St. Marys is a city in Auglaize County, Ohio, United States. Located in western Ohio, it is west of Wapakoneta and east of the Ohio–

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

border. Founded in 1823, the city is located on a portage between the St. Marys and Auglaize river systems, which was a significant factor in its development before the era of canals. The population was 8,397 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Wapakoneta micropolitan area.

History

After the Revolutionary War, the Shawnee village on the site became known as Girty's Town for the Indian traders James and

Simon Girty Simon Girty (14 November 1741 – 18 February 1818) was an interpreter with the British Indian Department during the American Revolutionary War and Northwest Indian War. As a child he and his brothers James and George were captured and adopted b ...

, who had a trading post on the site. James Girty was originally a partner of Peter Loramie, but fled to the St. Marys River when Loramie's trading post was burned in 1782. Girty maintained his trading post between 1783 and 1790 and fled when General Harmar's army approached. He later returned to the post. When General Anthony Wayne approached the St. Marys area in 1794, James Girty packed up his goods and fled to Canada, thus ending the Girty Brothers era in Ohio. The village retained the name until the modern town was founded in 1823. When General Wayne returned through the St. Marys area late in 1794 after the Battle of Fallen Timbers, he found the site deserted but noted its strategic location as a portage between the St. Mary's River and Auglaize River. He ordered a fort built on the location. Fort St. Mary's, named for the nearby river, was built by a detachment under Lieutenant John Michael in Oct. 1795 following the Treaty of Greenville. Lieutenant John Whistler was placed in charge of the garrison. In 1812, Gen.

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was the ninth president of the United States, serving from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causin ...

found the fort in ruins, and built a fort named Fort Barbee on an adjacent site. Col. Joshua Barbee was placed in charge of the fort. St. Marys was the site of the signing of the , and the six treaties comprising Treaty of St. Mary's of 1818. The latter treaty secured about a third of the state of Indiana from the

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

and Delaware Indians for the United States. The fort was abandoned shortly afterward. The earliest settlers arrived in 1820. St. Marys was founded by William Houston and John McCorkle, and Charles Murray, in 1823. They bought of land and laid out the village of 68 lots. The village was incorporated as a town in 1834 and Judge Stacy Taylor was elected its first mayor. The town surpassed the threshold of 5,000 persons and became a city in 1904. St. Marys was the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Mercer County from 1824 until 1840 when the seat was moved to Celina. After Auglaize County was organized in 1848, St. Marys competed with Wapakoneta for the position as county seat but was ultimately unsuccessful in a controversial countywide election. Three properties in St. Marys are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

: the former Fountain Hotel, the Dr. Issac Elmer Williams House and Office, and the former Holy Rosary Catholic Church, which was destroyed one year before it was placed on the Register.Shuffelton, Frank B. "Holy Rosary Catholic Church". Auglaize County Historical Society, ed. ''A History of Auglaize County Ohio''. Defiance: Hubbard, 1980, 211-212. St. Marys is a part of the Tree City USA national program.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Education

Saint Marys is home to Memorial High School.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 8,332 people, 3,283 households, and 2,194 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 3,620 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.7%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.4%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.4% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population. There were 3,283 households, of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.2% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.08. The median age in the city was 37.5 years. 26.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25% were from 25 to 44; 25.4% were from 45 to 64; and 14.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.2% male and 50.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 8,342 people, 3,218 households, and 2,240 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,479 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.49%

, 0.35%

, 0.13% Native American, 0.98% Asian, 0.02%

, 0.14% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.46% of the population. There were 3,218 households, out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were

living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.10. In the city the population was spread out, with 28.3% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $38,673, and the median income for a family was $44,247. Males had a median income of $38,371 versus $22,080 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $17,682. About 5.7% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 9.8% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.

Sister cities

St. Marys' neighboring municipalities, Wapakoneta and New Knoxville, are sister cities with Lienen's neighbors, Lengerich and Ladbergen, respectively.

Notable people

* Galen Cisco, MLB player and coach * William K. Howard, film director * Barbara Poppe, served in the Obama administration 2009-2014 as head of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness * Jim Tully, author * Robert Vogel, professional marksman and competition shooter * Chuck Weyant, racecar driver * Johann August Ernst von Willich, Prussian military officer, early proponent of communism in Germany, general in Union Army during the American Civil War

Gallery

File:Smohmpc.JPG, Memorial wall and twin cannons at Memorial Park in St. Marys, Ohio. File:Smohmpb.JPG, Canal boat exhibit at Memorial Park. Display features a life-sized metal horse tethered to a restored canal boat on the Miami-Erie Canal. File:Smohl13.JPG, The recently restored Lock 13 in St. Marys, Ohio. Lock 13 is one of many locks along the Miami-Erie Canal. File:Smohmecl13.JPG, The newly restored Lock 13 area in the middle of downtown St. Marys. File:Carl Chiles Walkpath.jpg, Beginning of the Carl Chiles Walk Path near Lock 13 and Memorial Park in St. Marys. This path runs along the Miami-Erie Canal.

Notes

References

External links

City website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Marys, Ohio Cities in Auglaize County, Ohio Populated places established in 1834 1834 establishments in Ohio Cities in Ohio