started St. Ursuline Convent. Fayetteville:
St. Martin: The Village of St. Martin was founded in 1830by Reverend Martin Knudig. Most of the early settlers were of French and Irish origin. The log church house that was built in 1830 was the first Catholic Church in the eastern part of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. St. Martin became the site of a seminary from 1839 to 1845. In 1845 Julia Chatfield, and English nun who was trained in France, founded the Brown County Ursulines. The Ursuline Sisters have operated a variety of ministries in St. Martin over the past 150 years. These include a finishing school for young women (1845 to 1981), a nun’s training center (1960 to 1970), and Chatfield College (1970 to present). The Ursulines have served the community as educators, community organizers, and as promoters of the arts and social services. They helped organize the Brown County Chamber of Commerce, advocated for the location of a Catholic Social Services office, and funded the Hope Emergency Program. Important families in the history of St. Martin were the Bambers and the Holdens. The descendants of these families still living in Perry Township include the Holdens. The primary industry of St. Martin from the beginning was agriculture. To this day most of the villages land mass is devoted to farming. The second is education (Chatfield College and its predecessors). Most farmers now lease their land to larger operations and commute to jobs outside the township. St. Martin is also the home of the Church of St. Martin (RC) and the South West Ohio Regional Library. Sites of interest: Pioneer Cemetery (on Ursuline grounds), the Ursuline Cemetery St. Martin Church, St. Martin Cemetery, Brown County Inn (now a private residence) Lake Lorelei: Lake Lorelei is a recreational development located in Perry Township in the Northern Panhandle of Perry Township, Brown County. Farms owned by McCaffertys, Bergers, Sorgs and various small plots were purchased for the development of Lake Lorelei. The area was chosen due to the topography and Glady Run Creek, which formed a natural lake area. |
