Did you know St. Ann Church, Hamilton, was in grave danger of being closed after just five years as a parish, when its construction debt was two years in arrears and amounted to a whopping $350 (almost $10,400 today) per parishioner?

1908
St. Ann organized as a mission of St. Joseph Church for the growing Lindenwald area. First Mass celebrated on the Feast of St. Ann in a rented home converted for use as a church.

1909
St. Ann established as a parish with a resident pastor. Rented home divided, with school on one side and pastor’s residence upstairs.

1910
Work begun for new parish and school building. First Mass celebrated on Christmas day in the basement, which continued as the church for decades.

1914
First of several missions held to increase membership. Many area Catholics had never attended Mass there, or anywhere, for years. Parish finances slowly improved.

1921
Convent built for the school’s teachers.

1936
Construction begun for current church, designed by architect Edward Schulte, in a unique combination of styles. Indiana limestone exterior is largely Streamline Art Deco, while interior is modified Gothic Revival. Elaborate woodwork throughout carved by E. Hackner Altar Co. in La Crosse, WI.

1938
Bell tower removed from school building, which no longer doubled as a church. “A lot of churches don’t have real candles anymore, but it’s a good tradition and fits here — it’s ‘old school,’ like the kneelers. There’s a lot of detail in the stained glass and wood carvings and architecture, especially if you look up to the ceiling. Most of the parishioners have been here their whole lives. It’s a warm
and inviting parish.” – Julie Kluesener, Administrative Assistant

Fort Hamilton
Founded in 1791 and named after Alexander Hamilton, Fort Hamilton was abandoned after the 1796 Treaty of Greenville, but the area remained in use for trade and farming. Incorporated as the City of Hamilton in 1810, by the mid-1800s it had become a major manufacturing center attracting German, Italian and Jewish immigrant workers.

Lindenwald
Now Hamilton’s largest neighborhood, Lindenwald was a stop on the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad and was annexed to the city in 1908