More on Loramie-Minster Rivalry - Dave's Midwestern Ohio Memories

Series of Guest Blogs by an out-of-state Fish Report reader originally from this area about fond memories of growing up in Midwestern Ohio during the 50’s & 60’s

More on Loramie-Minster Rivalry

My recent blog about the Loramie-Minster rivalry over the years yielded several interesting responses. Check them out.

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From a high school friend:

Good blog! The saga continues:

https://fortloramieathletics.com/recap/in-overtime-again-fort-loramie-knocks-off-minster/

Never happened but oh the thought of it:

https://pressprosmagazine.com/ohsaa-tourney-area-lucks-out-with-minster-loramie-possibility/

Tom

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From a friend originally from Botkins:

Dave
Great history and pictures. Being from Botkins and also living in the UD ghetto, I can totally relate to many of the stories. Botkins had a similar rivalry with our neighboring town, Anna.

Buds in Minster was a favorite hangout, and of course Eagles nightclub was quite the hotspot to find girls.

Thanks for the memories!
Cheers
Al

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From a college friend originally from Dayton:

Otis (my nickname from college, named after a bar in Buffalo, NY),

I enjoyed your Animal House story so much I read on to your Ft. Loramie - Minster rivalry post and found it just as enjoyable. I particularly liked the story at the end about your dad and his neighbor in the Nursing Home arguing over which town had bragging rights for their church steeples.

It was pretty obvious from the included pictures that Paul Stukenborg was right that St. Augustine's had two steeples, but not so obvious that your dad was right about St. Michael's being taller. So I did some research and am happy to report what you already knew -- of course, your dad was right.

St. Michael, consecrated in 1881, was 64 feet wide by 170 feet long, with a bell tower that rose 200 feet off the ground. St Augustine, when originally consecrated in 1849, was 60 feet wide and 120 feet long with a single steeple that rose 160 feet from the ground. That steeple was removed in 1874 and replaced in 1876 by the Gothic twin towers that are still there today. The new towers rose to an impressive (but not impressive enough) 190 feet. Given the rivalry that has long existed between the two towns and the fact that St. Michael was built 5 years after the new steeples were installed at St. Augustine's, I'm guessing it was more than just coincidence that the St, Michael steeple ended up being ten feet taller.

Well, all of that got me thinking that at some point far in the future, like your dad, you might find yourself in a nursing home room right next to another old guy from rival Minster. And that, as guys do in a rivalry as old and as strong as Ft. Loramie - Minster, you might be tempted to brag about the size of your organ as compared to his. I WOULD CAUTION YOU NOT TO DO THAT! In further research I discovered that while the organ at St. Michael is impressive, originally installed in 1881 and later enhanced to a total of more than 1,100 pipes, it shrivels in comparison to the organ at St. Augustine's. Their behemoth was originally constructed and installed in 1896 by Henry Pilcher Sons of Louisville, Ky. and was enlarged in 1939 and again in 1968 to its glorious total today of 2,287 pipes in 37 magnificent ranks. Impressive, indeed, and not an organ to be trifled with.

St. Michael’s Organ

St. Augustine's Organ

As you can see, I have way too much time on my hands in the current circumstances.

You are welcome to use the organ research I shared for a future post — if you think your audience shares my interest in organs.

My own interest in your rightly named God’s Country region centers around The Wooden Shoe Inn in Minster where my father bought me my first legal beer to celebrate my 18th birthday (actually my 453rd beer by my count as I had already completed my first semester of college with you, but I had the good sense not to share that tidbit with dad.)

Take care,

Jim


Editors note: Legal drinking age back then was 18. And coincidently, St. Augustine’s organ is currently under refurbishment as outlined at this link and as rendered in the photo below. The pipes will be exposed like St. Michael’s rather than currently hidden to give the organ a “symphonic flair”.

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From an avid Fish Report reader from Russia:

Dave

Keep ‘em coming, not only do I love them but I hear other people talk about them... i.e. did you see Dave’s blog this week? Which spurs a discussion about similar but different memories.

We’re truly small town people!

Doug

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